The available information regarding the role SMEs play in the economy in the countries of the region is scarce, of uneven quality and distribution and is virtually impossible to compare across countries or with other regions. This problem has already been faced in other countries with greater development and better availability of statistical information. The European SME Observatory .
Some countries perform industrial and economic surveys with segmentation for SMEs.
Nevertheless, there is no systematic approach that enables us to understand the role played by SMEs in the economy of each country, analyze it across time, and even less to compare it among countries of the same or other regions. The general objective of the Observatory project is precisely the creation of a sustainable mechanism of analysis of the role of SMEs in Latin American countries, its evolution across time and the impact they have on the economic transformations of the region. To benefit from national SME information and analysis tools that allow the design of national competitiveness policies by governments. To combine primary information collected through panel studies with survey and census statistical information. To create structured information where economic information on business conjuncture, broken down by sectors and geographical zones could be used as market data.