Born September 26, 1932 in Gah, Punjab (now in Chakwal district, which became part of Pakistan after the Partition of India in 1947).
Education
Studied economics at Punjab and Cambridge Universities. Earned a Ph. D in Economics and defended his dissertation at Oxford University.
1957: Began his career as an instructor at Punjab University in Chandigarh.
Career
1966-1976: Worked as adviser to the secretary of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva.
Taught as a professor at the Delhi School of Economics at the University of Delhi and served as an economic adviser for the Indian Ministries of Foreign Trade and Finance.
1976-1980: Served in leadership positions in a number of state-owned banks in India (Reserve Bank, Agrarian Development Bank, Reconstruction and Development Bank) and served as deputy minister and head of the department of economic issues at the Indian Ministry of Finance.
1980-1983: Served as a member and secretary of the Planning Commission of India under Indira Gandhi's government. Played an important role in developing the concept for reforming the cabinet's economic policy. Dr Singh assumed a moderate position, supporting the gradual and measured liberalisation of the national economy.
1983-1985: Served as Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
1985-1987: Served as Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India under Rajiv Gandhi's government.
1987-1990: Served as Secretary-General and Commissioner, the United Nations South Commission (Geneva).
1990-1991: Served as economic advisor to Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar Singh with the rank of the minister-member of the cabinet.
1991-1996: Served as Finance Minister in the government of Narasimha Rao.
1991-2004: Served as a member of the upper house of the Indian parliament.
May 19, 2004: Appointed Prime Minister of India.
Married, with three daughters.