In the history of global economic transformations, three major revolutions have occurred: the pastoral revolution, where land was the primary factor of production; the industrial revolution, which emphasized capital as the main production input; and the current information technology revolution, which identifies knowledge as the most crucial factor of production. Accordingly, elites—who are the main carriers of knowledge and key intellectual contributors to the production function-play a pivotal role in the sustainable growth and development of nations. Brain drain, or the migration of such elites, can pose a serious threat to economic dynamism and innovation in their countries of origin. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the interactive effect of economic complexity and property rights (including the legal and political environment, physical property rights, and intellectual property rights) on brain drain across a selected group of countries during the period from 2008 to 2022, using a panel data approach. The findings of the study indicate a negative and significant impact of economic complexity, legal and political environment, physical property rights, and intellectual property rights on brain drain in the selected countries. This means that improvements in these indicators lead to a reduction in elite migration. Additionally, the interactive effect of economic complexity with various dimensions of property rights on brain drain is also negative and significant, indicating that simultaneous enhancement of these factors can serve as an effective deterrent to the outflow of talent.