Evra was born in Dakar, the capital city of Senegal, to a Senegalese father of Guinean descent and Juliette, a Cape Verdean mother.He has a total of 25 siblings, although two are now deceased. Evra's father was a diplomat and, when Evra was 12 months old, moved to Brussels in Belgium to work at the Senegalese embassy. After over two years living in Belgium, when Evra was three, the family moved to France and settled in Les Ulis, a commune south of Paris. The family first settled in the local Bergeries neighborhood before moving to the Hautes-Plaines quarter shortly after.Evra was raised on Senegalese culture and values that quickly became "Westernized", At the age of ten, he did returned to Senegal for a short period describing the return as "not a good experience" primarily because he ventured back to the country to undergo circumcision.He has not returned to the country as of 2011. Ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Evra revealed that he had suffered racial abuse from supporters of the Senegal national team for choosing to represent France internationally over his native homeland.

Evra developed an interest in football at a young age and was fascinated by the play of former Brazilian international Romario, though he never really had an idol.He also earned good grades in school. As of 2011, Evra is married to Sandra with whom he has a son, Lenny. He is fluent in five languages and is attempting to learn Korean in order to better communicate with South Korean teammate Park Ji-Sung.