Features of small and medium-sized businesses in the Republic of Kazakhstan

World experience shows that small and medium-sized enterprises play a significant role in the development of the economy, providing growth in production and GDP, being the main source of jobs not only for qualified personnel, but also for lower-skilled workers. The article describes in detail that in the Republic of Kazakhstan, small and medium-sized businesses perform a huge social function, providing employment for more than half of the economically active population, it is noted that the share of SMEs in the economy of Kazakhstan reaches 30.8% of GDP and provides employment for 3.3 million people, and support for this segment is one of the key areas in the republic. At the same time, it is noted that in the sectoral structure of small and medium-sized enterprises of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the last ten years, there has been a decline in agriculture: the share of the number of enterprises and the number of employees has significantly decreased. Various state and regional programs aimed at supporting small and medium-sized businesses are also considered, and possible ways to improve the level of development of SMEs in the country are given.