Deepika Padukone was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, to Konkani-speaking parents Prakash Padukone, a former badminton player, and Ujjala, a travel agent.

The family relocated to Bangalore, India, when Deepika was a year old.

Deepika was educated at Bangalore's Sophia High School and completed her pre-university education at Mount Carmel College. She later enrolled at the Indira Gandhi National Open University for a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology but quit due to scheduling conflicts with her modeling career.