Elon Musk’s ‘going extinct’ jab at Singapore spotlights birth rate challenges

A young child flanked by his parents in front of the Rain Vortex waterfall inside the Jewel Changi Airport mall in Singapore. Government data showed that Singapore’s total fertility rate fell to a historic low of 0.97 last year. - Photo: EPA-EFE via South China Morning Post

SINGAPORE: A social media post by tech magnate Elon Musk declaring that Singapore is “going extinct” has struck a nerve in the city state, where demographic challenges including record-low fertility rates are testing its policies to sustain economic growth.

On Thursday, Musk retweeted a user’s post referring to Singapore’s use of robots, which were “stepping in where manpower is falling short”. The user also noted that by 2030, nearly one in four Singaporeans would be over 65.