Elon Musk faces another massive blow as new study confirms his worst fear

The Daily Mail ^ | 30 Apr 2025 | XANTHA LEATHAM and ELLYN LAPOINTE

[MinorityRepublican]

A phenomenon that Elon Musk has called 'the greatest risk to the future of civilization' just got worse, according to a new study.

Musk - who has 14 children with four women - has for years warned about population collapse caused by baby bust in America and the West.

The consensus was that countries needed a fertility rate of 2.1 children per one woman to continue growing - a concern given that the US's is at 1.62.

But now researchers say that fertility target may be too low.

A new study found populations may need a fertility rate of 2.7 children per woman to avoid long-term extinction.

The team said the original estimate didn't fully account for variables like mortality rates, the male-to-female ratio, the probability that some adults never reproduce, and random fluctuations in family size.

Musk, who boasts of 'always banging the baby drum,' has been sounding the alarm on worldwide population collapse for years, claiming it will be 'the biggest problem the world will face in 20 years.'

The billionaire-turned-politician previously said that low birth rates result in fewer workers, increased debt, strained healthcare and pension systems, and total social unrest.

Diane Cuaresma, one of the study's authors, said: 'Considering stochasticity [unpredictability] in fertility and mortality rates, and sex ratios, a fertility rate higher than the standard replacement level is necessary to ensure sustainability of our population.'

The team concluded that true population sustainability – as well as the sustainability of languages, cultural traditions, and diverse family lineages – requires rethinking conventional fertility targets.

Writing in the journal Plos One the team said: 'The underpopulation crisis has been a serious threat to the sustainability of developed countries.

[Lockbox]

Ok men, I’m on it! I take one for the team… 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[arkfreepdom]

We have 5 children! Now 8 grandchildren and counting

[T.B. Yoits]

The U.S. rate has been below replacement rate since 1973.

[Uncle Miltie]

Musk, who boasts of ‘always banging the baby drum,’

So THAT’s what it’s called.

I always thought it was the cervix.

(Ducks!)

[MinorityRepublican]

The U.S. rate has been below replacement rate since 1973.

Why did it improve slightly in the '90s and early '00s?

[ClearCase_guy]

Everything I hear about today’s dating scene and financial status of Gen Z tells me that we face an inevitable demographic crash. Young men seem to feel that most young women are insufferable, and they are just walking away. Young women seem to feel that most young men are losers and the women are all actively chasing the top 10% of men (who enjoy the fun but don’t want to start families with insufferable women).

I do not see this situation getting better. Technology of various kinds are actively working against any future improvement.

[mmichaels1970]

Why did it improve slightly in the '90s and early '00s?

YO!

[GMThrust]

Read the article and have no idea what “massive blow” he faces. Just another article trying to minimize Musk.

[T.B. Yoits]

Why did it improve slightly in the '90s and early '00s?

Likely due to immigrants having children.

[MinorityRepublican]

I do not see this situation getting better. Technology of various kinds are actively working against any future improvement.

There's a void. Naturally, Islam will exploit what's happening around the world.

[A Navy Vet]

My give-a-damn meter doesn’t even register.

[SuperLuminal]

Worthless clickbait title...

[E. Pluribus Unum]

No problemo.

[T.B. Yoits]

They don't want the population of tax slaves to drop to a sustainable level for the tax slaves because it means the slave masters will be deprived of things they want without enough tax slaves to keep the systems going.

...and, what they really don't want - the slave masters will turn on each other as they fight for the declining outputs of the tax slaves.

Make no mistake; they were quite willing to replace tax slaves with foreign tax slaves because they really believed anyone could do these jobs. Now that reality has smacked them in the face, they're desperate.

[Wuli]

Developed nations have lower birth rates than developing nations, which is a sort of inverse relationship than you’d think would be expected.

People with less-material resources per person, where life is harder than with people with plentiful material resources, have more babies in spite of the ecoonomic difficulties supporting more kids. While wealthier folks who could more easily take care of more kids have fewer. For example, China and India both had greater birth rates when they were more “poor” than they do today. Africa today, which is the least developed area has some of the highest birth rates.

[fr_freak]

The consensus was that countries needed a fertility rate of 2.1 children per one woman to continue growing

Everybody just accepts the idea that we need to keep growing, that we need more and more people. But why? As far as I can see, the only reason that we need constant population growth is because the-powers-that-be set up this country (and most other countries) as a giant pyramid scheme for them to profit from, and they need the peasantry to keep pumping out more debt slaves.

I actually think that a USA with about 150-200 million people would be nice and relaxing.

[daniel1212]

In the United States around 1800, the average woman had about 7-8 children during her reproductive years.

[posterchild]

The graphic is interesting but there are not 4 DeathToAmericaWomen available for each and every JihadMan.

[skr]

I failed to see the massive blow. Did I miss something?