Bibliometric analysis of green entrepreneurship as a driver of sustainable innovation in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study examines the role of green entrepreneurship in fostering sustainable innovation and supporting the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Saudi Arabia, a priority reinforced by the Vision 2030 transformation agenda. Despite increasing policy and academic attention, there remains a lack of a comprehensive and context-specific synthesis of the rapidly expanding literature on green entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia. The accelerating implementation of Vision 2030, coupled with growing interest in digital transformation, green finance, and sustainable innovation, makes an updated review particularly timely. Unlike previous reviews that have examined green entrepreneurship from a broader international perspective, this study provides the first Saudi Arabia-focused systematic review and bibliometric analysis that integrates economic, technological, institutional, and socio-cultural determinants—including Vision 2030 reforms, Islamic environmental ethics, artificial intelligence-enabled innovation, and SME development—within a unified analytical framework. This research addresses this gap through a systematic review and bibliometric analysis of 249 Scopus-indexed publications (2016–2024), conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines and supported by R and VOSviewer software to map publication trends, influential contributors and thematic evolution. The findings reveal a strong increase in research activity, with sustainable innovation primarily driven by circular economy capabilities, human resource management practices and the adoption of artificial intelligence and digital tools. However, growth remains constrained by financial barriers, regulatory complexity and uneven technological readiness among SMEs. This study offers an integrated and context-specific synthesis of how green entrepreneurship supports sustainable innovation in Saudi Arabia and provides theoretical and policy-oriented insights to strengthen a resilient and innovation-driven entrepreneurial ecosystem.