Aleqa was born in Greenland, to parents Ane Maalia and Pitaaraq. With younger brothers Kunuk and Nukaarag, their life changed at the tender age of seven when their father passed away during a hunting trip. Growing up, Aleqa was raised by her mother and grandmother, with strong family traditions.
In the late 1980s, Aleqa studied at Teachers Education College in Nunavut. She went on to work in various roles, including a human rights and environmental organization, Inuit Circumpolar Council, and within the tourism industry.
Aleqa’s political career began when she was elected as a member of the Greenland Parliament in 2005, serving until 2015, and holding various ministerial roles, including Minister of Finances and Foreign Affairs, Minister of Family, Children, and Elders and Minister of Justice and Foreign Affairs. In 2013, she became Greenland's first female Prime Minister, serving one term. Aleqa is also a former member of the Danish Parliament on behalf of Greenland.
Aleqa lives with her ex-boyfriend's youngest son among six children who she raised as her own and has no biological children or a husband. She speaks six languages and enjoys indulging in her hobbies of baking extravagant cakes, preparing gourmet Arctic food, and knitting.