Patricia Era Bath was born in Harlem, New York, to Rupert and Gladys Bath. Her father was a Trinidadian immigrant and merchant seaman, and her mother was a homemaker who later worked as a domestic. Her upbringing in Harlem instilled in her a strong sense of community and a commitment to addressing inequalities, values that would later shape her career.

Patricia Bath demonstrated academic excellence early on, graduating from Hunter College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry in 1964. This foundational education in the sciences provided the necessary groundwork for her future medical pursuits.