Torstein Hagen Net Worth

Torstein Hagen has an estimated net worth of $20.6 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Torstein Hagen profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is up from $2.4 billion in 2019.

Torstein Hagen is a Norwegian business leader best known for founding Viking Cruises and serving as its chairman. Before starting Viking, he built a long career in shipping and travel. He worked at McKinsey & Company in Europe, helped Holland America Line recover from near-bankruptcy in 1974, and later ran Bergen Steamship Company and Royal Viking Line. Those roles made him a known figure in the cruise business before he launched his own company.

His wealth comes mainly from Viking, the cruise company he started in 1997 with riverboats in Russia at age 54. The business grew from river cruises into a much larger fleet focused on major European waterways and wealthy American retirees. Viking later expanded into ocean cruises in 2015. Hagen also sold a 23% stake to TPG Capital and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for $672 million, and Viking raised more than $1.5 billion in its 2024 New York Stock Exchange listing.

How Torstein Hagen built his fortune

Hagen made his money in cruises and shipping. His early career included consulting work at McKinsey & Company in Europe, then senior jobs at Bergen Steamship Company and Royal Viking Line. He also spent several years investing in shipping companies and at one point had to sell art from his walls to meet a margin call. That background gave him industry knowledge, but his biggest financial success came later with Viking.

Viking began in 1997 with riverboats in Russia. The company went after affluent American retirees and built a large river cruise business with over 70 ships on Europe’s major waterways. In 2015, Viking added ocean cruises, with 930-passenger ships in that fleet. Since 2016, Hagen has sold 23% of Viking to TPG Capital and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for a total of $672 million.

Forbes net worth and key money moments

Forbes valued Hagen at $20.6 billion on its real-time billionaires tracker as of October 20, 2026. That estimate follows a major jump in recent years. Forbes put him at $10.3 billion on the 2025 World’s Billionaires list and then at $18.4 billion on the 2026 list. The biggest business event in that stretch was Viking’s May 2024 stock market debut in New York, which raised more than $1.5 billion.

Earlier Forbes estimates were much lower and moved down for several years before rising again. The magazine listed him at $2.4 billion in 2019, then $1.7 billion in 2020, $1.5 billion in 2021, $1.5 billion in 2022, $1.4 billion in 2023, and $1.5 billion in 2024. Over time, Hagen’s wealth has been tied closely to Viking’s scale, his ownership stake, private investment deals, and the company’s public listing.