QUANTIFYING THE INTERNATIONALIZATION CAPACITY OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES

B a c k g r o u n d . The article examines the problem of involvement of Ukrainian small and medium-sized businesses in foreign economic activity (FEA) in the context of deep structural changes caused by martial law, the transformation of the global economy, and digitalization. The relevance of the topic is driven by the need to formulate an effective policy to support small and mediumsized businesses to boost exports, imports, and integration into international markets, which are critical to the country's economic recovery. The purpose of the study is to quantify the export capacity, import activity, and overall involvement of enterprises of different sizes in FEA, as well as to identify barriers and formulate measures to enhance the internationalization of small and medium-sized businesses. M e t h o d s . The methods of statistical analysis, comparative approach, normalization of indicators (min-max method), and construction of integral indices are used in the study. An empirical analysis of the statistical data of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine for 2016–2023 is carried out. R e s u l t s . The results show that micro and small enterprises have increased the efficiency of export and import activities, especially under martial law, while large enterprises have lost momentum. The indices of export capacity, import activity, and overall involvement in FEA were constructed, which allowed us to establish the leadership of medium-sized enterprises in terms of export capacity in 2023 and the growth of import intensity of microenterprises. Barriers related to lack of funding, certification difficulties, and low digital readiness have been identified. C o n c l u s i o n s . The practical value of the study lies in the proposed tools for assessing the participation of small and medium-sized businesses in FEA and recommendations for supporting their internationalization.