Abba’s net worths, ranked: the iconic 1970s Swedish pop group made millions from Mamma Mia! films, musicals and album sales – but who made the most?

Sep 12 , 2021

Abba’s net worths, ranked: how the iconic 1970s Swedish band made many millions singing about “money, money, money”. Photo: @abbavoyage/Instagram

Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson helped produce record-breaking Broadway and London’s West End musical Mamma Mia!, which spawned two films starring Meryl Streep and Cher

Anni-Frid Lyngstad, now a princess, is dating a British viscount, while Agnetha Fältskog worked with the team behind hits for Britney Spears and Westlife

For the four members of Abba, the days of “there never seems to be a single penny left for me” lie more than four decades back. Today, their world “must be funny and always sunny”, because they have turned those wishful thoughts into many millions of dollars. The total net worth of the legendary pop group now reaches over US$1.1 billion, with each member worth US$200-300 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. With the forthcoming release of the album Voyage, there is no doubt that they will continue to make more “money, money, money”.

Abba are known for their OTT costumes – part of the 1970s shtick that fans can’t get enough of. Photo: @abba/Instagram

The band is making money from royalties on their earlier music to this day. Nearly 400 million albums have been sold over the decades, according to Reuters. On top of that, most of their fortune came through tours and performances over the decades. It has often been rumoured that the band turned down US$1 billion to perform again several years ago.

A sneak preview of the feel-good musical Mamma Mia! at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, in January 2019. Photo: Winson Wong

They have also added to their net worth by allowing their music to be used in films and TV shows. The guys of the group – Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson – were highly involved with the production of the musical Mamma Mia! based on Abba songs. Launched in 1999, it broke box office records and is the fifth longest-running musical in London’s West End, running for over a decade there and on Broadway.

From left: Amanda Seyfried, Dominic Cooper and Cher in a still from the film Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Photo: Universal Pictures

It led to blockbuster films Mamma Mia! The Movie in 2008 and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again in 2018. The first sold almost 1.7 million copies on DVD on its first day on release in Britain, making it the fastest and biggest selling film ever at that time, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The two films grossed around US$965 million worldwide.

Abba costumes on display in the group’s museum. Photo: @abbathemuseum/Instagram

In addition, the band continues to make money from the Abba museum in Stockholm.

Apart from the group’s vast earnings, each member also adds more bucks to their pile from their solo endeavours …