Objective This study aims to perform a bibliometric hotspot analysis on the diabetes-osteoporosis association between diabetes mellitus and osteoporosis.

Methods This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of 5, 193 global research publications on the diabetes-osteoporosis association from 2016 to 2025, utilizing data sourced from the Web of Science database.

Results The study revealed significant differences between Chinese and overseas research in the field of diabetes-osteoporosis association: China has demonstrated rapid growth in research output, yet shows considerable scope for improvement in academic impact and international collaboration; domestic studies lean toward exploring fundamental mechanisms, while overseas research prioritizes clinical transformation and applications.

Conclusion This study conducts a bibliometric analysis to reveal differential patterns in diabetes-osteoporosis research domestically and internationally, proposing enhanced international collaboration to facilitate the translation of basic researches into clinical practice for optimizing patient skeletal health management.