Services

Today’s increasingly interconnected global economy is transforming not only what is traded and how it is traded, but also who is trading. Large companies continue to dominate international trade, because they have the critical mass, organizational reach and relevant technologies necessary to access and supply foreign markets. But thanks to the Internet, the emergence of new business platforms, and the increasing openness of the global economy, many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) now have the potential to become successful and important global traders as well. The World Trade Report 2016 examines the participation of SMEs in international trade. In particular, it looks at how the international trade landscape is changing for SMEs, where new opportunities are opening up and old challenges remain, and what the multilateral trading system does to ensure inclusive participation of firms in global markets.

In the majority of countries, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are defined as firms employing between 10 and 250 people. Firms with up to 10 employees are usually referred to as micro firms. There is, however, no commonly agreed definition of what micro firms and SMEs are. They are mixed by nature, ranging from producers of non-tradable services to “born global” suppliers of digital products, highquality artisanal goods or sophisticated instruments.