Elon Musk has warned that mass immigration could result in the destruction of countries, arguing that it is a nation’s people, not its geography, that defines its identity. He noted that unrestricted immigration, especially on a global scale, poses a serious threat to the cultural and social stability of nations.
Musk made the remarks during a virtual address at a rally organized by Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini.“The League Congress” event, held in Florence on April 5, 2025, centred on themes of national identity and immigration.
“The mass immigration is insane, and will lead to the destruction of any country that allows unfettered mass immigration,” Musk stated. He noted that such unchecked immigration could ultimately result in a country ceasing to exist as it is known. According to Musk, the concept boils down to a simple mathematical illustration: the global population is currently over 8 billion people. In contrast, even a large country like the United States, with a population of 350 million, is relatively small in comparison.
Musk explained that it doesn’t take a massive influx of people for the identity of a nation to be altered. “It only takes a few percent of the rest of the world to move to the country, and it is no longer that country,” he said.
The SpaceX and Tesla founder further elaborated on his argument, stating that a country is not defined by its geography, but by its people. “A country is its people. This is a fundamental concept that is truly obvious,” he stated.
To illustrate this further, Musk offered a thought experiment: “If you took the people of Italy and you teleported them to, say, some part of the United States, it would still be Italy.” Conversely, if a large number of people from another part of the world were to move to Italy, the region would no longer be Italy. Instead, it would become an amalgamation of the cultures and identities of those new migrants.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 5, 2025
