ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Brain drain

Okay kiddo, have you heard of the brain? It's inside our head and it helps us think, feel and do all sorts of things. People who are really smart and intelligent and have a lot of knowledge, skill and ideas are also called brains.

Now, imagine if all the brains in your class suddenly left and went to a different school, or all the smart people in your town decided to move away to another place where they could find better jobs or opportunities. This would be called a "brain drain".

Brain drain is a term used to describe when many smart or talented people leave their country or region, usually to go live and work in another place that offers better financial opportunities, better education or better working conditions. This often happens in countries where the economy or job market is not very strong.

When many smart people leave their country, it can be a big loss for their native place because there are fewer people there with skills and knowledge to help with building and developing the community or country.

But, it's not always a bad thing because the people who migrate also bring new ideas, knowledge, and skills with them to the new place they go to, and they can help that place grow and thrive as well.

So, brain drain can be both good and bad depending on how we look at it.