SMEs account for 71% of employment and 28% of GDP in the MENA region.   Bank lending to the SME segment in the MENA region accounts for only 8% of total loans.   90% of the loans made to medium sized businesses in Saudi Arabia are less than one year in duration.   From 1980-2005 there were 40 million net jobs created in the US, virtually all of which came from companies that were less than 5 years old. Approximately 80 million jobs need to be created in the MENA region over the next 15 years just to maintain the same level of unemployment.   SMEs in MENA (which account for 71% of employment but only 28% of GDP) are less productive and operate in less productive sectors than those in more developed markets such as the US (where SMEs account for 50% of employment and also 50% of GDP).