Muhammad Shtayyeh was born in the town of Tal in the Nablus Governorate in the West Bank in 1958. He obtained a doctorate in economic development from a British university.
He held a number of positions and held tasks in bodies and institutions of an economic and development nature. He was appointed Minister of Public Works and Housing in the governments of Ahmed Qurei and Salam Fayyad (2006/2005) and (2009/2008) He led the Palestinian government since 2019, and in 2024 he submitted his resignation.