What was Jane Goodall’s Net worth? Renowned primatologist lived a modest life before passing away at the age of 91

Prominent British anthropologist and primatologist, Dame Valerie Jane Morris Goodall, commonly known as Jane Goodall, passed away on October 1, 2025, in California, United States, at 91.

The late Goodall, who was also an ethologist, was widely known for her contributions regarding the study of chimpanzees since the '60s at the Gombe Stream Reserve, a national park in Tanzania, East Africa.

Goodall, who was married to Hugo van Lawick, a Dutch photographer and filmmaker, from 1964 to 1974, shared a son, Hugo Eric Louis van Lawick, with him. Later, Goodall got married to Derek Bryceson, a Tanzanian minister of health, from 1975 to 1980. Goodall was a UN Messenger of Peace and founded the Jane Goodall Institute.

The news of her death was shared on Instagram from her official handle. The post read:

"The Jane Goodall Institute has learned this morning, Wednesday, October 1, 2025, that Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, UN Messenger of Peace and Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, has passed away due to natural causes. She was in California as part of her speaking tour in the United States. Dr. Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world."

Check out the Instagram post below:

While the netizens and her fans still mourn the death of the renowned scientist, they are also curious to find out Jane Goodall's net worth. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Goodall's net worth was $5 million.

Jane Goodall opened up to People Magazine about her arrival in Africa

According to Distractify, Goodall, a pioneer and crucial figure in primate ethology, talked to People Magazine in an interview about her arrival in Africa in the 1960s, along with her mother, Vanne Morris Goodall. Jane said:

"I was off up the slopes hoping to find some chimpanzees. Mom was left behind with our slightly inebriated cook to let air into our tent. In came air, but also spiders and big snakes and baboons."

Goodall continued and added:

Trending

"So, there was poor Mom with these male baboons with their big teeth trying to get our food. People say, 'Oh, you were brave, Jane.' No. I was doing what I'd always wanted to do. She was the brave one."

Goodall left Tanzania after working for two years in 1962. She attended Cambridge University and earned a Ph.D in ethology. While she founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977 and became UN Messenger of Peace in 2002, Jane Goodall was also the recipient of a bunch of honors, including the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, Japan's Kyoto Prize, and the French Legion of Honor.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback