Karaikal has a diverse and historically rich demographic profile.
| Category | Details | | :--- | :--- | | **Total Population** | ~227,589 (Karaikal District, 2011 Census) | | **Urban Population** | ~49% of the district population | | **Primary Language** | Tamil | | **Other Languages** | English, French (historical minority), Malayalam, Telugu | | **Religion - Hindu** | ~77.1% | | **Religion - Muslim** | ~14.4% | | **Religion - Christian** | ~8.3% | | **Average Literacy** | 87.05% |
_Note: Detailed age-group breakdowns from the most recent census are not fully granular at the city level, but the district shows a healthy demographic dividend with a large youth population._