Musk says demographic problems of Europe have to be fixed

(MENAFN) Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has cautioned that Europe could "die out" if it does not address declining birth rates.

Responding to statistics from Scotland showing 34% more deaths than births in the first half of 2025, Musk wrote on X, “Unless the birth rate at least gets back to replacement rate, Europe will die out,” referring to the number of children per couple needed to maintain a stable population.

The standard replacement fertility rate is generally considered 2.1 children per woman, accounting for child mortality and roughly equal gender ratios at birth. Some recent research suggests this may be insufficient, with a long-term survival threshold closer to 2.7 children per woman. In England and Wales, fertility fell to 1.4 in 2024, while Scotland’s rate was 1.3, both well below replacement levels. Across the EU, fertility has been declining for years, hitting a record low of 1.4 live births per woman in 2023.

Musk, who has fathered at least 14 children and contributed millions to fertility research, has frequently highlighted Europe’s demographic challenges. His warnings extend globally, as he has argued that low fertility rates pose a greater threat to civilization than climate change, claiming that population decline could lead to societal collapse unless birth rates rise.

Globally, fertility has been falling for more than five decades. United Nations data shows the average fertility rate was around 2.2 births per woman in 2024, down from five in the 1970s and 3.3 in the 1990s. Only 45% of countries and regions—home to roughly a third of the world’s population—reported fertility at or above 2.1 last year, with just 13% reaching rates of 4.0 or higher, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Yemen.

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