'Have three children to avoid population collapse': Elon Musk urges global families

Despite his statements, global fertility rates have continued to fall.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has once again raised alarm over what he perceives as humanity’s gravest existential threat: a collapsing global population due to declining birth rates. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Tesla and SpaceX CEO urged parents to have at least three children, warning that anything less could lead to the collapse of civilisation as we know it.

Musk’s comment was in response to a user who had cited a May report published by Fortune, which stated that the average woman would need to have 2.7 children to maintain population stability. The user, referencing Musk’s longstanding concerns, wrote, “If things continue as they are, humans have their days numbered.”

Musk reposted the message and added, “People who have kids do need to have 3 kids to make up for those who have 0 or 1 kid or population will collapse.” He explained that the replacement rate must be offset by those who remain childless, which requires a higher average among parents.

People who have kids do need to have 3 kids to make up for those who have 0 or 1 kid or population will collapse https://t.co/Gx1N4sW59E

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 26, 2025

The 53-year-old entrepreneur, who has fathered 14 children with five different women, has frequently positioned his large family as a deliberate personal stand against declining birth rates. “I’m doing my best to help the underpopulation crisis,” Musk stated in 2022. “Good for big families. I want to have as many children as I can, to spend time and be a good father.”

Musk has previously argued that low fertility is the most overlooked cause of civilisational decline. “Low birth rates were the primary factor in their downfall — shockingly overlooked by most historians,” he wrote, referring specifically to the fall of ancient Rome.

His rhetoric on population collapse has grown increasingly urgent in recent years, often casting the issue in stark numerical and civilisational terms. “If you don’t believe me now, just wait 20 years,” Musk warned in one earlier post.

Musk has also made controversial remarks suggesting that only “smart people” should reproduce. According to Shivon Zilis — a Neuralink executive and the mother of two of his children — Musk offered to “donate” his sperm to her so she could have “genetically strong children.”

Zilis gave birth to twins with Musk in November 2021, bringing his known total of biological children to 14. The children’s mothers include Canadian singer Grimes, author Justine Musk, and three other women — two of whom have not been publicly identified.

The world’s richest man, according to Forbes, Musk has repeatedly clashed with prevailing narratives on overpopulation, arguing instead that low birth rates — particularly in developed nations — pose a far greater threat to human continuity. His stance has drawn both praise and criticism from demographers and ethicists, especially given his role in shaping the future of technology and society through companies like Tesla, Neuralink, and SpaceX.

Despite his statements, global fertility rates have continued to fall. The United Nations projects that the global population will peak in the latter half of this century and then gradually decline, with countries like Japan, South Korea, and parts of Europe already experiencing negative population growth.