Talent outflow has become a serious problem facing small countries in the Caribbean region, Pablo Fanjzylber, an official from the World Bank said Wednesday.

Fanjzylber made the remarks at the 10th international Gathering on Globalization and Development Problems in Havana.

More than 80 percent of professionals have migrated from nations such as Haiti, Jamaica, Grenada and Guyana with the United States as the main target country, according to Fanjzylber.

More than 30 percent of graduates have moved out of the Caribbean region in recent years, in contrast to 10 percent out of South America and 15 to 20 percent from Mexico and Central American states, said Fanjzylber.

He added that Caribbean states led the continent of America in migration, while Mexico and Central American states were showing an increasing migration trend.

The meeting began on March 3 in Havana, with nearly 1,200 representatives coming from 55 countries and 24 regions and global organizations.

(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2008)