Hadid was born on October 9, 1996 in Washington, D.C. to real-estate developer Mohamed Hadid and former model Yolanda Hadid (née van den Herik), and was raised in Los Angeles, California. Her mother is Dutch, and her father is Palestinian. Through her father she claims descent from Daher Al Omer, Prince of Nazareth and the Sheik of Galilee. Hadid has two siblings, an older sister named Gigi, who is also a model, and a younger brother, Anwar. She has two older half-sisters, Marielle and Alana, from her father’s side.

Hadid and her siblings were originally raised on a ranch in Santa Barbara, California for ten years. As a teenager, Hadid was an equestrian and dreamed of competing at the 2016 Summer Olympics, although she competed in equitation, which is not an Olympic discipline. She was diagnosed, along with her mother and brother, with chronic Lyme disease in 2012.

Hadid’s first cover of the year was for the January issue of W Magazine Korea, a reprint of her W editorial from the US editions “Royals Issue”. Her first new cover of the year was for the recently rebranded Teen Vogue, Hadid starred on one of the Volume 1 covers with best friend, Jesse Jo Stark. Her first standard issue vogue cover was for the year was for Vogue China in April, appearing on their cover again in September, and another in June for Vogue Italia. In September, Hadid topped her numbers from the year prior with Elle Russia, Harper’s Bazaar China, and by breaking the record for most Vogue September covers in one year (formerly kept by Doutzen Kroes in 2013 and Linda Evangelista in 1993). Hadid snagged the cover of five international editions of the fashion magazine; China, Spain, Brazil, Australia, and Arabia—also making Hadid newly launched Vogue Arabia’s first September cover star—in the month. She also appeared on the cover of CR Fashion Book, Grazia Italia, Sunday Times Style, Porter Magazine; ELLE US, Russia, and France; InStyle, 032c, and was one of the covers for the first issue of Super ELLE China. In 2017, she also had editorials in Vogue Paris, LOVE Magazine, V Magazine, and Dazed Magazine.

In fall 2014, Hadid moved to New York City and began studying photography at the Parsons School of Design, signing to IMG shortly before. She has since dropped out of school due to the success of her modeling career, but has expressed interest in returning to school to take on fashion photography as a career once she is done modeling. Hadid has also expressed interest in acting.

In December 2014, Hadid made her first cover appearance on Jalouse Magazine and was featured on Day 27 of Love Magazine’s Love Advent that same year. Hadid appeared on the November 2015 cover of Seventeen and has shot editorials for magazines, including Vogue Australia and Elle. She was also on the cover of Unconditional Magazine, Grey Magazine, Jalouse Magazine, V Magazine (with sister, Gigi), Editorialist, Wonderlands 10th Birthday Issue, S Moda, Evening Standard, Teen Vogue, and Twin Magazine F/W Issue.

On July 22, 2014, Hadid was arrested and charged with a DUI. Her driver’s license was suspended for one year and she was given six months of probation. Hadid was also ordered to perform 25 hours of community service and attend 20 hours of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

She made her New York Fashion Week debut in the fall of 2014, walking for Desigual. In the spring fashion weeks of 2015, Hadid walked for Tom Ford in Los Angeles, and walked in the amfAR 22nd Cinema Against AIDs Gala fashion show in May. In the fall 2015 New York Fashion Week, she walked for Diane von Fürstenberg, Tommy Hilfiger, Jeremy Scott (she closed his show), and Marc Jacobs. At London Fashion Week, walked for Topshop Unique and Giles, and at Milan Fashion Week for Philipp Plein, Moschino, Missoni, and Bottega Veneta. While at Paris Fashion Week she walked for Balmain. In December 2015 she made her Chanel debut, walking for the first time in the luxury brand’s Métiers d’Art show in Rome.

Hadid also featured in numerous editorials for various magazines, including Vogue Girl Japan, Harper’s Bazaar, GQ, W magazine, Town and Country, Pop magazine, three for Glamour magazine, and two for Love magazine. She was also featured again in Love magazine’s Love Advent Day 14 and 15 in 2015. Hadid also made an appearance in two CR Fashion Book’s – “Body Book” and “Fantasy Campaigns”.

Hadid began dating Canadian singer The Weeknd at the beginning of 2015; the couple were first seen together in April at Coachella. Hadid starred in his music video “In the Night” in December 2015. They made their red carpet appearance as a couple at the 2016 Grammys in February. In November 2016, the couple reportedly broke up because their schedules were too conflicting. However, they got back together in 2018, and split once again in 2019.

In January, Hadid made her Chanel Couture debut during Paris Haute Couture S/S Fashion Week. She walked exclusively for Givenchy and walked for Chanel and Miu Miu at their shows in Paris Fashion Week in March 2016, as well as walking for FentyxPuma in New York Fashion Week in February 2016. She also made her first Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia appearance in May 2016, exclusively opening and closing the Misha Resort 2017 show. Hadid walked for the amfAR 23rd Cinema Against AIDs fashion show and Dior Cruise 2017 show in London in May. In June, she walked in the Haute Couture segment of Givenchy’s Menswear S/S 2017 show during Men’s Paris Fashion Week. During Paris Haute Couture F/W Fashion week she walked for both Versace, Dior, and Alexandre Vauthier, where she closed the show. Hadid also closed the show for Fendi Haute Couture in Rome later that week. Hadid started off the S/S 2017 season during NYFW, opening for DKNY and walking for Michael Kors, Anna Sui, Ralph Lauren, and Marc Jacobs. During London Fashion Week Hadid walked exclusively for Versus Versace, opening the show. The next week, in Milan, she opened for Alberta Ferretti and Fendi; as well as walking for Max Mara, Moschino, Versace, Bottega Veneta, and closing for Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini. On November 30, Hadid walked in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, wearing two looks, one from their Bright Night Angels segment and one from Secret Angels. Her Bright Night Angels look also featured a pair of wings.

During 2016, she appeared on the covers of Seventeen Magazine Mexico, Self Service Magazine, CR Fashion Book’s #CRGirs, V Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar Spain, Japan, Australia, and Russia; Elle Brazil, US, UK, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia; Allure, Double Magazine, Glamour Germany, US, Russia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Iceland; Exit magazine, W magazine Korea, L’Officiel Russia, Sunday Times Style, British GQ, Flare, and Paper Magazine. In May, Hadid spotlighted on her first Vogue cover for Vogue Turkey, a Vogue Me cover with Korean rapper G-Dragon in August, and received another three Vogue covers for Japan, Italia, and Paris, alongside model Taylor Hill, in September. She had editorials in these magazines, as well as in; Glamour UK, British GQ, LOVE Club, Dazed, W Magazine, Vogue US and Paris, as well as an online editorial in Vogue for Valentine’s Day. In May, Hadid made her first short film appearance of the year, starring in Tyer Ford’s film, Private. Hadid was also the star of LOVE Advent’s calendar for Day 1 in a segment entitled “Aerobics”.

In March 2016, Hadid won Model of the Year at the Daily Front Row’s Fashion Los Angeles Awards. In June 2016, Hadid was ranked among Models.com’s Top 50 Models list. In September 2016, she won Model of the Year at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in London. In December, Models.com nominated Hadid for their Reader’s Choice awards; for both Model of the Year and Social Media Star of the Year. She won Model of the Year Women from the Industry’s vote.

As ambassador of Dior Beauty, Hadid also starred in a series of videos entitled “Dior Makeup with Bella Hadid” throughout the year; these videos had begun in December 2016. On February 8, Hadid was announced the new ambassador for Bulgari’s accessory lines and, on February 13, she was announced the new face and ambassador of TAG Heuer.

In 2016, Hadid donated a pair of denim jeans to Johny Dar’s Jeans for Refugees project, which were to be hand painted and auctioned off in order to raise money for the International Rescue Committee. In 2018, she joined to make 500 meals scheduled to be delivered to the Bowery Mission shelter on behalf of System of Service, Hashtag Lunch Bag, and Nike for Thanksgiving in New York.

In January 2017, Hadid walked in Givenchy’s S/S 2017 Haute Couture segment during their F/W Menswear Fashion Show in Paris. During Haute Couture S/S week, she also walked for Chanel and opened Alexandre Vauthier. In February, she walked in her sister, Gigi’s, Tommy Hilfiger collaboration “TommyxGigi” in Los Angeles and in Paris she closed the H&M Studio show, both last minute additions to the S/S 2017 season. To start off the F/W 2017 season, Hadid walked for Alexander Wang, Sies Marjan, Carolina Herrera, Brandom Maxwell, Michael Kors, Anna Sue, Ralph Lauren; and opened for Prabal Gurung and Zadig et Voltaire; and closed for Oscar de la Renta, during NYFW. During London Fashion Week, she was exclusive at Versace Versus, where she opened the show. In Milan she walked for Alberta Feretti, Fendi, Moschino, and Versace. To close out the F/W 2017 RTW season, in Paris, she walked for Lanvin, Chanel, and opened Off-White. Hadid also starred in Alexandre Vauthier’s F/W 2017 look book, in place of a runway show. While in Cannes, France for the 70th Annual Film Festival, she walked for Naomi Campbell’s Fashion for Relief and the amfAR Gala’s charity walks. For the F/W 2017 Haute Coutre week, she walked for Miu Miu Resort, Maison Margiela, Fendi, and opened for Alexandre Vauthier.

Hadid and her sister, Gigi, started off the S/S campaign season together – starring alongside one another in both that seasons Fendi and Moschino campaigns. Along with shooting a campaign with her sister, Hadid also shot a campaign for Zadig & Voltaire with her younger brother, Anwar. Hadid also starred solo in the DKNY, TAG Heuer, and Boghossian Jewels Les Merveilles S/S 2017 campaigns. Hadid also starred in both Ochirly’s Spring and Summer campaigns and in the ZaynxVersus capsule collection campaign. She starred in her first beauty campaign in S/S 2017 for Dior Makeup’s “Pump N’ Volume” mascara. After being declared one of their Nike: NY Made ambassadors in 2016, Hadid starred in her first campaign with Nike for their OG Cortez sneaker. As ambassador of the brand’s accessories line, Hadid starred as the face of Bulari’s Goldea Roman Night fragrance and F/W 2017 Serpiniti collection campaign. Hadid starred in a second accessories campaign for Max Mara and in Penshoppe’s “Generation” campaign. Also in the F/W 2017 season, Hadid starred alongside Miles McMillan in Giuseppe Zanotti, Justin Grossman in NARS Cosmetics, and Kendall Jenner in Ochirly’s Fall campaign.

In January 2017, Hadid attended the “No Ban, No Wall” march in New York City, saying in an interview it was her own family history that drove her to participate in the march: “I come from a really diverse background. I’ve had incredible experiences all over the world… and I’ve learned that we’re all just people, and we all deserve respect and kindness. We shouldn’t treat people as if they don’t deserve kindness just because of their ethnicities. It’s just not right.”

Hadid has said she is “proud to be a Muslim” while reflecting on her father’s history as a refugee, practicing Islam, and becoming a successful U.S. businessman when discussing her opposition to President Trump’s immigration policies. On December 8, 2017, Hadid joined London protests against Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel and recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

In September 2020, Bella Hadid starred in a Versace commercial (shot on a secluded island off the coast of Sardinia) together with Hailey Bieber and Louis Baines.

In April 2020, Hadid announced she made a donation to the Food Bank and Feeding America to support COVID-19 relief. In May 2020, she announced she will be supporting and donating to charities such as Preemptive Love, UNRWA USA and Middle East Children’s Alliance (Meca) to help support refugees, displaced families, families in the front lines of conflict and children across Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and other affected regions.

Hadid has shown support for Black Lives Matter movement. When Black Lives Matter protests resurged in May 2020, Hadid took to Instagram to share that she would be donating to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and also shared her support of those protesting, donating, and demanding justice for the too many Black lives taken by the hands of police in America. In June, Hadid auctioned off her Miu Miu boots as part of the inaugural Way We Wore auction, a collaboration with the pre-loved fashion site, Hardly Ever Worn It organised by British Vogue that benefit NHS Charities Together and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In July, Hadid auctioned limited edition fashion item that she has created at home during lockdown and 100% of proceeds will go towards supporting the black community, with initiatives such as Your Rights Camp, Feeding America and more. Hadid donated some of her clothes to a pop-up event that went to benefit Black Lives Matter causes, including Abundant Beginnings Collective and Brooklyn Supported Agriculture which was called “Sidewalk Sale for Social Justice” in Brooklyn in September.

In August 2020, following the explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, she announced that she will be donating to 13 local and international charities.