Main problem: Small and medium-sized businesses, as an important component of modern production, largely contributes to maintaining a competitive tone in the economy, creates a natural social support for a social structure organized on the principles of the market, and also forms a new social stratum of entrepreneurs. Since the establishment of independent Kazakhstan, the sphere of entrepreneurship has always been in the center of attention of the state, and the Strategy "Kazakhstan - 2050": the new political course of the established state, comprehensive support of entrepreneurship as the leading force of the national economy has been identified among its priority tasks. At the present stage of development, the system of state support for small and medium- sized businesses in the Republic of Kazakhstan includes a number of institutions and state programs designed to provide comprehensive support to this sector of the economy. Despite the measures taken by the state to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the development of this area in the regions and the Republic of Kazakhstan, in general, faces a number of serious problems, including those of a systemic nature, which involves researching the state, identifying problems and determining prospects for the development of small and medium- sized businesses. Purpose: to study the state, trends and prospects of development of SMEs in Pavlodar region, to identify and describe the problems of organizing the activities of entrepreneurs in the region. Methods: the state of entrepreneurial activity in the region is analyzed in the context of the main socially significant indicators of its development, the main trends and patterns of development of the SME sphere are identified and the reasons that form them are substantiated. As one of the tools for identifying and substantiating the reasons hindering the development of entrepreneurial activity, the study conducted a survey of entrepreneurs to identify the problems of SMEs in the region. Results and their significance: Based on the results of the study, a range of priority problems of SMEs in the region was determined, an assessment of their correlation with similar problems of the SME sector of the Republic of Kazakhstan was given, and a range of basic expectations of entrepreneurs in the context of government measures to support their development was outlined.