Objective To systematically analyze and compare the research literature of thoracic surgery simulation-based medical education (SBME) at home and abroad, and provide ideas for the future development of thoracic surgery SBME in China. Methods Using word frequency analysis and cluster analysis as analysis methods, CiteSpace visualization software and Excel statistical software as tools, the domestic and foreign SBME literature retrieved from PubMed and CNKI databases were visualized and statistically analyzed respectively. Results A total of 2 491 domestic and foreign literature on SBME in thoracic surgery were included. The annual number of foreign publications showed an increasing trend. The top three countries in terms of number of publications were the USA (n=581), Canada (n=105) and Germany (n=57); "cardiac surgery", "medical knowledge medical knowledge" and "medical education" are the hotspots of research in the direction of thoracic surgery simulation, while "lung cancer", "surgical training" and "3D printing" were still in the process of explosion. The core research themes were endoscope simulation trainer, scenario-based simulation teaching methods, standardized patients and virtual reality models. Conclusion Domestic SBME in thoracic surgery should learn from foreign development experience, keep up with the frontier and integrate cutting-edge technology, innovate the curriculum and offer non-technical skills teaching, and improve the system and focus on software construction.