Published: 12:29 AM, 23 July 2026
Reasons for Brain Drain from Bangladesh and Scientific Solutions to Prevent It
Dr. Md. Anwar Hossain
In this knowledge-based economy of the 21st century, the overall prosperity and sustainable development of an independent sovereign state largely depends on its internal human capital and talented population. In the current era of globalization, the emigration or brain drain of skilled, educated and specialized human resources has emerged as one of the main obstacles to the national progress of Bangladesh. This massive exodus of talented young people and researchers is not just a temporary demographic shift, but rather it is weakening the intellectual backbone of the state in the long term. Revealing objective reasons and formulating scientific solutions through analyzing this crisis is the demand of the hour today.
Recent international research and statistics show an alarming picture of this decline in human capital in Bangladesh. According to the World Bank's Human Flight and Brain Drain Index, Bangladesh's brain drain index in 2024 was 6.7 points. According to UNESCO's recent 'Global Flow of Tertiary Level Students' report, an average of more than half a million students from Bangladesh migrate to at least 57 countries around the world for higher education every year, a rate that has increased almost threefold in the last two decades. What is more worrying is that almost 90 percent of these students do not return home and this huge number of students is leaving the country every year, costing the country around Tk 8,000 crore.
The fundamental scientific and institutional reason behind this unwanted brain drain is the acute inadequacy of opportunities for higher research and basic innovation at the domestic level. The annual national budget allocation for research in Bangladesh's universities and research institutions is still below 1 percent of GDP. As a result, young scientists who want to work on new branches of modern knowledge are rushing to modern facilities abroad without getting the necessary infrastructure.
The severe economic inequality in this developing economy acts as one of the catalysts for brain drain. The monetary valuation of labor is highly unequal compared to talent and skills in the country's domestic market, which is not commensurate with the cost of living and high inflation. In contrast, the huge economic rewards, high salaries, and social security that are ensured for talent in developed countries naturally attract young professionals.
In this era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the extreme lack of advanced technology in the country's institutional and industrial sectors is blocking the path to talent development. An adequate technological environment to work in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, data science, or biotechnology has not yet been fully developed in Bangladesh. This limitation in the use of technology and the absence of a modern work environment puts researchers and engineers at risk of falling behind in global competition, which forces them to emigrate.
Lack of necessary investment in innovation and new ideas at the national level or lack of state and private capital is another major reason for the waste of talent. The kind of venture capital or institutional sponsorship required to commercialize a new scientific discovery or theoretical model is extremely limited within the country. This investment drought reduces the confidence of talented people to work independently and leads them to countries where capital is invested behind talent.
The lack of worthy recognition of talented people in the workplace and social life consumes the emotions of patriotism and gives rise to extreme frustration. In many cases in Bangladesh, truly qualified people are deprived of their deserved positions due to political considerations, bureaucratic lobbying or unethical processes such as nepotism and question leakage. This devaluation of talent and the advancement of the incompetent give rise to the idea in the minds of honest and talented researchers that their talent is not valued in this country.
Social and political instability creates a deep sense of insecurity about the future in the minds of talented young people. Lack of good governance, restrictions on civil rights and an unstable environment make it impossible to implement long-term professional plans in the country. To get rid of this instability and to ensure a peaceful environment for themselves and the next generation, they decide to settle permanently in developed countries.
The desire for a better and orderly lifestyle or the desire for high social status is also accelerating this migration. The improved healthcare, well-organized civic facilities and pollution-free environment of developed countries affect the children of middle-class and upper-middle-class families in our country psychologically. Compared to the various civic sufferings and traffic jams of domestic life, the orderly civic structure of a distant expatriate seems to be the best alternative to them.
The structural flaws of the existing traditional education system are further weakening the scientific basis of talent trafficking. The education system of Bangladesh is mainly theoretical and rote, which is not compatible with the modern practical and practical skills of the global market. As a result, students are forced to approach advanced universities in the outside world for higher education and once they get a taste of international education, they do not want to return to the domestic system.
The acute shortage of suitable jobs for highly educated youth and widespread unemployment are giving rise to brain drain as a mass migration. Although thousands of graduates emerge every year, due to the stagnation of the industrial sector, employment is not being created according to their qualifications. To prevent the waste of talent and in the pursuit of livelihood, this large number of capable and skilled manpower is being forced to engage themselves in the international labor market.
Finally, the extreme lack of professionalism and unprofessional work environment in domestic institutions destroys the enthusiasm of young people. Blind imitation of seniority, evaluation of flattery over competence, and lack of independent decision-making in creative work stifles the talented. To escape this institutional backwardness and stifling environment, they leave the country to join professional and autonomous organizations of international standards.
As the first step towards a scientific and systematic solution to overcome this multifaceted crisis and prevent brain drain, the allocation of the national budget to research must be increased significantly. It is necessary to create a special fund for basic research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM fields. If a certain portion of the GDP is spent directly on laboratory development and providing fellowships to scientists, it will be possible to prevent this internal waste of talent.
It is very important to introduce a system of international standard merit scholarships to retain talented students in higher education in the country. If there is a system of scholarships with adequate financial grants at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, students will not go abroad for higher education in the first place. Scientific supervision of this scholarship system must be ensured so that only the truly talented can avail this state opportunity for research.
It is essential to establish a strong industry-academia connection between the education system and the country's economic and industrial sectors. The new technologies or ideas that will be born in university laboratories must be directly used in domestic industrial production through scientific linkages. As a result, on the one hand, the industry will be modernized, and on the other hand, talented people will be motivated to work in the country by seeing the practical application of their research.
It is necessary to establish international-standard modern labs and research infrastructure in the country's leading educational and research institutions. Researchers must be provided with a world-class working environment by ensuring modern scientific equipment, advanced supercomputing facilities, and uninterrupted data access. If the working environment is on par with developed countries, many scientists will feel comfortable working from their homeland.
It is necessary to ensure a fair salary structure and attractive incentives compatible with the international market for skilled and specialized professionals. If the financial devaluation of talent can be stopped and a better standard of living and financial security can be provided in proportion to talent, the tendency to go abroad in the pursuit of a better life will be greatly reduced. Giving worthy employees the respect and financial benefits they deserve is the most effective scientific strategy for retaining talent.
To ensure true evaluation of talent at all social and institutional levels, the recruitment and promotion process must be radically reformed. Lobbying or nepotism must be eliminated and a completely transparent and merit-based evaluation system must be digitally transformed. When a talented young person is sure that he can occupy the highest position only through his qualifications and hard work, his responsibility towards the country will increase manifold.
Special startup funds and innovative loans on easy terms should be arranged to transform the youth from job seekers to job providers. If the government and the banking sector jointly provide venture capital and collateral-free loans to work on new technologies or business ideas, the youth will be able to build new industries in the country, which will boost the overall economy.
Above all, a stable political environment and good governance must be ensured in the country to retain talent. It is the primary responsibility of the state to create a favorable, safe and non-discriminatory social environment for talent development by eliminating the culture of impunity. In addition, if state services are made easily accessible by reducing bureaucratic complexity through digital transformation, experts living abroad will also be interested in returning to the country and contributing or rotating talent.
Finally, if this trend of talent trafficking from Bangladesh continues, it will become impossible to achieve the country's long-term sustainable development goals. Although it is not possible to completely reduce brain drain to zero, it is not unrealistic to convert it into brain circulation through scientific and structural reforms. In order to utilize the country's youth and intellectual resources for national interest, it is necessary to create a brain-friendly environment by bringing timely changes in state policies, which will serve as the main driving force in building a prosperous and self-reliant Bangladesh.
Dr. Md. Anwar Hossain is
an essayist.
