Trends and Gaps in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Research in Ethiopia: A Bibliometric Review (2015–2025)

Abstract Background: Global public health concerns, including water, sanitation, and hygiene, are crucial for achieving Sustainable Development Goals 6.1 and 6.2, with research playing a significant role in Ethiopia's progress. This study aims to explore Ethiopia's historical and current water, sanitation, and hygiene research, identify gaps in existing literature, and identify future research opportunities.Method: The systematic review approach was used to examine Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene research trends in Ethiopia. This study used quantitative bibliometric analysis of 1457 journal papers from the Scopus database to analyze and visualize knowledge structure, hot topics, research trends, and gaps in water, sanitation, and hygiene in Ethiopia. All published articles and reviews that were conducted on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Ethiopia, especially SDGs 6.1 (water) and 6.2 (sanitation and hygiene), written in English, access for the full paper, and the year of publication from 2015 to the start of 2025 were included in this study. MS-Excel and VOSViewer were used to analyse and visualize the existing networks.Result: Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene research in Ethiopia is advancing, with key authors like "Kloos, Halmut", "Adane, Metadel", "Ambelu, Argaw", and "Gari, Sirak Robele" contributing significantly. Addis Ababa University leads in publishing WASH research, with PLOS ONE having the largest number of publications. Key concepts explored include health, environmental science, and microbiology, demonstrating a multidisciplinary approach to issues like sanitation, water quality, and infectious diseases. Authors “Nyseen J.”, “Bartram J.”, and “Ayenew T.” are prominent in their Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene discipline, while authors “Adane, Metadal”, “Ambelu, Argaw”, and “Kloos, Helmut” are centrally located and productive collaborators.Conclusion: Ethiopia's Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene research from 2015 to 2025 has shown significant progress, with journals like BMC Public Health and PLOS ONE being influential. The field is characterized by multidisciplinary collaboration between environmental science, health, resource management, and microbiology. Key authors include Kloos, Halmut, Nyseen J., Bartram J., Ayenew T., and others. Addis Ababa University is the leading institution in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene research publication.