Review and Bibliographic Analysis of Metaheuristic Methods in Multicriteria Decision-Making: A 45-Year Perspective Across International, Latin American, and Colombian Contexts

This study performs a systematic review and analysis of research on the use of multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods for more than 45 years. More than 34,468 documents related to MCDA were identified in more than 130 countries, with an annual increase of 14.15% in scientific production. India, China, and Iran lead in number of publications, covering about 35%. The universities with the most publications include Islamic Azad University and Vilnius Gediminas Technical University. The main journals in this field are Expert Systems With Applications, Sustainability, and Journal of Cleaner Production. The most prolific authors are Zavadskas, E.; Wang, J.; Tzeng, GH; Zavadskas, EK; and Kahraman, C. The most popular methods are TOPSIS, AHP (analytic hierarchy process), VIKOR, PROMETHEE (Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation), and ANP. LATAN, which includes countries such as Brazil, Chile, and Mexico, has increased the use of MCDA in recent years. Colombia has also shown a great interest in MCDA, especially in the selection of alternative energy sources and industrial suppliers. This method of literature review provides a comprehensive overview of research at MCDA and offers valuable information for future projects and studies.