Greta Thunberg is once again at the center of international headlines, this time after being aboard a humanitarian aid ship intercepted by the Israeli military. The ship was part of a mission organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition to break the long-standing blockade of Gaza. Thunberg, along with European Parliament member Rima Hassan and other activists, was briefly detained before the group was expected to be deported. Video of the incident, as well as inflammatory statements from Israeli officials, fueled a global media frenzy.

Whenever Greta is in the news, her critics love to spread a story about her wealth on social media (mainly on Twitter and Facebook). According to one version of the story, being a climate activist has turned Greta into a multi-millionaire who has a fleet of luxury cars and hypocritically travels the globe on a private jet. Another version claims she is set to inherit tens of millions from her extremely wealthy parents.

These claims are not only false, but they are also easily debunked. Which we’ll do below. So next time you see your aunt share a meme about Greta on Facebook, reply with a link to this article 🙂

(Photo by Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images)

Where the Rumor Started

The first source of this rumor is a spam article from a site called “caclubindia.com.” On July 1, 2023, that site published an article titled: “Greta Thunberg net worth 2023 (Forbes) Private Jet House Car.“

The article claimed: “As of today, Greta Thunberg owns $18 million in assets. She is considered one of the richest climate activists in the world.“

Also:

“As per the flight logs, Thunberg on average takes 90 trips each year on sponsored trips on private jets to attend various seminars and events.“

And that:

“Thunberg’s family owns some of the best luxury cars in the world. On her 18th birthday, Thunberg’s father gifted her a BMW X5. She also owns a Tesla Model-X and a Range Rover Autobiography. In addition to these, her family owns an Audi A6, Volkswagen Taigun, and Volvo XC90.“

And finally:

“Greta Thunberg’s great-grandfathers were wealthy businessmen in Sweden who helped the Germans to transport stolen Art to Switzerland. Thunberg’s Trust contains $10 million in assets, and she gets possession of it after turning 25 years old. As part of the inheritance, she will receive over 6 real estate properties in Stockholm, a Luxury yacht, $2 million in cash, and $1.4 million in Art and Antiques.”

All of these claims are completely fabricated AI spam slop. At one point, this website had dozens (maybe hundreds, maybe thousands) of similar sloppy AI “net worth” articles, all of which have been deleted.

The second source is a widely shared fake magazine cover from a spam website called en.mediamass, which posed as a publication called “People With Money”:

As you can see in the above screenshot, the article falsely claimed Greta had earned $46 million in a single year. Later in the article, it claimed Greta’s net worth is $145 million and that “She owes her fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. She also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Thunberg Burger” chain) in Stockholm, a Football Team (the “Stockholm Angels”), has launched her own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderthunberg – Sweden), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Greta) and a fashion line called “Greta Thunberg Seduction.“

Mediamass describes itself as using parody and exaggeration to critique media and celebrity culture. All of its articles have the same format. For example, it’s article about Malala Yousafzai claims she made $96 million last year and has a net worth of $275 million thanks to “smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. She also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Yousafzai Burger” chain) in Kabul, a Football Team (the “Mingora Angels”), has launched her own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderyousafzai – Afghanistan), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Malala) and a fashion line called “Malala Yousafzai Seduction”.

Notice the pattern?

Her Family Is Not Rich

Another simpler version of this rumor is that Greta is rich because of family wealth, because her mother is a famous singer. Greta’s mother, Malena Ernman, is a Swedish opera singer who represented Sweden in Eurovision in 2009. Her father, Svante Thunberg, is a relatively unknown actor and producer. While they may be considered comfortably upper-middle class by Swedish standards, public Swedish tax records make it clear that they are not millionaires, let alone multi-millionaires. Tax records are released publicly in Sweden, so we actually have some extremely clear insights into the family’s income. One year of official tax filings reviewed by Swedish media showed Malena Ernman earning approximately 478,100 SEK (around $50,000–$60,000 USD).

There is no evidence of multiple properties, inheritance windfalls, or secret luxury assets. The Swedish tax system makes individual income publicly accessible, and fact-checkers who reviewed those records have consistently found no sign of great wealth.

Prize Money and Book Earnings

In 2020, Greta won the inaugural Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, which came with a €1 million award. She immediately announced that all of the money would be donated to charitable causes focused on environmental protection and social justice. Her Greta Thunberg Foundation has transparently documented how the funds were allocated.

Greta has also written several books, including “The Climate Book,” but she has stated that she does not personally profit from those projects. As with the Gulbenkian Prize, book proceeds are directed to charitable causes.

Speaking Fees and Lifestyle

Another frequently repeated myth is that Greta charges $250,000 per speaking engagement. This is unequivocally false. Greta confirmed in a 2019 tweet that she does not charge any fee to speak and that she receives no payment for her activism. She lives modestly, does her own cooking, uses public transportation, and has never owned a car. In interviews, she has described herself as someone who rejects consumerism and influencer culture.

The Bottom Line

There is zero evidence that Greta Thunberg is a millionaire, let alone a multi-millionaire. Her family is not rich, she does not earn money from her activism, and she has given away the money she has received from awards and book projects. The rumors about her wealth are rooted in misinformation, bad faith attempts to discredit her, and in some cases, outright fabrication.

Greta Thunberg has been remarkably consistent in both her message and her lifestyle. Whether or not one agrees with her climate activism, the facts about her financial situation are clear: she is not in this for the money. And no, she is not a multi-millionaire.