Western and Central Africa
Eastern and Southern Africa
Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Latin America
The Pacific
Arab States
Caribbean
Asia
Increasing annual investments in small and medium-sized enterprises by $1 trillion would yield disproportionate dividends in terms of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. These investments also have the potential to deliver healthy returns for investors.
To boost investment in developing country small firms, this report finds that stronger investment facilitators (actors which connect firms to investors) are key. Other major findings: bundling investments for small firms into large packages helps scale up financing; disseminating information on small business credit performance improves risk assessments; and helping these firms to be investor-ready improves their commercial viability.
Previous editions
The SME Competitiveness Outlook is ITC's flagship report, published annually since 2015. Each report provides an in-depth analysis on a particular topic related to the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) - from their contribution to inclusive growth to their participation in regional value chains. The reports combine data analysis, academic insights, thought leader opinions, and case studies to provide guidance for policymakers, business managers, and trade and investment support institutions. In addition, the reports contain country profiles for over 80 countries with statistics on the competitiveness of SMEs.