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Expressing concern over the dramatic fall in South Korea's fertility rate, Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Monday said that two-thirds of the country would “disappear every generation”.
“2/3 of Korea will disappear every generation. Population collapse,” Musk wrote on X, sharing a screenshot of a Think Global Health report highlighting how the country's earlier projections estimate a steeper drop—down to 0.68 -- 68 babies for every 100 women -- for 2024.
This was not the first time Musk addressed Korea’s low birth rate. Recently, the father of 12 children born to three different mothers virtually addressed the eighth Future Investment Initiative Conference’s session on the future of artificial intelligence (AI) and warned that the country's dwindling population was a bigger threat to humanity than the AI's rise.
Korea's total fertility rate -- the number of babies a woman is expected to have during her lifetime -- came down to 0.72 in 2023.
“Based on current birth rates, South Korea would have about a third of its current population, while Europe would have about half of its current population,” The Korea Times quoted Musk as saying.
The 53-year-old asserted if the current "compounding effect continues, many countries would become 5% of their current size or less within three generations.”
According to Statistics Korea, the 2024 Address Canvassing is being carried out in the country to prepare for next year's centenary population census. The survey started on November 8 and closed on Wednesday, November 27.
This time, Statistics Korea plans to include new survey items in the census, including marriage intention, family planning as well as Korean language proficiency. This will reflect social diversity better and "capture trends related to low fertility, ageing, and the multicultural aspect of the society," it stated.
In May, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced that a government ministry shall be established to address the issue, which he called a ‘national emergency’.
The decision came after the February data showed how South Korea currently has the world's lowest fertility rate. While a rate of 0.78 was reported in 2022, it came down to 0.72 in 2023 and now projections estimate a steeper drop to 0.68 this year.
“2/3 of Korea will disappear every generation. Population collapse,” Musk wrote on X, sharing a screenshot of a Think Global Health report highlighting how the country's earlier projections estimate a steeper drop—down to 0.68 -- 68 babies for every 100 women -- for 2024.
This was not the first time Musk addressed Korea’s low birth rate. Recently, the father of 12 children born to three different mothers virtually addressed the eighth Future Investment Initiative Conference’s session on the future of artificial intelligence (AI) and warned that the country's dwindling population was a bigger threat to humanity than the AI's rise.
Korea's total fertility rate -- the number of babies a woman is expected to have during her lifetime -- came down to 0.72 in 2023.
“Based on current birth rates, South Korea would have about a third of its current population, while Europe would have about half of its current population,” The Korea Times quoted Musk as saying.
The 53-year-old asserted if the current "compounding effect continues, many countries would become 5% of their current size or less within three generations.”
According to Statistics Korea, the 2024 Address Canvassing is being carried out in the country to prepare for next year's centenary population census. The survey started on November 8 and closed on Wednesday, November 27.
This time, Statistics Korea plans to include new survey items in the census, including marriage intention, family planning as well as Korean language proficiency. This will reflect social diversity better and "capture trends related to low fertility, ageing, and the multicultural aspect of the society," it stated.
In May, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced that a government ministry shall be established to address the issue, which he called a ‘national emergency’.
The decision came after the February data showed how South Korea currently has the world's lowest fertility rate. While a rate of 0.78 was reported in 2022, it came down to 0.72 in 2023 and now projections estimate a steeper drop to 0.68 this year.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
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