Abstract
Karoshi has become a critical global occupational health and safety concern. This study aimed to analyse Karoshi research through a bibliometric analysis and systematic review using Web of Science and Scopus as data sources. A bibliometric analysis of 324 papers published from 1997 to 2024 was conducted. Subsequently, 83 articles were chosen for the systematic review. Results showed that personal (workaholism, lifestyle habits and preexisting health conditions), organisational (work demands, corporate culture and management practices) and social factors (national culture, economic pressure and labour policies) were related to the occurrence of Karoshi. Accordingly, a theoretical framework involving these factors was proposed to explain Karoshi. Moreover, overwork notably affects employees' physical, mental health and life quality pre-Karoshi. Most existing studies used questionnaire-based methods, which may be subject to recall bias, potentially affecting the accuracy of the findings. This study provided a basis for future research and policies to mitigate Karoshi risks. © 2025 ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 4014-4035 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| Journal | Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Online published | 25 Dec 2025 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - May 2026 |
Funding
This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (72301110), the Philosophy and Social Science Planning Project of Guangdong Province of China (GD25YYS35), the Yangcheng Youth Scholar Project of Philosophy and Social Science Planning of Guangzhou (2025GZQN07), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (QNMS202418).
UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
Research Keywords
- burnout
- death from overwork
- Karoshi
- long working hours
- occupational safety and health
- workaholism
Publisher's Copyright Statement
- COPYRIGHT TERMS OF DEPOSITED POSTPRINT FILE: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Man, S. S., Yu, Z., Chen, Y., Chan, A. H. S., & Xie, Y. (2026). Understanding Karoshi: A Bibliometric Analysis and Systematic Review of Evidence From 1997 to 2024. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 33(3), 4014-4035, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.70370.
- This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.
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