Vitenskapelige ærer og tildelelser
- Retzius Medal Royal Swedish Society for Anthropology And Geography 1950
- Mungo Park Medal Royal Scottish Society for Geography 1951
- Bonaparte-Wyse Gold Medal Société de Geographie de Paris 1951
- Elish Kent Kane Gold Medal Geographical Society of Philadelphia 1952
- Hon. Member Geographical Society Norway 1953, Peru 1953, Brazil 1954
- Elected Member Norwegian Academy of Sciences, 1958
- Fellow New York Academy of Science, 1960
- Doctor Honoris Causa Oslo University, 1961
- Vega Gold Medal Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography, 1962
- Lomonosov Medal Moscow University, 1962
- Royal Geographical Society Gold Medal London, 1964
- Member American Anthropological Association 1966
- Kiril i Metodi Award Geographical Society Bulgaria, 1972
- Honorary Professor Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico 1972
- Internat. Pahlavi Environment Prize, United Nations 1978
- Doctor Honoris Causa USSR Academy of Science 1980
- Bradford Washburn Award, Boston Mus. of Sience, USA, 1982
- Doctor Honoris Causa Univ. San Martin, Lima, 1991
- Doctor Honoris Causa Univ. of Havana, 1992
- Doctor Honoris Causa Univ. of Kyiv, Ukraine, 1993
- Doctor Honoris Causa Univ. of Maine, USA, 1998
- Doctor Honoris Causa Univ. of Hartford, Connecticut, USA, 1998
- Doctor Honoris Causa Latvian Academy of Sciences, 1998
- International Prize of the Spanish Geographical Society 1998
- Doctor Honoris Causa D. Mendeleyev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, 1999
National Decorations
Thor Heyerdahl ble utnevnt til kommandør av St. Olavs Orden i 1951, til kommandør med stjerne av St. Olavs Orden i 1970, og fikk ordenens høyeste grad, storkorset av St. Olavs Orden i 1987. Han var også statsstipendiat fra 1984.
- Commander of the Order of St. Olav, Norway 1951, and with Star in 1970
- Officer of El Orden por Méritos Distinguidos, Peru, 1953
- Grand Officer Orden Al Mérito della Republica Italiana, 1968
- Commander American Knights of Malta, 1970
- Order of Merit, Egypt, 1971
- Grand Officer Royal Alaouites Order, Morocco, 1971
- Order of Golden Ark, Netherland, 1980
- Officer La Orden El Sol del Perú, 1975
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