<p>Antibiotic residue is a serious threat to human health and the ecological environment and has aroused global concern. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct data mining and visualization analysis on sufficiently large text datasets through bibliometric methods, organize and summarize certain indicators, reveal the development history, research status, and research hotspots in the field of antibiotic residues, and provide reference value and significance for subsequent research. On the basis of bibliometric analysis and Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index data, and the Derwent Innovations Index, this paper provides a systematic overview of articles in the field of antibiotic residues from 2003 to 2023. China was the most active nation in the field of antibiotic residue research, according to the statistics, followed by the US and Spain. Sci. Total Environ. published the most papers at the journal level, while the Chinese Academy of Science authored the most at the institutional level. The greatest contributions were made by Pilar Molina Maria at the author level. Environmental sciences is the most popular field of study; keyword analysis has shown that research in recent years has focused mainly on antibiotic resistance and resistance genes; antibiotic residues in dairy products and food safety are the current research hotspots; the analysis of highly cited papers has shown that antibiotic residues in aquaculture and water bodies are the focus of research in this field; and the concentration and distribution factors of antibiotics deposited in the Yangtze River Basin within the territory of China are recent hot topics. In terms of patents, China is still the largest producer of patents in the field of antibiotic residues, and most patents involve the food industry and fermentation industry. Finally, we also projected future research directions in the field of antibiotic residues.</p>