Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated, If the current compounding effect continues, you would see that many countries become 5 percent of their current size or less within three generations.”
Musk appeared virtually on Monday as a speaker at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He expressed surprise at current global risks. He noted that while artificial intelligence (AI) presents the most immediate threat, the long-term concern remains the potential collapse of the global population.
He further predicted that Europe’s population would also decline, stating, “If the current trend of declining birth rates continues, the world’s population could drop to less than 5% within three generations.”
In 2022, Musk highlighted that South Korea and Hong Kong face one of the world’s most rapid population declines. South Korea recorded a record-low total fertility rate of 0.72 last year, indicating the average number of children a woman is expected to have over her lifetime.
Musk stressed that most countries should prioritize boosting birth rates, warning that humanity’s future is at risk without population growth and other policies lose relevance. “We need action, not just words,” he stated, adding that, as a father of many, he hopes others will also choose to have children.
Musk has five sons with his first wife, author Justine Wilson. He also has two sons and a daughter with Canadian singer Grimes. Recently, it was reported that he welcomed a third child with Shivon Zilis, a director at his company Neuralink.
