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Purpose: The quintuple helix innovation model allows exploring the sustainable development of countries from the perspective of the capabilities that each of them possesses in terms of highly qualified personnel in science and technology. In addition, their distribution among the actors (helices) and the global mobility of this type of people are examined. The purpose of this paper is to dimension and characterise the research structures of the central, emerging and peripheral countries; to estimate the demand and mobility of scientists and technologists in the three selected countries; and to establish whether the concept of brain circulation applies to each of these types of countries. Design/methodology/approach: The approach of the work is bibliometric and scientometric. In the first step, two theoretical frameworks were built. In the second step, indicators to measure the overall migration were developed and identified. In the third step, data from previous research were used, and data from Peru were added using the same methodology to be able to compare the three types of countries. Findings: The study shows that the same terminology cannot be used globally to analyse the mobility of scientists in today's world, despite technological advances because there is no critical mass in peripheral countries. Originality/value: This study shows that the concept of brain circulation cannot be applied equally to all countries, because those that do not have critical mass lose capabilities, despite the existence of information and communication technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]