Poverty and lack of economic growth trigger thousands of educated people from developing countries to look for better living conditions in richer states. However, the migration of educated individuals, alias the ‘brain drain’, does have some positive impact on the source country. What are the causes of brain drain? What are the effects it has on the source and destination countries? Our latest editorial takes a deeper dive into the reasons behind brain drain.
Migration is an omnipresent phenomenon in human history. It refers to the movement of people from one place to another for temporary or permanent settlement and is often driven by social, economic, or personal reasons. Substantial migratory waves of educated individuals from one country within relatively short periods of time can lead to the occurrence of brain drain. The least developed and developing countries typically experience brain drain more often than developed countries as they offer lower standards of living and thus find it more difficult to retain or attract highly skilled professionals.
What is brain drain?
The concept of brain drain describes waves of substantial levels of migration of highly educated individuals from one country to another. Generally, brain drain refers to the transfer of human capital from developing to developed countries but it can also occur horizontally relating to the migration of highly skilled professionals (such as engineers, physicians, etc.) between developed countries. Some of the main causes of brain drain are:
- Disparities in working conditions, levels of pay, or the potential for career development between the source and destination countries
- Poverty and a lack of economic growth which are believed to be the main reasons
- Discrimination, political repression, and a lack of freedom
- Environmental disasters and the effects of climate change
- Military or civil conflicts
What are the effects of brain drain?
The migratory waves that have taken place in recent decades have led to dramatic changes in the global economic landscape as countries started to compete for a share of highly qualified human capital. Although the evidence suggests that developing countries suffer the most from brain drain, nonetheless the effects can be interpreted either positively or negatively according to the perspective of the source country, the receiving country, or the migrant.
Some positive effects of brain drain
- Brain drain can stimulate education in source countries as people living there will see this as a passport to future emigration
- Brain drain may lead to positive economical feedback for source countries as emigration will increase remittance flows, reduce international transaction costs and enhance trade
- Brain drain can facilitate the development of strong diaspora networks and enhance the transfer of know-how, innovation, and technology between the destination and source countries
- Brain drain can lead to a circular migration allowing the destination and home countries to share the benefits of labor mobility
Some negative effects of brain drain
- The loss of skilled and innovative individuals leads to the lost socio-economic potential for the source countries
- A loss of tax revenues for the source countries which minimizes the potential for public spending
- Waves of substantial emigration can induce shortages of manpower for source countries in key sectors such as education or health
- Migrants may need to face a number of bureaucratic barriers in destination countries to be able to work in their field of expertise
Top 10 countries affected by brain drain
Every year, the U.S. think tank, Fund for Peace, publishes a report dubbed the Fragile States Index. The report takes into account 12 conflict risk indicators, one of which is the “Human Flight and Brain Drain” which takes into account the effects of human displacement on the economy due to political or economic reasons and how it affects the growth of a nation. The outcomes are presented as index points from 0 to 10 – the lower the index, the better.
The biggest drivers of emigration are political, economic, and environmental issues. Because high-income nations offer greater economic opportunities, they have a much lower level of brain drain. Data from the report shows that on average across 177 nations, the brain drain index in 2023 was 5.17 index points. The country list is topped by Samoa with 10 index points.
The table below shows the top 10 nations with the highest brain drain index.
Source: TheGlobalEconomy.com
Let’s take a look at the top three countries on the list.
Palestine
Prior to the recent conflict, young people in Palestine (recognized as a country by 145 nations, members of the UN) were pursuing educational and training opportunities abroad with the intention of returning to contribute to the economy of their homeland. However, the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has significantly worsened the situation as indicated by the Fund for Peace’s report which predates the major conflict of 2024.
This exacerbation has profoundly impacted youth development and the overall situation within the country. Consequently, many young Palestinians now aspire to establish lives abroad, despite maintaining strong familial ties and a deep sense of connection to their native land.
Jamaica
With a population of 2.8 million people, Jamaican-educated youths and highly qualified professionals opt to leave for North America and the United Kingdom which brings about significant social and economic challenges. Nearly a million Jamaicans have left their home country and emigrated to the US, the UK, and Canada over the last few decades.
According to recent estimates, more than 80% of Jamaicans who completed tertiary education and now reside outside the country received their training in their home country. It has been observed that this loss of skills significantly impacts the nation’s education system and production sector.
Samoa
The Polynesian island of Samoa is the leading nation grappling with the problem of brain drain. The acute shortage of teachers in schools has led to concerns about older students being tasked with teaching responsibilities to address the deficit.
The country’s Ministry of Education has tackled these issues by providing training and capacity-building for young teachers and increasing the number of disciplines taught by each teacher. While the authorities deny the claims that senior students are acting as teachers, they do admit that there is a serious lack of teaching staff in schools.
Read more about brain drain and its causes in a-DevAid exclusive Experts’ Opinions
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