Muhammad Yunus
Lent $27 of his own money to 42 villagers; the experiment became Grameen Bank and a Nobel Peace Prize.
Muhammad Yunus was born in 1940 in Chittagong, Bengal (now Bangladesh). Muhammad Yunus's background is described as Bengali Muslim. Growing up, the family was middle class — his father was a jeweler; one of nine surviving children. Lent $27 of his own money to 42 villagers; the experiment became Grameen Bank and a Nobel Peace Prize.
- Born
- 1940 · Chittagong, Bengal (now Bangladesh)
- Roots
- Bengali Muslim
- Family
- Middle class
- His father was a jeweler; one of nine surviving children.
- Education
- Dhaka University → Vanderbilt University (PhD, economics, on a Fulbright)
- Started with
- $27
- His own money, lent to 42 craftspeople in Jobra village in 1976 — the experiment that became Grameen Bank.
- Affiliations & societies
- None documented.
- Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.
The pathway
- 1965 · age 25Fulbright to the US
PhD in economics at Vanderbilt; campaigns from the US for Bangladesh's independence in 1971.
- 1974 · age 34Famine in Bangladesh
Teaching economics in Chittagong while people starve outside; begins field visits to Jobra village.
- 1976 · age 36The $27 loans$27
Lends his own money to 42 villagers trapped by moneylenders; banks refuse to lend to the poor without collateral.
- 1983 · age 43Grameen Bank founded
Microcredit institution owned largely by its borrowers, most of them women.
- 2006 · age 66Nobel Peace Prize
Shared with Grameen Bank.
- 2011 · age 70Forced out of Grameen
Removed under the Hasina government amid a long political dispute.
- 2024 · age 84Leads Bangladesh's interim government
Appointed Chief Adviser after the government falls to student protests.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Muhammad Yunus from?
Muhammad Yunus was born in 1940 in Chittagong, Bengal (now Bangladesh). Their background is described as Bengali Muslim.
When was Muhammad Yunus born?
Muhammad Yunus was born in 1940, in Chittagong, Bengal (now Bangladesh).
What is Muhammad Yunus's background or ethnicity?
Muhammad Yunus's roots are described as Bengali Muslim. These are broad categories drawn from public sources, not statements about how the person identifies.
Where did Muhammad Yunus go to school?
Muhammad Yunus's education: Dhaka University → Vanderbilt University (PhD, economics, on a Fulbright).
What was Muhammad Yunus's family background growing up?
At birth the family was middle class. His father was a jeweler; one of nine surviving children.
How did Muhammad Yunus get started?
Muhammad Yunus started with $27. His own money, lent to 42 craftspeople in Jobra village in 1976 — the experiment that became Grameen Bank.
Sources
Compiled from these references and contemporaneous press reporting. Figures are approximate; verify before relying on them.