This paper provides estimates of the stocks and flows of human resources in science and technology (HRST) in India, and their breakdown by education and occupation. Furthermore, the paper provides estimates of the number of highly skilled people moving to India and out of India during the 1990s, mainly to the United States. This part of the study also includes a brief, critical overview of Indian concerns on policy matters pertaining to various forms of migration of highly skilled professionals.

Regarding the stocks of highly skilled people in India, the paper estimates that in 1991, between 13 and 16 million people in India could be classified as HRST because of their qualification, a number which had grown to approximately 25 million in 2000. When expressed as a percentage of the population aged 15-64, this meant an increase of more than one percentage point, from between 2.5% and 3% in 1991 to just over 4% in 2000. In 1991, 10.2 million people could be categorised as HRST because ...