SME’s Criteria in National Economies and Its Scale: A Comparative Study
Small and medium enterprises are an essential part of the national economy of any country. In some countries, the importance of such enterprises is limited to their “dampening” role during crises. In others, SMEs are also the leading employers and a significant payers of taxes. At the same time, the criteria used in countries differ significantly, both in essence and quantitatively fields, so that it makes difficult to make correct cross-country comparisons of this sector development. Moreover, these criteria change over time, making it challenging to analyze the dynamics of the development of this sector. Based on the analysis of a number of primary sources (national regulatory acts), the article presents the results of a comparative analysis of the criteria for classifying enterprises as micro, small and medium. The study covers countries of all continents, different living standards, and different economic systems. In total, more than 70 countries have been analyzed. The features for criteria are highlighted. The results present relationship between SME criteria values and the “population” characteristics of the SME sphere (SMEs per 1000 inhabitants and the share of employed in SMEs in the population).