Tesla CEO Elon Musk has expressed concern over the alarming decline in Singapore's fertility rates and called it a sign of extinction for the country. The comment from Musk, father of 12 children born to three different mothers, was in response to a post on X by social media personality Mario Nawfal, who discussed the "baby crisis" in Singapore and whether robots could help mitigate its effects.
"Singapore (and many other countries) are going extinct," Musk wrote to his 206.5 million followers.
Fertility rate in Singapore
Singapore has witnessed a steady decline in its total fertility rate (TFR) in the past three decades. It declined to a historic low of 0.97 last year -- the first time below the 1.0 mark.
In simple terms, each woman, on average, has fewer than one child, which remains far below the replacement level of 2.1 required to maintain a stable population.
The decline in the fertility rate in Singapore is majorly driven by the country's evolving societal trends. The latest data from the Singapore government shows that women in the 25-34 age group are deciding to remain single. Besides this, there has also been a decline in the marital fertility rate among women, who are in their 20s, which accounts for roughly 32% of the overall drop in fertility rate.
Decline in labour force
According to a Newsweek report, the labour force in Singapore shrank for the third consecutive year as the island nation's population ages amid a declining birth rate. That has prompted the government in Singapore to urge employers to diversify their hiring and consider retaining more older workers.
In 2024, the proportion of residents aged 15 and above participating in the labour force came down to 68.2 per cent, compared to 68.6 per cent last year, as per the latest report from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
According to officials, the decline is majorly due to the rising number of seniors.
"Whilst the labour force participation rate remains high, it has declined for the third year in a row due to a rising proportion of seniors," the ministry said on November 28. "As the workforce continues to get older, ongoing efforts to enhance the employment and employability of senior workers are more important than ever."
