He was born into the family of a state employee and he lived in Kazan till the end of his life.
After leaving school he entered the faculty of mathematics and physics at Kazan State University, named after V. I. Lenin, from which he graduated in 1931.
After the defense of his doctoral thesis Igor Ado started to work at Kazan State University.
In 1942 Igor Ado moved to the Kazan State Chemical Technological Institute named after S.M.
Kirov, now called Kazan National Research Technological University where he held the Chair of High Mathematics until his death.