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Amartya Sen Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 4, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth3 November 1933

Age90 Years

BirthplaceShantiniketan, Bengal, British india

ProfessionEconomist; Philosopher

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseEmma Rothschild

FamilyWife: Emma Rothschild; Previous spouses: Nabaneeta Dev Sen (m.1959–1976), Eva Colorni (m.1978–1985, deceased); Children: Kabir, Nandana, Antara, Indrani

Amartya Sen Biography

Amartya Kumar Sen is an Indian economist and philosopher whose work on welfare, development and social justice has shaped modern thinking about poverty,Fam

Early life and background
Amartya Kumar Sen was born on 3 November 1933 in Shantiniketan, Bengal, then part of British India. He grew up in a family with strong academic and cultural roots: his father was a chemistry professor and later a public servant, while his mother wrote about Rabindranath Tagore and Shantiniketan. His maternal grandfather was a noted Sanskrit scholar and an associate of Tagore. The poet gave him his first name, Amartya, meaning "immortal."

Sen began formal schooling in Dhaka before continuing at Patha Bhavana in Shantiniketan, where he developed a broad interest in subjects ranging from mathematics and physics to Sanskrit. The experience of communal upheaval around the time of India’s partition and personal encounters with poverty and vulnerability influenced his early thinking about deprivation and economic freedom.

While at Presidency College, Calcutta, in the early 1950s he faced a serious health challenge when diagnosed with oral cancer; after intensive radiotherapy he recovered and continued his studies. He completed a BA in economics at Presidency College in 1953 and went on to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he took a second BA in 1955 and later an MA and PhD. His doctoral research, supervised by Joan Robinson and shaped by Maurice Dobb, produced work on the choice of techniques in production.

Career
Sen entered academic life early. At 22 he was appointed professor and head of the economics department at Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Over the following decades he held fellowships and visiting posts at prominent institutions including Trinity College, Cambridge; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; the University of California, Berkeley; Cornell University; the Delhi School of Economics; the London School of Economics; and the University of Oxford, where he served as Drummond Professor of Political Economy. He has also taught at Harvard in recent years.

Sen’s research spans economics and philosophy and focuses on welfare, development, justice and the causes of famine. His influential book Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation argued that famines are not only about food supply but about people’s entitlements and the responsiveness of political systems. He showed that democratic institutions can play a key role in preventing large-scale starvation, not simply through production but by holding leaders accountable.

Recognition and honours
Sen’s work has been widely honoured. He became the first person of Indian origin to receive the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1998. He has received many national and international awards and distinctions across a long career, including the Bharat Ratna (India’s highest civilian award) in 1999, the National Humanities Medal (USA) in 2012, the Légion d’Honneur from France, and the Princess of Asturias Award in 2021, among numerous other prizes and honorary recognitions.

Public profile
Sen is known both for his scholarly writings and for engaging with public debates on development, justice and human rights. He has published widely and his theories on welfare economics, social choice and inequality are staples in contemporary discussions of economic policy. Public interest in his wellbeing was evident in October 2023 when false reports of his death circulated; his family subsequently confirmed he was alive and continuing academic work. He is described as an atheist who respects religious motivations that lead to good works, and his intellectual influences include thinkers such as Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill and Karl Marx.

Personal life
Sen has been married three times. His first marriage, to Nabaneeta Dev Sen, began in 1959; she was a writer and academic. His second wife, Eva Colorni, was an economist who died in 1985. Since 1991 he has been married to Emma Georgina Rothschild, a historian and professor. He has four children: one son, Kabir, and three daughters, Nandana, Antara and Indrani. His family background includes a lineage of scholars and educators, and his parents’ careers and interests influenced his intellectual formation.

Latest updates
As of 2023 Sen is reported to be 90 years old. He continues to teach and work on projects related to gender and development, remaining active in academic life. Public confirmations from family members affirmed his ongoing involvement in teaching and writing following the October 2023 false reports about his health.
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Recent Work

Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation

Developed influential arguments about the causes of famine, emphasizing entitlements and the political accountability of governments.

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Career Highlights

  1. First Indian to win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1998)
  2. Bharat Ratna recipient (1999)
  3. Held professorships and visiting posts at major universities including Jadavpur University, Delhi School of Economics, LSE, Oxford and Harvard
  4. Authored seminal work on famines, welfare and development
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Amartya Sen born?

3 November 1933

What is Amartya Sen known for?

Economist; Philosopher

What is Amartya Sen’s marital status?

Married

Who is Amartya Sen married to?

Emma Rothschild