Ning was born in Hefei, Anhui province, and traces his ancestry to Xia County, Shanxi province. During the late stages of the Cultural Revolution, Ning worked as a production team leader at a local commune. After economics reforms began in 1978, Ning went back to school, studying engineering at the Hefei University of Technology. After spending a year working as a technician, he began pursuing graduate degrees at Renmin University.
Ning joined the Chinese Communist Party in June 1985. He earned his doctorate in economics in 1988, after which he joined the National Planning Commission, a central economic planning agency. In November 1998, he joined the planning department of the National Development and Reform Commission. Beginning in 2001, Ning began specializing in the development strategy of China's far western regions. In April 2007, he joined the State Council Research Office, rising to become its director in August 2013. In August 2015, Ning was transferred laterally back to the NDRC, heading up work in economic planning and the use of foreign capital. In March 2016, he also took over the role of the director of the National Bureau of Statistics, whose previous director, Wang Bao'an, had been sacked for corruption.[4] In March 2022, he was appointed vice chairman of the Committee for Economic Affairs of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.[5]
^个人简历. National Development and Reform Commission (in Chinese). National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
^Sun Dan (孙丹) (3 March 2022). 两会前夕，宁吉喆等多位正部级官员任职全国政协. ce.cn (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
