[Young Journalist Jacob Siyun Sung] Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has once again cited South Korea as the most extreme example of the global population decline problem.

According to a podcast video released on the 8th (local time) by American entrepreneur Peter Diamandis, Musk said during a recent conversation about population trends and life extension, “One of the signs that a country is not on the right path is when adult diapers become more common than baby diapers.”

He added, “South Korea has already crossed that point several years ago.”

Musk continued, “If you look at South Korea’s replacement fertility rate, after three generations the population shrinks to 1/27 of its current size — about 3% of today’s population.” He added , “North Korea wouldn’t even need to invade. They could just walk in.”

Musk has previously identified population decline as one of the greatest crises facing humanity and has repeatedly cited South Korea as a representative example.

In March of last year, he also said in an interview with Fox News, “In places like South Korea, the birth rate is about one-third of the replacement rate. That means after three generations the population will be only about 3 to 4 percent of its current size, and it seems like nothing can reverse it.”

The replacement fertility rate refers to the total fertility rate needed to maintain the current population size, generally considered to be about 2.1 births per woman. As of 2024, South Korea’s total fertility rate stands at 0.75.

▶원문 기사: "아기보다 성인용 기저귀가 많다" 머스크가 다시 꺼낸 한국의 인구 경고 (이코노미스트, 2026. 1.9)

◆이코노미스트가 글로벌 차세대 경제 리더, 청소년 기자단 영 저널리스트와 함께합니다. 영 저널리스트 기자단은 프리미엄 경제지 이코노미스트, 논술 전문 기관 Ni 에듀케이션과 함께 주요 시사 이슈를 팔로우업하고 직접 기획, 취재, 기사 작성 활동을 하며 사회적 문제를 고심하고 해결 방안을 제시하는 과정을 경험하게 됩니다. 이번 기사는 영 저널리스트 기자단이 이코노미스트 기사를 영문으로 번역하며 이슈를 팔로우업한 기사입니다. 차세대 글로벌 경제 리더, <영 저널리스트 with  이코노미스트> 영문 기사는 매주 연재됩니다.
 

ⓒ이코노미스트(https://economist.co.kr) '내일을 위한 경제뉴스 이코노미스트' 무단 전재 및 재배포 금지