The present study investigates the transformative developments associated with the Fifth Industrial Revolution, with particular emphasis on the emergence and evolution of fifth-generation industrial technologies globally. The research examines not only the technological shifts themselves but also their broader implications for societies, products, and industrial systems. In doing so, the present investigation addresses research trends concerning Industry 5.0, leading countries in scientific output, the subject categorisation in Industry 5.0 research, and related emerging topics in this field. To achieve these aims, the study employs a scientometric methodology. All relevant documents-including peer-reviewed articles, books, manuscripts, and conference papers-were retrieved from the Web of Science database for the period 2014–2023 using a comprehensive search strategy targeting the field of fifth-generation industry (using the search term TS= “Industry 5.0”). In total, 3,502 publications were identified. The dataset was subsequently analyzed using SPSS and CiteSpace to uncover publication trends, collaboration networks, and topical structures within the field. The findings reveal a marked increase in scholarly output on fifth-generation industrial technologies, from 184 publications in 2014 to 1,430 in 2023. China stands out as the most productive contributor, accounting for 798 studies over the past decade. Moreover, China and the United States were among the earliest countries to initiate systematic research on fifth-generation industry, indicating their leading role in shaping the field's intellectual foundations. Among disciplinary areas, food science and technology constitutes the most prominent category with 453 studies, followed by environmental sciences with 325 publications, and biotechnology and applied microbiology with 301 publications-highlighting the multidisciplinary nature of fifth-generation industrial research. Topical analyses further demonstrate that themes such as Industry 5.0, systems thinking, sustainable development, and digital twins have remained consistently central since the introduction of the fifth-generation industry concept. The findings underscore that, in the context of the Fifth Industrial Revolution, technological paradigms have undergone substantial reconfiguration. Emerging innovations-including 4D printing, collaborative robots (cobots), and cognitive computing-have fundamentally reshaped production processes, service delivery mechanisms, and the broader industrial ecosystem.