Karboul was born in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. Her father, Mohamed Karboul, was the Secretary of State in the Ministry of the Interior in the Baccouche government and the Tunisian ambassador to West Germany. Karboul was formerly married to German engineer Marcus Gottschalk from 2002 to 2016. She has two daughters, Shedlia and Leyla. Karboul completed a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering in Germany, received a Doctorate in the United Kingdom, and has worked in four continents. She cites her intercultural background and feminist upbringing as major influences on her political beliefs and career. Karboul is fluent in Arabic, French, English and German, and also has knowledge of Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Greek.
