Objective To analyze the research hotspots of nursing informatics since 2000 in China, and to provide a reference for the future development and research in nursing informatics. Methods Literature on nursing informatics was searched in CNKI,Wan Fang,VIP and CBM database from January 2000 to September 2021. The Bicomb 2.0 software was used for bibliometric analysis, and SPSS25.0 software was used to generate tree graph in high frequency keyword clustering analysis. Results A total of 3644 relevant references were obtained, and 35 high frequency keywords were extracted. Seven research hotspots were obtained by co-word clustering analysis: application of information technology in nursing education, satisfaction of mobile nursing in clinical nursing and nursing management, application of electronic nursing records in ICU nursing quality management, informatization management of nursing safety in operating room, information literacy of nurses/nursing students and its influencing factors, application of stan-dardized nursing terminology in community nursing, and remote continuing nursing care for diabetic patients. Conclusion The research of nursing informatics in China in recent 20 years has shown the characteristics of diversification and decentralization. In the future, we should actively explore the construction of localized nursing information from a global perspective, and draw on excellent experience to provide reference for nursing practice, scientific research and teaching in the field of nursing informatics in China.