Elon Musk’s worst fear that he deemed to be ‘the greatest risk to the future of civilization’ has been confirmed by a shocking new study.
This comes after scientists discovered new evidence that Musk’s fears could become a reality.
The billionaire has been very vocal about his concerns over a declining birth rate and has even claimed that it could become ‘the biggest problem the world will face in 20 years’.
But how valid are Musk’s fears? According to experts in a recent study, there might be some truth to it after all.
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A team of researchers at Michigan State University have uncovered some new information about the amount of the population who do not want to have kids.
And apparently that percentage has doubled over the last 20 years in the US.
According to the study, the number of childless adults who do not want to have children in the future was at 14% in 2002 but has now risen to 29% as of 2023.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, psychology professor Jennifer Watling Neal, said: “During the same period, the percent of nonparents who plan to have children in the future fell from 79% to 59%.”
Musk has warned the public over the years that an aging population could lead to a strained healthcare system, increased debt and fewer people in the workforce.
And it seems that the world’s richest man is doing his bit to combat the decrease in birth rates as he has 14 children with four different women.
Back in 2022, Musk took to his own social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to write in a post saying: “Population collapse due to low birth rates is a much bigger risk to civilization than global warming... mark these words.”
According to data from the CDC, there was a 3% decline in birth rates last year compared with 2022.
The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics stated: “This marks the second consecutive year of decline, following a brief one percent increase from 2020 to 2021.
“From 2014 to 2020, the rate consistently decreased by two percent annually.”
However, some experts say that Musk’s concerns could be unfounded as the world population is still increasing even if some countries are experiencing a decline.
Talking to CNN, Joseph Chamie, who is a consulting demographer and a former director of the United Nations Population Division, said: “He’s better off making cars and engineering than at predicting the trajectory of the population.
“Yes, some countries, their population is declining, but for the world, that’s just not the case.”