The SME performance review is one of the main tools the European Commission uses to monitor and assess countries' progress in implementing the SME strategy and the Small Business Act (SBA). With an emphasis on the priorities under the SME strategy and the SBA, the review brings comprehensive information on the performance of SMEs. It consists of 2 parts: an annual report on European SMEs and SME country fact sheets.
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Annual report on European SMEs
Brussels, 20 June 2022 - The 2021/2022 annual report on European SMEs is now available.
The annual report, prepared on a yearly basis, provides a synopsis of the size, structure and importance of SMEs to the European economy and an overview of the past and forecasted performance of SMEs from 2008 to 2022.
Since early 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 23 million EU-27 SMEs, and more generally, SMEs throughout the world, have faced unprecedented economic uncertainty and turmoil. Moreover, through part of 2021, SMEs faced difficulties in hiring new staff to meet an unexpectedly strong rebound in demand, while also having to deal with sharp and rapid increases in the price of many of their inputs. At the same time as coping with extraordinary economic and social challenges during the last two years, SMEs have also had to prepare for the transition to a digital and sustainable economy.
This report reviews how EU-27 SMEs fared in 2020 and 2021, and how they are likely to perform in 2022. In addition, after an extensive discussion of the state of digitalisation of SMEs in last year’s SME Annual Report, this year the report examines how SMEs can increase their environmental sustainability.
- 2021: Annual report on European SMEs - Digitalisation of SMEs (5MB)
- 2019: Annual report on European SMEs - Research & development and innovation by SMEs (7MB)
- 2018: Annual report on European SMEs - SMEs growing beyond borders (6 MB)
- 2017: Annual report on European SMEs - Focus on self-employment (11 MB)
- 2016: Annual report on European SMEs - SME recovery continues (4 MB)
- 2015: Annual report on European SMEs - SMEs start hiring again (4 MB)
- 2014: A partial and fragile recovery - Annual report on European SMEs (3 MB)
- 2013: A recovery on the horizon? Annual report on European SMEs (3 MB)
- 2012: EU SMEs in 2012: at the crossroads - Annual report on SMEs in the EU (3 MB)
- 2010-2011: Are EU SMEs recovering from the crisis? Annual report on EU SMEs (1 MB)
- 2009: European SMEs under pressure - Annual report on EU SMEs (745 kB)
- 2008: Annual report on EU SMEs (351 kB)
SME fact sheets
The SME fact sheets present an assessment of the progress in the implementation of the SME Strategy and the Small Business Act at national level. They focus on key performance indicators and national policy developments related to SME policy.
EU countries in 2022
- Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland,Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
Non-EU countries
Prepared in cooperation with The Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations.
Additional documents
- Background documents of the SME fact sheets 2022
- Graphs related to the SME fact sheets 2022
- Country SME key figures 2022
- Database of SBA policy measures 2022
- SPR indicators
- Methodology notes:
Please note: The fact sheets do not constitute a comprehensive assessment of country policies, but rather contribute to the assessments, and should be regarded as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, any other relevant in-depth studies of SME policies.
- Report on the survey of EU start-ups and the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2023)
- Study on SMEs, resource efficiency and green markets (March 2022)
- Study on the effectiveness of public innovation support for SMEs in Europe (March 2021)
- Flash Eurobarometer on SMEs, start-ups, scale-ups and entrepreneurship (September 2020)
- Flash Eurobarometer on SMEs, Resource Efficiency and Green Markets (January 2018)
- Cost of the Cumulative Effects of Compliance with EU Law for SMEs (May 2015)
- Report summary (402 KB)
- Full report (2 MB)
- Appendices ABCEF (8 MB)
- Appendix D (14 MB)
- Flash Eurobarometer on SMEs, Resource Efficiency and Green Markets (2 December 2015)
- Flash Eurobarometer on SMEs, Resource Efficiency and Green Markets (16 December 2013)
Flash Eurobarometer on SMEs, Resource Efficiency and Green Markets (27 March 2012)
Study on the SMEs' impact on the EU labour market (16 January 2012)
Study on EU SMEs and subcontracting