Mauroy was born on 5 July 1928 in Cartignies, Nord, France. He studied at École Normale Nationale d'Apprentissage and at the Institut d'études politiques de Paris. Mauroy was married to Gilberte Deboudt from 1951 until his death in 2013. They had one son. Mauroy died on 7 June 2013 in Paris, France from lung cancer, aged 84.