A Bibliometric Analysis of Global Research on Universities of the Third Age and Older Adult Education (1982–2025)

Abstract

This study examines global publication trends and the intellectual structure of research on Universities of the Third Age (U3A) and later-life learning through bibliometric analysis. Data were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection on November 9, 2025, using the keywords “University of the Third Age”, “Third Age University”, “Third Age learning”, “learning in later life”, “education for older adults”, and “elderly education”, yielding 530 documents. These were subjected to co-authorship, citation, keyword co-occurrence, and bibliographic coupling analyses via VOSviewer. Findings reveal an acceleration in publication volume post-2010, predominantly comprising articles (75%). Poland (99 publications), the USA (65), and China (47) are the most productive countries, whereas Malta (TLS=71) serves as the strategic hub due to high link strength. At the institutional level, the University of Malta (TLS=99) and Nicolaus Copernicus University (TLS=38) act as intellectual bridges, with Marvin Formosa (TLS=142) emerging as the key theoretical leader. Keyword analysis demonstrates that while “older adults”, “lifelong learning”, and “education” remain central, digital learning, active aging, technology adoption, and psychosocial well-being have become strategic research foci, signaling a shift toward a multidisciplinary field.