The contribution of SMEs to total exports in value in Latin
America and the European Union is just above 13% and
25% respectively (IDB, 2014; European Commission,
2014). In Asia, where they have been more successful in
trade, they represent 30% of this region’s exports; China
and India stand out, as SMEs contributed 60% and 40%,
respectively, to these countries’ total exports from 1998 to
2008 (ADBI, 2015). Table 2 provides additional information
about some of the larger economies in each region (ITC and
WTO, 2014) and illustrates the relatively small participation
of SMEs in exports. Galvanizing SMEs to raise productivity
and participate more actively in world trade would help
accelerate economic growth, reduce unemployment and
also improve income distribution, since many owners of
SMEs and those employed by them are relatively poor.