2010 Report: Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Around the World: How Many Are There, and What Affects the Count?

This note provides an overview of new data on MSME (micro, small, and medium enterprise) Country Indicators for 132 economies. There are 125 million formal MSMEs in this set of economies, including 89 million in emerging markets. Descriptive statistical analysis is presented on the relationship between formal MSME density (number of formally registered MSMEs per 1,000 people) and key obstacles for MSMEs, such as access to finance and informality. This analysis shows that formal MSMEs are more common in high-income economies, but that in low- and middle-income economies, MSME density is rising at a faster pace. Second, although there is significant variance in the countries’ definitions of MSMEs, around a third of the countries covered define MSMEs as having up to 250 employees. Third, formal MSMEs employ more than one-third of the world’s labor force, but the percentage drops significantly with income level. Fourth, MSMEs are more likely to identify access to finance as their biggest obstacle than are large firms. In fact, in economies with a higher percentage of firms with no formal credit, MSME density is lower. Finally, a larger informal sector is associated with lower formal MSME density. Measures of barriers to firm entry and exit, such as the minimum capital requirement and the recovery rate in case of bankruptcy, are also associated with lower formal MSME density.