Sopubek Begaliev was born in the village of Chon Tash in Chuy Province, close to the Kyrgyz capital, Frunze.

In 1968, Begaliev served as both Deputy Premier of the Kirghiz SSR and Chairman of Gosplan and would lead the agency on the economic development of the region for more than two decades.

In 1991, Begaliev was offered the position of Advisor on the Economic Issues of the Central Asian Republics to the President of the Soviet Union.

In 1994, the first kurultay (congress) of all the ethnic groups in Kyrgyzstan elected Begaliev as Chairman of the Council of the Assembly of People of the Kyrgyz Republic.

In 1997, Begaliev was awarded the prestigious Order of Manas for a life devoted to public service, for his contribution to the promotion of inter-ethnic harmony and for furthering the development of the Assembly of People of the Kyrgyz Republic.