OBJECTIVE：To investigate the research status and hotspots of inhalation therapy for respiratory diseases in the world，and to provide reference for further development of the filed in China. METHODS ：All literatures about inhalation therapy for respiratory disease were retrieved from Web of Science database from the inception to Jan. 1st，2020. The retrieval result analysis function of Web of Science combined with visual analysis function of CiteSpace 5.1.R6SE software were used to analyze included literatures from respective of annual number of articles published ，countries，institutions，categories and co-cited authors ， so as to analyze the research situation in this field. The knowledge map of key words was drawn ，then cluster analysis and burst detection were carried out ，and the research hotspot and development process were analyzed. RESULTS ：A total of 1 385 literatures were included. From 1947 to 2020，the overall trend of annual number of articles published was on the rise. There were 66 countries involved in relevant research ，the United States was in the leading position （the number of articles published accounting for 33.79％ of total articles published ），followed by Germany and UK （the number of articles published accounting for 10.32％， 8.88％ of total articles published ），while Chinese number of articles published accounting for only 3.75％ of total articles published. Institutions involved in this research field included the respiratory diseases research institution ，comprehensive universities and national institute for occupational safety health ；top ranked institutions were Sydney University ，North Carolina University， Harvard University ， etc. The subject category involved molecular biology ， internal medicine ， pharmacology， engineering and other fields. A total of 749 authors were co-cited ，and the co-cited frequency of top two authors were 109，84 times respectively. Through the cluster analysis ，6 major researches hotspots were obtained in this field ，including the dosage form and technology design of inhaled drugs ，the mechanism of inhaled drugs ，the application of inhalation therapy for the obstructive diseases of respiratory system ，the application of inhalation therapy for the infectious diseases of respiratory system ，the application of inhalation therapy for the special population of respiratory diseases，and the risk factors in the application of inhalation （No.2017YFC0909900） therapy for respiratory diseases. Through the sudden detection ， it was found that in the early 1990s，the research in this field was very active ，and there were many research hotspots ；in the early 21st century ， there were several new research hotspots for a short time ，such as metered-dose inhaler ，aerosol，etc.；till the 2020s，there were many research hotspots ，such as nanoparticles，human trials ，etc. CONCLUSIONS ：Researches about inhalation therapy for the respiratory diseases are steadily increasing internationally ，while the researches in this field in China is still very limited. In the future ，our country can pay attention to the international research hotspot and direction in this field ，and further strengthen the exchanges and cooperation with other countries.