Elon Musk's warning for Europe: 'Either Europe starts having…or…'
Elon Musk has once again emphasised his concern over declining birth rates, asserting that parents in Europe need to have large families or the region will “keep dying”. This is the second such warning in a matter of a month with Musk previously recommending people to have at least three children in order to prevent population collapse .
This recent statement on X (formerly Twitter) was a direct response to claims that Europe’s fertility rate is dropping below the 2.1 replacement level. He shared a 2024 map showing rates as low as 1.18 in countries like Italy.
“Either Europe starts having large families or it will keep dying,” he said in a post on X.
Previously, he gave a warning after a post claimed that a fertility rate of 2.7 children per woman is necessary for population stability, a figure notably higher than the previously accepted 2.1 replacement rate.
Elon Musk shares ‘alarming’ fertility statistics
Musk’s comments follow alarming fertility statistics which he shared previously. The US currently stands at 1.66 children per woman, while countries like Italy and Japan report even lower rates at 1.29 and 1.30, respectively. These figures fall significantly short of the newly suggested 2.7 threshold, which now considers factors such as childlessness rates and gender distribution.
Musk warns that global fertility rates have plummeted dramatically, from an average of 5.3 children per woman in 1963 to under 2.5 today. This decline is raising concerns about potential labour shortages, economic stagnation and increasing social burdens in the aging societies of developed nations.
Musk, who has 14 children with five different women, has consistently presented himself as actively working to address what he perceives as an existential crisis.
In the past, he also drew comparisons, arguing that demographic decline played a key role in the downfall of major civilizations.
"Low birth rate was the primary factor in the fall of Rome and all civilizations that enjoyed an extended period of prosperity with no serious external threats," he posted.
This recent statement on X (formerly Twitter) was a direct response to claims that Europe’s fertility rate is dropping below the 2.1 replacement level. He shared a 2024 map showing rates as low as 1.18 in countries like Italy.
“Either Europe starts having large families or it will keep dying,” he said in a post on X.
Previously, he gave a warning after a post claimed that a fertility rate of 2.7 children per woman is necessary for population stability, a figure notably higher than the previously accepted 2.1 replacement rate.
Elon Musk shares ‘alarming’ fertility statistics
Musk’s comments follow alarming fertility statistics which he shared previously. The US currently stands at 1.66 children per woman, while countries like Italy and Japan report even lower rates at 1.29 and 1.30, respectively. These figures fall significantly short of the newly suggested 2.7 threshold, which now considers factors such as childlessness rates and gender distribution.
Musk warns that global fertility rates have plummeted dramatically, from an average of 5.3 children per woman in 1963 to under 2.5 today. This decline is raising concerns about potential labour shortages, economic stagnation and increasing social burdens in the aging societies of developed nations.
Musk, who has 14 children with five different women, has consistently presented himself as actively working to address what he perceives as an existential crisis.
In the past, he also drew comparisons, arguing that demographic decline played a key role in the downfall of major civilizations.
"Low birth rate was the primary factor in the fall of Rome and all civilizations that enjoyed an extended period of prosperity with no serious external threats," he posted.
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