Greta Thunberg (Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg, born 3 January 2003) is a Swedish environmental activist who became the face of a worldwide youth climate movement. Her solo school strike outside the Swedish parliament in 2018 grew into the Fridays for Future protests, and in 2019 she became the youngest person to be named Time Person of the Year. She has since also taken part in protests about Gaza and in other causes. This biography follows her life and activism up to November 2026.
Greta Thunberg at a Glance
| Full name | Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg |
| Born | 3 January 2003, Stockholm, Sweden |
| Age | 23 (as of November 2026) |
| Profession | Climate activist and author |
| Parents | Svante Thunberg (actor) and Malena Ernman (opera singer) |
| Known for | Fridays for Future school strikes (from 20 August 2018) |
| Honour | Time Person of the Year 2019, aged 16, the youngest ever |
| Books | The Climate Book (2022) |
Early Life in Stockholm
Thunberg was born in Stockholm to the actor Svante Thunberg and the opera singer Malena Ernman. She has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder and selective mutism. Her mother made the Asperger diagnosis public in May 2015.
The School Strike
On 20 August 2018 she began sitting outside the Swedish Riksdag every school day to demand action on climate change before the general election on 9 September 2018. Her protest soon spread. By December 2018 more than 20,000 students had joined school strikes in at least 270 cities, and her speech at the COP24 climate conference in Katowice in 2018 attracted worldwide attention. In January 2019 she told world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos that "our house is on fire".
The UN Speech and Time Person of the Year
On 23 September 2019 she told the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York "How dare you!", accusing leaders of failing future generations. She had travelled to the United States without flying, by sailing from Plymouth to New York on the racing yacht Malizia II between 14 and 28 August 2019. The climate strike on 20 September 2019 was estimated to have drawn four million people. In December 2019 Time named her Person of the Year at 16 years and 354 days, the youngest person to receive the honour. She was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Later Activism
In 2022 she published The Climate Book, with contributions from more than a hundred experts, and she donated her royalties to her foundation. She finished school in 2023. She has been fined and detained at several protests in Europe. In June 2025 she sailed on the Madleen, a boat that tried to bring aid to Gaza and that Israeli forces boarded in international waters on 9 June, detaining all 12 people on board. On 23 December 2025 police in London arrested her at a protest in support of Palestine Action, a group banned in the United Kingdom, and she was released on bail.
Personal Life
Thunberg is the daughter of an actor and an opera singer, and her mother made her Asperger diagnosis public in 2015. She finished school in 2023 and began a bachelor's programme at Stockholm University.
Legacy
Thunberg turned a single child's protest into one of the largest youth movements in recent history. Her message that leaders should follow climate science has divided opinion, and her later focus on other causes has drawn criticism as well as support. She remains one of the best-known activists of her generation.
