BACKGROUND: As the population ages, the socio-economic impact of osteoarthritis (OA) is becoming increasingly significant. In recent years, there has been a growing focus on the design and development of nanomaterials for diagnosing and treating OA. This study aims to comprehensively evaluate the current status and trends in the application of nanomaterials in OA through bibliometric analysis and provide a review. METHODS: Studies on nanomaterials and OA were sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database, with relevant articles selected based on predefined inclusion criteria. Quantitative and visual analyses of the included publications were conducted using tools such as VOSviewer, and GraphPad Prism 9.5.0. RESULTS: A total of 532 publications were included in this study. The number of annual publications has increased steadily from 2006 to 2023. China, the United States, and South Korea are the leading countries in this field. Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Li Zheng are recognized as the most influential institutions and authors, respectively. Biomaterials is the most frequently published and cited journal. Current research primarily focuses on drug delivery and the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of nanomaterials. Recent research hotspots include mesoporous silica nanoparticles, electrostatic interaction, and injectable hydrogels. CONCLUSION: In this study, we summarised the annual publication trends and identified the most influential countries, institutions, authors, journals, and current research and development trends in the application of nanomaterials for OA.