Trough mapping the knowledge structure of livelihood vulnerability research, the current landscape was clarified, key research areas was highlighted, evolving trends was traced, andfuture research directions was proposed, offering valuable insights for advancing this field. Using CiteSpace visualization software, studies on livelihood vulnerability published from 2008 to 2024 in the Web of Science (WoS) and CNKI (China National Knowledge Network) databases were compared, their progression, core themes, and emerging trends were analyzed. The findings reveal the volume of research in this field has grown steadily, with France and the UK forming the core of an collaboration network, supported by strong partnerships among scholars and institutions. Early studies focused on climate change, natural disasters, and household livelihood dynamics, while recent research emphasizes regional and empirical analyses, livelihood capital, poverty-alleviated households, visualization techniques, rural revitalization, risk of poverty recurrence, and livelihood resilience. Future research on livelihood vulnerability should deepen efforts in collaboration, topics, and methodologies, while continuing to extract and refine China’s rural anti-poverty experiences to support the comprehensive advancement of the rural revitalization strategy.