Hong Kong would lose as many as 30 per cent of its educated people if they were to leave for other countries, while Singapore's brainy population would actually surge by more than 300 per cent, according to a survey.
Gallup Poll's Net Migration Index report is based on a census of 350,000 people aged above 15 in 148 countries between 2007 and this year.
The indices - covering the gain or 'drain' in the overall population, and the ranks of the youth and well-educated - were calculated by deducting the number of respondents who said they would prefer to move out of a country from those who would like to move in.
Gallup defines the well-educated as those with a bachelor's degree or higher. The youth group covered the 15- to 29-year-old population.
Among developed regions, Australia, New Zealand and Oceania would see a 150 per cent increase in potential migration, with a brain gain of 186 per cent and a 270 per cent surge in youth migration.
The United States and Canada - the top destination countries among potential migrants - and the European Union would also do well, with net gains across all three categories. In contrast, developed Asia's potential net migration would be flat, with a potential 20 per cent rise in its youth population but a 16 per cent brain drain.
The poll pointed to a potential brain drain across Asia, including Hong Kong, the mainland and Japan, with the exception of Singapore.