Objective Vegetation restoration is an effective strategy for ecological improvement; however, inappropriate vegetation establishment can induce soil desiccation, thereby threatening ecosystem stability. Therefore, elucidating the global response patterns of soil moisture to vegetation restoration and identifying research hotspots are critical for guiding ecological construction in arid regions.

Methods We reviewed 6,152 articles concerning soil moisture and vegetation retrieved from the Web of Science platform. Using VOSviewer, we conducted analyses of keyword co-occurrence, publication trends, and research hotspots to systematically delineate the evolving trends in this field.

Results The results indicate a significant increasing trend in the number of publications since 2000. Global research keywords are categorized into seven clusters, including vegetation, soil moisture, rainfall-erosion-infiltration, spatial heterogeneity, and climate change. In terms of highly cited papers in 2024, China and the United States maintain a significant lead. Global research demonstrates a strong dependency on typical regional geographical features (such as climate types and topography), exhibiting differentiated research focuses. Furthermore, studies extend beyond soil moisture itself to deeply couple with ecological processes such as vegetation restoration, soil respiration, carbon cycling, and hydrothermal conditions.

Conclusions The long-term ecological effects of afforestation in arid regions remain unclear, and empirical data from key regions highlight the current urgency. Future research should integrate climate change dynamics, innovate monitoring methodologies, and deepen the understanding of regional differentiation to provide scientific support for the adaptive management of vegetation in arid regions.