Surprisingly little 'brain drain' in Latvia

Take note – story published 8 years ago

A chart at The Economist showing data about inventors who emigrate sheds light on the fact that the more inventive of Latvians seem to be staying home. 

Persons born in Latvia have applied for 480 patents abroad, which is 9.6% of the total patents inventors born in Latvia have applied for. The chart is based on 2007-2012 data by the World Intellectual Property Organisation.

In comparison, inventors from neighboring Estonia, which the journal commends for "doing its own thing" have applied for patents abroad in 15.3% of the cases, while in Lithuania the statistic sits at a whopping 33.4%.

Even though the journal states that "Poor countries often complain that their best minds are draining away—and for the most part they are right," Latvia seems to be an exception despite the popular assumption that anyone with a bright idea packs their bags at the earliest opportunity.

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