Brown Town: Indian Emigration and Brain Drain

“Brown town” is a term my family of Indian immigrants uses to talk about neighborhoods where the residents are predominantly South Asian. Driving through these neighborhoods, my parents smile with nostalgia, taking in the view of sari shops, spice stores, signs written in Hindi and Punjabi, and the smell of Indian food. Much like when seeing these thriving immigrant enclaves, there is a sense of pride when they meet an Indian doctor in London, a South Asian company executive in New York, or a Brown entrepreneur in San Francisco; they all represent the bright minds that my parents’ homeland has produced.

Yet, beneath the wealth and individual success of these immigrants lies a deeper issue for Indian society; the country’s steady outflow of wealthy, highly-skilled, and sought-after professionals has deepened the country’s “brain drain,” a phenomenon where a country’s most educated and ambitious workers seek opportunities elsewhere. 

As of May 2024, approximately 35.42 million Indians were overseas. This is because, for many Indian youth, success has become synonymous with working or studying abroad in countries such as the U.S., Canada, or the U.K. Getting the much-coveted American H-1B visa or a green card is a mark of pride and accomplishment. For my paternal grandparents, the departure of both their son and daughter to study and find jobs abroad displayed their status and established wealth. Similarly, when more than 760,000 Indian students travelled overseas in 2024 to study—mainly in STEM fields—they were motivated by what they had been told was the pinnacle of success: getting the chance to study or work abroad in places like an American graduate school or at a hospital as a doctor in London. 

This trend did not arise without a reason; while American students complain about tedious college applications, the Indian education system is even more ruthless and competitive. Elite colleges in India often have cutoffs hovering around 99 percent, and college entrance exams have significantly more advanced curricula and rigorous problem-solving questions in comparison to tests like the SAT. Therefore, it’s no wonder that many Indian students have shifted their gaze to countries like the United States for easier, yet equally prestigious, education. 

Additionally, India spends less than one percent of its GDP on research and development, far below the spending of other major economies. This means that the brightest scientists, engineers, and medical technicians from colleges in India who wish to pursue research opportunities are heavily incentivized to flock to countries such as the U.S., Germany, or Canada, where research is highly funded and their individual potential can be properly utilized. 

Then comes the most apparent factor: the desire for more money. Whereas in India, the median salary for an engineer was $22,000 in 2025, the median salary in the U.S. was $150,000. When the same job in a foreign country earns you a Silicon Valley salary rather than a small stipend, it’s easy to see why jobs abroad are seen as more desirable. This disparity is paired with India’s ongoing job crisis. As it is, highly skilled sectors in India such as healthcare and IT are overcrowded, with the nation producing around 1.5 million engineers and 180,000 doctors each year. Because these industries are so saturated, many qualified individuals are left unable to find jobs, especially ones that pay them fairly. In fact, one-third of those graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology—India’s most prestigious engineering school– end up travelling abroad. 

The very people that India needs to strengthen its economy and infrastructure are all leaving, causing substantial brain drain. India loses out on innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders, while foreign countries reap the benefits of India’s inability to keep talent. Though India receives the most remittances in the world, totaling 129.4 billion dollars in 2024, that cannot replace the intellectual and human capital that the country is losing long-term. 

A large portion of those leaving the country are also wealthy, since they can afford the hefty costs of international education, immigration processes, and relocation. In fact, India ranks in the top five countries for the most millionaires leaving, with an estimated 3,500 Indian millionaires set to depart the country just in 2025. This means that India is not only losing its workforce, but also those with the connections and finances needed to build successful companies and develop the country. 

Finally, India must address its brain drain because its brightest citizens are leaving for countries that are becoming increasingly hostile to them. A few weeks ago, over 100,000 demonstrators marched in central London calling for an end to migration and the housing of asylum seekers. They have a point: rapid, unchecked immigration without proper planning can create major pressure on a country’s housing, healthcare, and tax funds. Additionally, when immigrants do not integrate into a foreign country’s society, they create ethnic enclaves that feel foreign and separated from other residents, stirring resentment through the division. Unfortunately, this tension has boiled over into racial violence that has targeted South Asian businesses and migrant housing. India can ensure that skilled workers don’t have to pursue success in places where they may face discrimination rather than appreciation for their work. 

So how can India reconcile with these competing narratives of overseas success, brain drain, and tensions abroad? The answer lies in potential social and economic changes they can work towards in the future. 

For India, the goal shouldn’t be to close its borders, but rather to create greater incentives for people to stay. The government should start by investing in stronger research infrastructure, such as better-equipped labs, partnerships with universities, and a large increase in grants for young researchers. Creating higher salaries for skilled researchers and workers must also become a priority by redirecting part of the country’s defense budgets toward innovation, similarly to how China and South Korea built their own domestic industries. The country must also work to change the social expectation to go abroad. Campaigns that highlight prosperous entrepreneurs and career success developed within the country can help redirect public focus from success achieved abroad to what can be achieved in India. Fortunately, India has also started to adopt a few favorable policies. For example, they have begun to offer companies financial benefits for hiring within the country, and startups are granted temporary tax-deductible profits, aiding them in growing their scope in the nation. India is on the right track, with immigration dropping over 30 percent from 2023 to 2024 and new government projects like Viksit Bharat prioritizing youth retention. However, they still have a long way to go.

Ultimately, while the term “brown town” may seem like a playful family description, it represents a deeper story of the individual ambition of immigrants at the expense of national development. This is not to say that Indian doctors, CEOs, and engineers shouldn’t go to other nations to seek out opportunities; globalization is an advantage to all citizens across the world. However, it’s crucial to remember that immigration comes with trade-offs. An individual’s success abroad can represent lost growth in their home country, which is something India must acknowledge and address. “Brown towns” aren’t just enclaves of success, but a nuanced display of the delicate balance between opportunity, belonging, and responsibility in our interconnected world.