STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL BUSINESS IN UKRAINE IN THE PRE-WAR PERIOD

Small business performs a stimulating function for the country's economy, makes a significant contribution to production and social life. Moreover, the role of small and micro-enterprises is crucial for the recovery of the economy in post-crisis periods, which is especially relevant now. At the same time, conducting a retrospective statistical analysis serves as the basis for determining the patterns of its activity in periods of stability and in periods of crises. The article outlines the role of small business for the country's economy. The existing contradictions regarding the existence of a broad spectrum of distribution of economic entities by different groups have been identified. The distribution of enterprises by size according to the Economic Code of Ukraine is analyzed and visually presented. Based on statistical data published on the official website of the State Statistics Service, the dynamics of changes in the number of operating entities of large, medium, small and micro enterprises in 2010–2021 were analyzed, and the dynamics of changes in the share of small businesses in the total number of enterprises over the same period were determined. Trends in changes in the volume of sales of small business enterprises during the research period were studied, and the specific weight of sales was determined in terms of large, medium, small and micro enterprises in the total volume of sales. The specific weight of the products produced by small business enterprises in the gross domestic product was determined. The number of employed and hired workers at enterprises of various types in 2010–2021 is graphically presented. The volumes of net profit and loss of enterprises for the period under study were analyzed and visually displayed. On the basis of the conducted research, the trends of small business development in Ukraine in the pre-war period are summarized and the prospects for further research in the specified direction are outlined.