This bibliometric analysis evaluated the literature on PBT from the inception to 31 December 2023. Prior to 2012, the annual publications were fewer than 200. After 2014, the number of articles increased rapidly with a peak in 2021 when a total of 629 papers were published. A total of 597 pertinent papers were published in the year 2023. A total of 6516 papers were published in 628 journals. Physics in Medicine and Biology published the most papers (818 papers), followed by Medical Physics (670 papers), International Journal of Radiation Oncology - Biology - Physics (IJROBP) (482 papers), Radiotherapy and Oncology (313 papers), and Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics (185 papers). IJROBP is the most common journal, with 27,900 citations. This journal has had a profound impact on related research in this field, followed by Physics in Medicine and Biology (24,554 citations) and Medical Physics (17,886). While the publications focused on physics and RBE of proton in the past, an increasing number of clinical trials have explored outcome issues in recent years, such as survival time, quality of life and adverse events, guide the clinical development of a more rational treatment strategy.