The accelerated pace of development in the Field of Quantum Computing is very alarming for many of the presently used cryptographic algorithms such as RSA and ECC underlying much of security in the modern world. This is an indication that the need for development of quantum-resistant algorithms especially for security in data integrity and communication in the environment driven by quantum computers, commonly referred to as Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC). For addressing this, the Research presents a scientometric lenses on PQC to provide a systematic review of its related research terrain, thematic trends and key contributors for directionality purposes. In the scientific aspect, the work uses new-generation scientometric techniques, including co-words, thematic maps, and network diagrams based on 2874 articles sourced from the WoS and SCOPUS databases, which were systematically evaluated using the PRISMA protocol in R Studio. Such an approach could help disentangle the publication profiles, collaborative structures, and emergent institutionalization of PQC research. Identified insights demonstrate that the growth pattern of PQC has become steeper, with the number of annual publications reaching 623 in 2023, where Florida Atlantic University and Tsinghua University are also the most active institutions. Despite this progress, major research gaps persist, particularly in scaling PQC algorithms, cross-platform adaptability, and testing in real-world settings, which are essential for applications in constrained environments like IoT networks. Thus, this study sets a foundation of reference on PQC research and presents noble advice to scholars, legislators, and entrepreneurs. These findings make the case for constant development and reliable procedures to safeguard computational assets from new forms of attack posed by quantum computing and, in doing so, point to an exciting future in the post-quantum world.
The accelerated pace of development in the Field of Quantum Computing is very alarming for many of the presently used cryptographic algorithms such as RSA and ECC underlying much of security in the modern world. This is an indication that the need for development of quantum-resistant algorithms especially for security in data integrity and communication in the environment driven by quantum computers, commonly referred to as Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC). For addressing this, the Research presents a scientometric lenses on PQC to provide a systematic review of its related research terrain, thematic trends and key contributors for directionality purposes. In the scientific aspect, the work uses new-generation scientometric techniques, including co-words, thematic maps, and network diagrams based on 2874 articles sourced from the WoS and SCOPUS databases, which were systematically evaluated using the PRISMA protocol in R Studio. Such an approach could help disentangle the publication profiles, collaborative structures, and emergent institutionalization of PQC research. Identified insights demonstrate that the growth pattern of PQC has become steeper, with the number of annual publications reaching 623 in 2023, where Florida Atlantic University and Tsinghua University are also the most active institutions. Despite this progress, major research gaps persist, particularly in scaling PQC algorithms, cross-platform adaptability, and testing in real-world settings, which are essential for applications in constrained environments like IoT networks. Thus, this study sets a foundation of reference on PQC research and presents noble advice to scholars, legislators, and entrepreneurs. These findings make the case for constant development and reliable procedures to safeguard computational assets from new forms of attack posed by quantum computing and, in doing so, point to an exciting future in the post-quantum world.
Quantum computers threaten to break asymmetric cryptography protocols almost immediately. To address this, researchers are developing post-quantum cryptography (PQC), which offers greater security but comes with higher costs and greater implementation complexity. The objective of this article is to identify the NEW cryptographic schemes, methods, and algorithms designed to resist quantum attacks. To do so, we first conducted a literature review that included mapped studies, systematic reviews, and surveys published in 2025 and mid-2026. This would help identify gaps and knowledge vacuums. Second, we conducted a systematic review using the PRISMA methodological guidelines for the period between 2020 and mid-2026 to compare the performance of PQC schemes, characterize the main challenges of their implementation, and identify trends. The results show that lattice-based schemes, followed by code-based and hash-based schemes, are the most extensively researched because they balance security, computational efficiency, and readiness for standardization. Furthermore, the most commonly reported performance metrics are key and signature sizes, as well as execution times. Meanwhile, scalability, power consumption, and performance on resource-constrained devices have been explored very little. Our study concludes with the key priorities that are likely to shape the future development of PQC.
As quantum computing progresses, longstanding security assumptions that form the foundations of today's digital infrastructure are being undermined, and new cryptographic mechanisms are needed that can resist attacks from a quantum computer. In this study, the bibliometric analysis of 1346 Web of Science Core Collection documents from 2015 to 2026 have been used to map the development, intellectual structure and emerging cybersecurity applications of post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny and VOSviewer were used to perform performance analysis and science mapping, including annual production, citation dynamics, author productivity, institutional and country contributions, source concentration, keyword co-occurrence, thematic positioning, and topic evolution. The results indicate that research has accelerated quickly, from less than 10 publications per year in 2015-2016 to 456 in 2025, and that 2026 is a partial indexing year. Citation influence is dominated by China and the United States, and the most visible affiliations include the Chinese Academy of Sciences, State University System of Florida, and Florida Atlantic University. IEEE Access is the leading publication outlet. Keyword and thematic analyses show that the field has moved from foundational cryptanalysis and mathematical constructions toward lattice-based cryptography, hardware acceleration, NIST standardization, CRYSTALS-Kyber/ML-KEM, authentication, blockchain, Internet of Things, and migration-oriented cybersecurity. The study further identifies a post-standardization shift from algorithm competition to implementation assurance, crypto-agility, interoperability, side-channel resilience, and sector-specific deployment. These findings provide an updated evidence base for researchers, cybersecurity practitioners, standards bodies, and organizations planning quantum-safe migration.
Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is under development to guard against the threats of quantum computers by implementing a new class of cryptosystems. In this direction, much work has been done since 2006, which has led to many publications. Hence, this study presents an overview of PQC research through scientometric analysis of the data containing 1611 publications published from 2006 to 2023, retrieved from the Scopus database. The analysis identifies growth, trends, leading countries, and significant publications, providing insights into impactful PQC research. It also demonstrates a significant rise in publications after 2015, and the United States is a highly productive country. Furthermore, this study also discusses the managerial view, which can assist technology managers in understanding its impact on global and local markets. The findings of this analysis can be a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders interested in the future of cryptography and other potential impacts of quantum computing.
The advent of quantum computing poses a significant threat to current cryptographic systems, particularly public-key algorithms such as RSA and ECC, which are vulnerable to quantum attacks like Shor's algorithm. Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) aims to develop and standardize quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms to secure digital communications in the quantum era. This paper examines the current landscape of PQC, focusing on the evaluation and standardization efforts led by organizations such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). We analyze the major families of quantum-resistant algorithms, including lattice-based, hash-based, code-based, multivariate, and isogeny-based cryptography, discussing their security guarantees, performance trade-offs, and implementation challenges. Furthermore, we review NIST's PQC standardization process, highlighting selected finalists and alternate candidates, and explore the ongoing transition challenges in adopting these algorithms across industries. Finally, we discuss future directions for PQC research, including hybrid cryptographic systems and the need for continued cryptanalysis to ensure long-term security. This work provides a comprehensive overview of the progress and challenges in deploying quantum-resistant cryptography to safeguard against emerging quantum threats.
With the emergence of quantum computers, classical cryptography is facing significant challenges. Address this compelling problem, it is the need of hour to develop Post Quantum cryptography (PQC), or quantum-resistant cryptography. PQC is a rapidly evolving field in computer science. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) posted a call for inviting new generation of PQC algorithms. This paper aims to explore the significance and relevance of PQC in the future. Performing bibliometric analysis is important for gathering the necessary information about this discipline. Performance analysis and science mapping are done to extract valuable insights from the dataset. The dataset includes 14,230 records extracted from the Scopus database. The analysis is done using qualitative as well as quantitative approaches. The quantity approach focuses on the number of publications and document type analysis of the publications, while the quality approach includes the citation analysis of research publications. Bibliographic coupling is also carried out to understand the relationship in a visualisation format between authors, documents, sources, and countries. After performing the analysis, it has been observed that China has made the most significant contribution to the field of PQC. Additionally, the most highly cited author identified is Nicolas Gisin from the University of Geneva. This study provides valuable insights into prominent keywords, emerging trends and key research areas within the PQC domain, offering a comprehensive overview of the current research landscape.
The threats are existential to the traditional cryptosystems of public keys, including RSA, Diffie-Hellman, and elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), due to the rapid progress in quantum computing. Such algorithms as the Shor and Grover algorithms prove that as soon as large scale quantum computers are achieved, these classical cryptographic protocols will not provide any privacy and integrity to online communication. This has created an emergency to find post-quantum cryptography (PQC), or quantum-safe cryptography, which will resist attacks by both classical and quantum attackers. The paper is a review of the latest research and development in post-quantum cryptographic algorithms and their implementation in current security systems. We organize quantum-safe methods into significant organizations such as lattice-based, hash-based, multivariate polynomial-based and code-based encrypted communications. Each type has been evaluated critically based on computational efficiency, key sizes, speed of encryption/decryption and security proofs. The survey also examines the current standardization activities happening in the world and especially the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) PQC competition, which lists candidate algorithms that have advanced to standard adoption. Besides this, the paper addresses hybrid cryptographic designs that use both classical and post-quantum bases in ensuring a seamless migration in the transition phase. Internet security protocols like TLS, VPNs and blockchain consensus as applications of PQC are examined in detail. Lastly, we pinpoint open research issues, which include creating lightweight PQC to support resource-constrained IoT devices, balancing performance and strong security assurances, and interoperability between the new PQC algorithms and existing infrastructures. Through detailed survey we inform the future of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers on the preparation of the post-quantum era of secure digital communications.