Although there is scope for all types of SMEs to scale up capacity and grow, only a small percentage of them do so in OECD countries. Most SMEs, including start-ups, show lower levels of productivity and wages, lower levels of technology adoption and innovation, or lower levels of internationalisation and participation in global value chains.

Conditions and barriers to SME and start-up performance vary with business environment, market conditions, institutional and regulatory framework, or their access to infrastructure and strategic resources, such as skills, finance, knowledge, data, technology or networks, etc.