Purpose The digital revolution and the use of big data (BD) in particular has important applications in the construction industry. In construction, massive amounts of heterogeneous data need to be analyzed to improve onsite efficiency. This article presents a systematic review and identifies future research directions, presenting valuable conclusions derived from rigorous bibliometric tools. The results of this study may provide guidelines for construction engineering and global policymaking to change the current low-efficiency of construction sites. Design/methodology/approach This study identifies research trends from 1,253 peer-reviewed papers, using general statistics, keyword co-occurrence analysis, critical review, and qualitative-bibliometric techniques in two rounds of search. Findings The number of studies in this area rapidly increased from 2012 to 2020. A significant number of publications originated in the UK, China, the US, and Australia, and the smallest number from one of these countries is more than twice the largest number in the remaining countries. Keyword co-occurrence is divided into three clusters: BD application scenarios, emerging technology in BD, and BD management. Currently developing approaches in BD analytics include machine learning, data mining, and heuristic-optimization algorithms such as graph convolutional, recurrent neural networks and natural language processes (NLP). Studies have focused on safety management, energy reduction, and cost prediction. Blockchain integrated with BD is a promising means of managing construction contracts. Research limitations/implications The study of BD is in a stage of rapid development, and this bibliometric analysis is only a part of the necessary practical analysis. Practical implications National policies, temporal and spatial distribution, BD flow are interpreted, and the results of this may provide guidelines for policymakers. Overall, this work may develop the body of knowledge, producing a reference point and identifying future development. Originality/value To our knowledge, this is the first bibliometric review of BD in the construction industry. This study can also benefit construction practitioners by providing them a focused perspective of BD for emerging practices in the construction industry.