Global Inequities in Wearable Health Technology Research

Motivated by my interest in biomedical engineering and equitable healthcare, I conducted an independent bibliometric study examining the geographical distribution of wearable health technology research published between 2010 and 2025.

Using Scopus and Web of Science data, I compared research output across World Bank income groups with their respective shares of global disease burden. I also examined international collaboration patterns and country-level relationships between research representation and disease burden.

My findings revealed substantial disparities: high-income countries were disproportionately represented in wearable health technology research, while low-income countries accounted for only a small fraction of publications despite carrying a considerable disease burden.