Can ‘brain circulation’ actually fix Bangladesh's brain drain?

Airport selfies in foreign cities. PhD programmes from North American universities. Job offer letters from Silicon Valley tech firms. These images flood Bangladeshi social media daily but represent a deeper crisis: the brightest minds of the country are leaving with little to no intention of returning.

The numbers are stark. According to the 2024 Human Flight and Brain Drain Index, Bangladesh ranked 6.7 out of 10 — far above the global average of 4.98 — and placed 37th among 176 countries. A recent study titled "Next Generation Bangladesh 2024", commissioned by the British Council, found that 55% of young people aged 18 to 35 expressed a desire to migrate abroad.

But do these statistics properly capture the frustration of thousands of talented individuals in the country? Sheikh Farid, one such individual who graduated from the Institute of Social Welfare and Research at Dhaka University, secured first-class first positions in both his undergraduate and postgraduate examinations. His qualifications, however, did not matter much when he spent six years trying to find an academic position at several institutions. 

The realisation that connections mattered more than credentials compelled him to consider an alternative plan. He eventually pursued a PhD at the University of Connecticut in the US, leaving his wife and two young children behind. His story is not exceptional — it is a representation of a system where talent alone cannot guarantee opportunity.

The current government intends to address this through "brain circulation", a concept gaining influence globally. Rather than accepting permanent brain drain, the strategy plans to utilise the expertise of diaspora Bangladeshis through visiting scholar schemes, student exchange programmes, credit transfer systems, and joint research initiatives. In a recent announcement, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury mentioned the allocation of 2% of GDP to education, with a special focus on connecting professionals and expatriate academics with domestic universities and research institutions.

Looking at global counterparts, several countries are already taking steps to reduce brain drain. South Korea's Brain Pool programme and Brain to Korea initiative provide structured support for overseas researchers through relocation assistance, funding, and research and development collaboration networks. Ireland's Global Ireland Strategy engages its diaspora, promotes international knowledge exchange, facilitates the return of migrants, and strengthens global professional networks.

Can Bangladesh follow suit?

Here is the core incongruity that might interfere with the plan: even when Bangladeshis return home, they do not stay. A 2025 Youth Survey on Economic Modelling by the South Asian Network found that 72.3% of young returning migrants want to go back abroad in the near future. The main push factors remain unaddressed. Around a million students graduate annually from Bangladeshi universities, yet no structured job market exists to absorb them. 

Interviews conducted for this article revealed a consistent theme: both students currently abroad and recent graduates believe they must secure their futures by settling overseas, a goal they see as uncertain at home given limited opportunities to apply their expertise.

The current government's proposed brain circulation plan is commendable. Regardless, it will have a higher likelihood of producing results only if paired with simultaneous structural reforms. Renowned economist and former Bangladesh Bank Governor Professor Dr Salehuddin Ahmed reinforces this point. According to the former adviser to the interim government, "Any brain circulation strategy must be implemented systematically. It will not be easy to stop or even reduce brain drain unless all fronts of government and private organisations address this issue in a systematic manner."

Dr Salehuddin Ahmed offered critical reform ideas: "It is an undeniable fact that we need talented people — NRBs — in our consultancy, financial, and IT sectors, but we also need to ask ourselves how we are going to keep them motivated. One way is to offer them attractive remunerations and working conditions commensurate with their credentials. They should be offered tax incentives as well. This will likely encourage many of our NRBs to come back to Bangladesh and maybe even permanently. 

Also, many of our government and private organisations engage people from India and Sri Lanka in local projects at high costs. Instead, our own engineers, consultants, and technical people can be provided with opportunities to apply their skills in these projects. This will possibly encourage many of our local talents to stay in Bangladesh and put their knowledge, skills, and experience into practice."

Brain circulation without systematic changes in how Bangladesh values and employs its talent at home will not work.

So can brain circulation be a panacea? In all likelihood, no. Can it be a sufficient response to brain drain? If executed appropriately, yes. Success requires handling a harder question: can Bangladesh create conditions where its brightest minds choose to stay and build rather than leave and succeed elsewhere? Until that answer is yes, all the diaspora programmes in the world will remain exercises in hope rather than strategy.

The question is not whether the diaspora wants to help Bangladesh. The question is whether Bangladesh is ready to help itself.

Sketch: TBS

Faizah Zahin is a final-year English and Humanities student at BRAC University with extensive academic research experience.

Sketch: TBS

Nadia Afroze Disha is a Lecturer at BRAC Business School, BRAC University.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.