Between 1990 and 2021, 23 of 31 JEE toppers settled abroad, and all of them pursued a master’s or PhD abroad, highlighting India’s failure to tackle ‘brain drain’, according to a study.
Between 1990 and 2021, 23 of 31 JEE toppers settled abroad, and all of them pursued a master’s or PhD abroad, highlighting India’s failure to tackle ‘brain drain’, according to a study by Careers 360.
The Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) is the main test used for admissions to Indian engineering institutions. The state-run National Testing Agency (NTA) holds the test.
The study found that United States remained the favourite spot for JEE toppers over the decades: 23 of the 31 toppers are settled abroad, 28 work for a non-Indian company, and 17 of them are settled in the United States.
The flight from India continued even as the country’s global profile increased, as per the study.
During 1990–2010, 66.7 per cent of the toppers moved to the United States but it rose to 90 per cent during 2011-21.
For decades, experts have pointed out that engineers trained in India have played a critical role in building and driving Silicon Valley. Their success abroad, however, also reflects a longstanding domestic failure: while India has the institutions to educate some of the world’s finest technical talent, it has struggled to create the conditions needed to keep them here.
Experts argue that the country still lacks the innovation ecosystems, research infrastructure, and business‑friendly environments that encourage graduates to build careers at home. With limited incentives, weak industry-academia linkages, and fewer opportunities to realise their full potential, India’s best engineers continue to seek pathways overseas — as the Careers 360 study found. After all, tech giants from Microsoft to Google are headed by Indians who found success abroad.
| Location | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| USA | 17 | 54.80% |
| India | 8 | 25.80% |
| Switzerland | 2 | 6.50% |
| Canada | 1 | 3.20% |
| Netherlands | 1 | 3.20% |
| Hong Kong | 1 | 3.20% |
| South Korea | 1 | 3.20% |
The study also catches a broader shift in how India’s top talent sees itself. The researchers found that toppers before 2000 overwhelmingly preferred academia and research, as six out of 11 toppers pursued academic careers, many becoming distinguished professors at top global universities, but they turned towards big tech, quantitative finance, and start-ups after 2000.
At the end of the study, the researchers ask a question: “For a nation aspiring to become a global leader in technology, research, and innovation, this data should serve as both a reality check and a call to action. The best minds India produces are choosing to work elsewhere. The question is: what will it take to make them choose India instead?”
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