Assessment of the geographical distribution of small and medium-sized businesses in the Russian Federation

Subject. The development of small and medium-sized businesses as one of the key tasks of government economic policy. Objectives. Assessment of the trends of various indicators of small and medium-sized business development across federal districts. Methods. Statistical analysis tools were applied. Results. Despite the increase in the number of small and medium-sized enterprises, the number of employees in this sector is declining. The industries where small and medium-sized businesses are growing the most include trade, transportation and storage, and construction. The leader in absolute density of small and medium-sized businesses is the Northwestern Federal District. High concentrations of small and medium-sized enterprises are seen in the Central and Volga Federal Districts, which is linked to developed infrastructure, proximity to markets, and availability of skilled workers. Medium-sized businesses make the biggest contribution to Russia's economy. Population density in most federal districts slightly decreased by 2025, which could be due to migration or demographic trends. However, this doesn't stop the growth of the density of small and medium-sized businesses. Conclusions. The results can be used when developing federal and regional programs to support small and medium-sized businesses, to optimize resource allocation, and to reduce spatial inequality.