Bertil Hult Net Worth

Bertil Hult has an estimated net worth of $2.6 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Bertil Hult profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is down from a peak of $6 billion.

Bertil Hult is a Swedish entrepreneur best known for founding EF Education First in 1965. He started the business in the basement of his university dormitory after leaving college. His early idea was to organize trips to the UK so students could learn English through immersion. That small project became a global education company. He later moved from Sweden to Germany in 1971 and established EF's head office in Lucerne, Switzerland, in 1977.

His wealth comes from building EF Education First and keeping it family owned. He led the company as CEO until 2002 and stayed on as chairman until 2008. During those years, EF expanded into language training, educational travel, exchange programs, online learning, and academic offerings. Forbes says the business now works in 111 countries. Forbes put Hult's net worth at $2.6 billion on its real-time billionaires tracker as of October 20, 2026.

How Bertil Hult makes money

Hult made his fortune in education services. He began in 1965 by organizing English-learning trips to the UK for students, then built that idea into EF Education First. The company later expanded into language schools, educational travel, exchange programs, academic programs, and online learning. Wikipedia says EF grew into a multi-billion dollar corporation with more than 40,000 employees in 53 countries. That long expansion is the core of his wealth.

EF's size helps explain the scale of Hult's fortune. Forbes says the company offers educational travel and language training in 111 countries. It also says EF sends teens on language, educational travel, academic, and exchange summer courses at such volume that the company is one of the largest buyers of flights across the Atlantic. In 2016, EF was the official supplier of language training for the Olympic games in Rio De Janeiro and said it helped teach English to 1 million Brazilians.

Forbes net worth over time

Forbes has marked a long decline in Hult's estimated fortune. It put him at $6 billion in 2019, then $5 billion in 2020. The estimate fell to $4.2 billion in 2021 and stayed at $4.2 billion in 2022. Forbes then lowered the figure to $3.1 billion in 2023. By 2024, the estimate was $2.6 billion, and Forbes kept it at that level in 2025 and 2026.

The public details tie that wealth to the same main asset: EF Education First. Forbes identifies education as the source of his fortune, and Wikipedia says EF is wholly owned by Hult and his family. Hult is now semi-retired, while Forbes says the company is run by his oldest sons. Forbes continued to show his fortune at $2.6 billion on its real-time tracker in October 2026.