Comparative Internationalization in Asian Higher Education: Ten-Year Developments, Contemporary Trends, and Future Trajectories Based on Bibliometric Study

Abstract

This study aims to analyse the distribution of academic publications on the topic of internationalization in Asian Higher Education based on year, country, thematic focus, publication source, and keywords. Using a bibliometric approach with the PRISMA protocol, data was collected from the Scopus database, resulting in a final dataset of 1,296 articles and conference proceedings published between 2015 and 2025. VOSviewer software was used to visualise author networks and keyword evolution. Findings show a significant surge in research productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating the resilience of this topic. Geographically, China dominates as the main source, while networks in Southeast Asia and West Asia remain relatively fragmented. Thematically, there has been a paradigm shift, with early research focusing on market-based mobility and neoliberalism (2015–2017), shifting to digital adaptation during the pandemic, and more recently evolving towards ‘cultural competence’, “innovation” and ‘sustainability’ (2023–2025). These results suggest that internationalization in Asia is moving beyond physical mobility towards a more substantial focus on curriculum quality and global sustainability goals. Therefore, this study recommends the need for equitable collaboration to reduce regional dominance, as well as a reorientation of research policy that prioritises sustainability impact over mere quantity metrics.