Is brain drain bad for India? How about the rest of the world?

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As children of the brain drain (literally as well as figuratively) we are conditioned to think of India’s million-strong brain drain represents just 4.3% of its vast graduate populationthe free market in labor as a good thing for all parties involved. Certainly, free movement of talented professionals has been good for migrating professionals and for the people of the first world — 25% of the doctors in North America, Britain and Australia are immigrants who attended medical school abroad. [Link]

A trickier question concerns the implications of the brain drain for the people in the sending country, the country that the doctors are being drained from. The effects of the brain drain there can be ambiguous – while it leeches away many talented professionals, it also creates incentives for others (who might not have seen education as lucrative before) to get educated, and can therefore create a more educated population than would have existed without brain drain. Some people argue that this is why India has benefitted from/despite brain drain while other countries have been damaged by it. According to the Economist:

Indian students had little reason to learn computer coding before there was a software industry to employ them. But such an industry could not take root without computer engineers to man it. The dream of a job in Silicon Valley, however, was enough to lure many of India’s bright young things into coding, and that was enough to hatch an indigenous software industry where none existed before.

India’s valley-dwellers represent just one contingent in a much larger diaspora. According to the most exhaustive study of the brain drain, released last month by the World Bank, there were 1.04m Indian-born people, educated past secondary school, living in the 30 relatively rich countries of the OECD in 2000. (An unknown number of them acquired their education outside their country of birth, the report notes.) This largely successful diaspora is more than just something to envy and emulate. Its members can be a source of know-how and money, and provide valuable entrées into foreign markets and supply chains.

But Messrs Kapur and McHale think India’s relatively happy experience with its educated emigrés is more likely to be the exception than the rule. Its million-strong brain drain represents just 4.3% of its vast graduate population, according to the Bank. By contrast, almost 47% of Ghana’s highly educated native sons live in the OECD; for Guyana, the figure is 89%. This is not a stimulative leeching of talent; it is a haemorrhage. [Link]

In general, we would do well to remember that India’s experience is different from that of other poor countries. It makes as much sense to generalize from India’s experience to that of another third world country as it would to generalize from the American experience to that of Luxemburg. For better or worse, India is unique, and therefore should not be seen as a model for the rest of the world.

67 thoughts on “Is brain drain bad for India? How about the rest of the world?”

  2. India’s emigrants may represent only 4.3% of the graduate population, but I’ll bet that comprises at least 40% of the right end of the same sample’s IQ distribution.

    The incentive to education is a good offsetting factor.

  3. Mon,der is no ting called brain drain wot are ya talking about?Der is too much brain at home.”we will be a greater nation if we wud have prevented them all brain drain”or whatever,we are a better nation coz of the “brain drain”.Ameriga is de stage,the world dem only see folks performin on de amreekan stage ‘n dem don’t give a damn about “third world stages”.But sometimes i just cant justify….me just can’t justify

  4. Jim

    India’s emigrants may represent only 4.3% of the graduate population, but I’ll bet that comprises at least 40% of the right end of the same sample’s IQ distribution

    . I disagree, My observation is that there are just as many smart indians who chose to stay in india(or come back to india after education/working in US) than those who chose to emigrate to US.

    More on the economist

    Indian students had little reason to learn computer coding before there was a software industry to employ them.

    Its soooo complicated…. There are many people worldwide who studied math,science or business commerce,Engineering(Mechanical, Civil,Biomedical i wont count EE in this) who end up learning sw programming and take up that proffession. This happens more in india where if you studied science or math in particular(that means somewhere along your course work u used a computer to simulate or numericaly compute something) you are hired by a company which trained you for stuff.

    For better or worse, India is unique.

    Yep

  5. Like clockwork, every June all the newspapers in my midwestern hometown wring their hands over the “brain drain” that causes all the college graduates to promptly leave the state. My birthplace has one of the lowest percentages of college grads in the country. After my lovely education at a world-class state university, I immediately escaped to San Francisco, which, if I remember correctly, had more college grads per square mile than any other American city. But I left because my home state is a homophobic, racist, fundie christian cultural wasteland, not because it didn’t have jobs for liberal-arts weenies like me. Point being, educated people will always go where the jobs are and where they feel socially comfortable. Unless your hometown/home country is in a position to create more jobs in your field or become as modern and sophisticated as you’d like them to be, what do they expect? Most of us tend to look out for number 1 rather than try to battle it out in difficult conditions. Do we have a responsibility to improve a place merely because we happened to be born there?

  6. In theory a brain drain doesn’t need to be harmful, unless the sending country, like Mexico, never develops.

    After all, at first, the most highly talented workers can only exploit (and advance) their abilities at the most cutting-edge firms, which for the time being are going to be centered in the most developed countries.

    The sending country would only be hurt if equivalent jobs in India are going begging, which I doubt.

    Moreover, the reverse osmosis effect, and spread of best practice, by a “diaspora” type community can be profound, as Jews historically and the Chinese diaspora throughout Southeast Asia today can attest.

  7. Jeremy – there are other considerations as well. If the best and the brightest go abroad, then a country has to suffer the costs of more mediocre labor at home. Similarly, there are the financial costs of educating professionals who then go on to practice outside the country. While brain drain may have its positive attributes as well, it has very clear costs to the home government and country as a whole, even when the home labor pool is large.

  8. Moreover, the reverse osmosis effect, and spread of best practice, by a “diaspora” type community can be profound, as Jews historically and the Chinese diaspora throughout Southeast Asia today can attest.

    I agree with Jeremy on the above. Had it not been for Indians working in the US IT/Tele industry, India’s domestic software industry would have never flourished in the way it has. The diasporic Indians in the IT industry of US were the best adverstisment Indian companies had for themselves (and it was free !!!).

    Similarly, there are the financial costs of educating professionals who then go on to practice outside the country.

    Present day India’s higher education is far more “market driven” than what it used to be in the 60s and 70s (when all colleges were govt. run). So the cost to govt. for “educating” people is an OLD soviet era argument that does not apply anymore.

  9. While education is no longer free, there is not full cost recovery either. It’s quite expensive to educate a doctor.

  10. Brain Drain is a very harmful factor for a poor country like as our India. If the meritorious brains goes towards the west or other countries, then how is it possible to develop our country? It is a true factor that many meritorious students want to work with a new technology, but this technology is not launched in India yet. For this reason the student should go further for study with the subject. But he will have to come back to India after completing his study and do somethig for India by the new technology. But who go to further for the more money and don’t come back to India as because there is less money in India, for them there will be certain steps , have to be introduced by the government. Now-a-days , many doctors went to foreign country for further studies , they come back home and treats the people of India and they do something for India. In Previous days, the cricketers, Ministers, and business-men went to the foreign countries to treat themselves by the highly qualified doctors, but now a days they don’t go to the abroad. They do their treatments in India only. Now there a few private hospitals in India.

  11. Mr. Anirban Das, I am very sorry but it’s shamefull that you are calling your own homeland… your own country “Poor”. When you as an Indian, are going tocall your country poor then obviously others will too. Very Shamefull!!!!

  12. disgusting……………thats what i want to say…………..i hate it………….damn crap

  13. Truth is truth that India is poor country. Only industrial growth how can u say that It become Super Power.

  14. I am very sorry but it’s shamefull that you are calling your own homeland… your own country “Poor”.

  15. India’s surplous population is the only reason why our country has survived the brain drain.On the other hand it’s the main reason causing it(brain-drain).The solution could be to create better educational environment,likeness for science & grow an urge to develop one’s motherland through it for which Govt. should provide finance or at least attract sponsors.There are more than a billion in India & if everyone pays atleast a Rupee then Govt. gets 1Billion Rs a month

  16. i thinks the ppls above, to be sensible. India is very badly suffering frm brain drain,to prevent this goverment have to do some thing. the person who is going abroad why?, because he finds that job attractive ,not going for study new technology , because the money matters ..

  17. I don’t believe the “lure of a Silicon Valley job” created the Indian computer industry. It all started when India needed satellite and supercomputer technology for weather and rainfall forecasting, to improve agricultural output. US restrictions prevented sales of supercomputers to India, and indigenously creating them was the only solution. This is what spurred the development of a local industry, and the consequent interest in and rush for computing knowledge. The lure of an SV job is only a recent phenomenon, after the whole Y2K thing where US companies found hundreds of qualified programmers. The Economist is a Western publication and perhaps bound to discount the real story of the motivation for India’s computer expertise: necessity, not greed.

  18. Going abroad for working does seem lucrative. You wake up every morning to sober at the thought of another long day at a bureaucratic workplace, drive through the horrible roads infested with potholes and vendors, arrive at work late because some politician kept you waiting since he had to cross the road( which he did after an hour’s tiresome wait), slog all day knowing that it would do little to increase the weight of your pay, come home harried( after having a narrow escape from death on the roads beacuse of a negligent driver trying to overtake you)…. trust me, its really horrible. Just imagine how it would be if only you were working elsewhere- in the US or Canada- smooth driving, no petty fights with vendors and beggars, huge pay packets, a cool lifestyle… Of course i love my country and wouldn’t give a penny to change into an American, but when it comes to a better lifestyle, we know everyone is selfish… Who can turn away such better standards of living??? Not me!

  19. brain drain is realy a serious issue for India.it does not cause only the shortage of doctors & engineers at home but also quality is lost. This has serious implications.The cream of technical knowledge pool is now serving some other country to develop a technology which now India has to buy.India spends money on educating the youth also,lets not forget best educational institutions in India are IIT’s , NIT’s & IIM’s which are government owned.Indian government spends enormously to subsidize education.also India provides a highly competitive environment to students .JEE(to get into IIT’s) is most probably toughest written exam. in the world to get admission in an undergraduate engineering course where 3.5 lack highschool pass students sit in this exam. every year and only top 1 % (=3500) are selected.And unfortunately nearly 60 % of them leave the country after graduation.This is a grave loss for India.we have to look towards other countries for technologies developed by Indians.Double loss, surely a double loss for India.

  20. i think problem of brain drain arises,becoz in india ,talent of a person is not recognised by anyone. example,DR.HARGOVIND KHURANA was not recognized by anyone in india,then he moved towards western counties,there he earned both name and fame and won “Nobel Price”.

  21. india is a large country.so many of people go to western.it is too good for india.

  22. INDIA is a large country.so many of people go to western.it is too good for INDIA.I am INDIAN TIHER

  23. All this ranting is making me drowsy!!! I mean PEEPS….. seriously…. is there any point in even arguing this issue… If anybody asks me…I would say – the grass may not be greener on the other side but it is a great deal tastier!!! Expand your horizons – marry somebody of a different race – have nice kids – enjoy a GREAT job – explore the world – the possibilities are endless!!!! Thats the best advice anybody can give… peace \/….ohh and by the way – I will never go back to India (but thats just me).

  24. India can become superpower but it depends on peopels attitudes. if this brain drain is in the form of cycle i think there would nt be any problem if they assure to come back to their own homw country. may be the talents , work they used in other country may saturate but the resources he has is always remains .if he could apply the work in india there will be a good future in india.so i request as per human rigthts and liberty everyone has to move as they wish but they should be think about their home country.so attitudes are more important rather than the money,pride, lukarative.etc.instead of enjoying the fruits in other country why dont he enjoy in his own land.

  25. I think that india could become a nation to reckon with if only the government would indusrilize it. because 1) it already has a strong and growing economy plus population. as for the brain drain i think that it is hurting india a lot and the government needs to fix this problem if they ever want to grow to be a superpower…

  26. what i think is the solution to braindrain is that the Indian government should make such a dometic policy which forces the students to come back after completing their studies instead of crying of injustice it should take aadvantage of foriegn education.

  27. i don’t think brain drain is a problem.infact it is a solution to our problem.In india talent of students is not recognised by anyone.they will have to then move towards foreign countries.bcz they earn according to their talent not like india where talent doesn’t matter only one thing matter that is money.

  28. There are many problems that plague our country today. Poverty, pollution, corruption, population explosion, terrorism and the like. We are being pushed behind by one other reason called Brain Drain. Scientists, engineers, doctors and inventors are flying to foreign countries, blaming our country for lack of opportunities.

    According to one figure, there are more than 30,000 ex-IITians in the U.S. Medical professionals migrating to the West followed a more complicated route and yet, according to one estimate, there are more than 70,000 doctors of Indian origin in the U.S. alone. Similarly, there are large numbers elsewhere in the West, and not only in the West. Many thousands found greener pastures in the not-so-green desert in the Gulf. Today, the Indian diaspora all over the world is estimated at more than 20 million but there does not seem to be a figure for professionals as such. However, the outflow of Indians with talent, training, and technical skills has been a notable feature in the country’s recent outward migration pattern. hence brain drain is surely a big loss to india

  29. india is a large country.so many of people go to western.it is too good for india.

    but people not neclat india and work hard b’coz indian great minded be+

  30. India is NOT a poor country. Definitely not!

    Its one of the most resourceful nations in the world…Thts why brain drain occuring in the first place.

    And yes, people might support brain drain, yea, maybe increased remittances, better roads, more opportunities,and more of all that…

    But still maybe many of you may not agree, but at the end of the day, I feel that I owe something to my nation. I may be studin in the States, but i wud want to work in India…There are 1 lakh docs, well qualified graduatin each yer frm India, but still our rural people dont hav docs to treat them…coz the docs r goin in search fr bettr opprtunities…

    Mayb, if we cud all jus channelize our resources, it really wont take long before India becomes a superpower…

    I wud like to say one last thing, we all r beggin for a “better” living…

    What about those in our country who are begging for a living itself…?

  31. Brain drain is really a serious problem for india. I think if they work for thire own country,our country will at 1st position.

  32. I agree with brain drain as it is benificial for there own they get much more than in india.

  33. Brain drain is really a serious problem for india. I think if they work for thire own country,our country will at 1st position.

    India is NOT a poor country. Definitely not!

    Its one of the most resourceful nations in the world…Thts why brain drain occuring in the first place.

    And yes, people might support brain drain, yea, maybe increased remittances, better roads, more opportunities,and more of all that…

    But still maybe many of you may not agree, but at the end of the day, I feel that I owe something to my nation. I may be studin in the States, but i wud want to work in India…There are 1 lakh docs, well qualified graduatin each yer frm India, but still our rural people dont hav docs to treat them…coz the docs r goin in search fr bettr opprtunities…

    Mayb, if we cud all jus channelize our resources, it really wont take long before India becomes a superpower…

    I wud like to say one last thing, we all r beggin for a “better” living…

    What about those in our country who are begging for a living itself…? india is a large country.so many of people go to western.it is too good for india.

    but people not neclat india and work hard b’coz indian great minded be+

  34. enjoy your life wherever you are….. Think about your motherland and behave according to it……….. thats my wish

  35. enjoy your life wherever you are….. Think about your motherland and behave according to it……….. thats my wish

  37. it can be good for indian co.s if in future the employees are coming back as the have become more knowledgeable and more it depends on the person or the co.s how they are using there on technology

  38. BrainDrain in india is all because of the Brainy people go out of india. For example, students studying at IIT, IIS, IIM, etc., after completion of their graduation aim for post graduation or higher studies in US, UK, etc., and spend their remaining life there. The government of india need to bring a law that students who study in IIT, IIS, etc., cannot go abroad and they will get a job in government and government sponsored higher studies.

    Another important point to eradicate BrainDrain is, that the Indian Government should encourage Research and Development activities such that we can develop more products and sell it to other countries. By doing this we get enough foreign revenue and more employment opportunities. Take for example The Nokia mobile phones. It was researched and developed in Finland and they sell their products globally. Though they have set up their manufacturing companies in india, the major share goes to Finland.

    The most important point is that “We Indians” have to be patriotic and let’s work for our country and make our INDIA the best country in the world.

  40. For a country with over 1 billion people, people moving out is GOOD…we need space here !! Indian cities are getting too crowded to enjoy a decent quality of life…we need people to move out in hordes.

  41. I am not surprised that this is such a popular post even after 3 years. As someone who is part of the brain-drain I often think about the merits and demerits of working in a foreign country for a large multi-national firm. What I have realized is that the vast majority of my classmates from engineering college who continued to stay in India are working for large multi-national firms as well, either directly (2 of the smartest work at Intel) or indirectly (plenty more work for BPO companies which thrive on the business of providing IT services to American firms).

    What is the difference between the lives of my classmates who continued to stay in India to my own? A big one is that they pay a third of their income to the Indian government. They express their opinions however feebly it may be, by influencing businesses, inspiring other kids to emulate them. I probably do some of that myself but I do pay the vast majority of my taxes to America. America is a great country in many ways, but I don’t subscribe to the Bush doctrine of invading countries, or strong-arming them. Some of my taxes are probably funding the Iraq war. But neither would I feel completely alright if my taxes were filling up the Swiss Bank accounts of Indian politicians and corrupt officials. I don’t know how effective our tax rupees are, and what percentage of them are actually spent on a worthwhile cause, but I guess something is better than nothing.

  42. Brain drain is only the migration of skilled technicians . Youngsters have only the raw material in their brain , they are not skilled yet. So it is not a big loss to the country if we lose them . But if we lose the real skilled people who are employed in our government sectors and contribute to the devolopment of our nation , only then our nation will face a loss. Praying for the progress of our nation SHEIKH JAVED HUSSAIN “JAI HIND”

  44. in my opinion BRAIN DRAIN is reallly a menace to the nation. the indian goverment should check it and to regulate the brain drain the goverment should enforce certain laws … it is shameful that indian goverment spend lacs of rupees on a single IIT undergraduate student but after completing their degree they flew to developed nations.its true that the government should trained them but it should be made compulsory that a student should provide their service to the nation for atleast 5 years………………………..

    vikash mishra bhopal lnct college mp

  45. it is aproblelm for india. we can eradicate it by crating more oppertuties..nothing but the concept of brain gain.

  46. @ Ranjit!

    Brain Gain! Wht a smart caption! with such a powerful ideology following!

  47.  I THINK BRAIN DRAIN IS REALLY BAD.IT WILL LEADS TO IMMENSE LOSSES IN THE FIELD OF INDUSTRIALIZATION.TO MAKE INDIA DEVELOP FASTER LET US TAKE PREVENTIVE MEASURES TO STOP BRAIN DRAIN.

  48. what do you think about the true happiness. i think it is happiness got by sharing your happiness with others do you know the fullform of true happiness? t= team r= relation u= unity e= elongated

     h= happy
 a= adorable
 a= adorable
 p= pyar
 p= persnaliti
 i= inteligent
 n= naughty
 e= elongated
 s= smart
 s= socialy fit </b></i>

  50. In India, awards and rewards are reserved for the politically supported class, educational and employment opportunities are reserved for politically favoured class, political opportunities are reserved for the politically motivated class, this situation is forcing the talent to leave the country. Knowing this fact fully well, we deceptively drop tears for “brain drain”.