Record low birth rates sparking population decline in Europe, Asia: Musk

In response to Dutch far-right commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek, who advocates for the 'Great Replacement' theory, the tech billionaire highlighted that the theory overlooks the fundamental issue of declining birth rates.

New Delhi: Elon Musk on Sunday warned that record low birth rates are leading to population collapse and such countries will fall into ruin like several dead civilisations.

Replying to far-right Dutch political commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek who promotes the idea of the ‘Great Replacement’ theory, the tech billionaire said that the problem with the theory is that it fails to address the foundational issue of low birth rates.

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“Record low birth rates are leading to population collapse in Europe and even faster population collapse in most of Asia. Immigration is low in Asia, so there is no ‘replacement’ going on, the countries are simply shrinking away,” the Tesla CEO emphasised.

If this does not turn around, then any countries on Earth with low birth rates will become “empty of people and fall into ruin, like the remains we see of the many long dead civilisations,” the X owner argued.

Vlaardingerbroek posted that ‘Great Replacement’ is not a theory but a reality.

“White Europeans are being replaced in their own countries at an ever-accelerating rate and it will mean the end of our civilisation if we don’t turn things around,” she said.

The ‘Great Replacement’ theory has been widely criticised for its “blatant absurdity”.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s fertility rate dropped to a fresh record low in 2023. Countries like Japan and China are also grappling with low-birth rates.