Bhutan's people fall into three broad groups. The first, the Sharchops, are believed to be the earliest inhabitants of the country and occupy the eastren part of the country. The second- the Ngalops, are the descendants of Tibetan immigrants who came to Bhutan from about the 9th century, and primarily living in the west. The third section are "Lhotsampas" of recent Nepalese origin .

The contrasting ethnic diversity of the Bhutanese people has meant that a number of different languages and dialects are spoken throughout the kingdom. The national language is Dzongkha, which is taught at all schools. So different are the dialects that eastern and western neighbors can have great difficulty understanding each other. The national newspaper, Kuensel, is written in Dzongkha and English. A growing proportion of the people, especially in the urban areas, speak English. However, increasing efforts are being made to write more textbooks and to standardize Dzongkha as the principle language of instruction.

Rugged, mountainous terrain and extremes of climate have made the Bhutanese a hardy, well built people accustomed to hard work. Despite the strong martial spirit the Bhutanese are peaceful and fun loving.

Bhutan has never had a rigid class system and social and educational opportunities are not affected by rank or birth. Bhutanese women enjoy equal rights with men, including the right to vote and take an active part in the affairs of the country. While the family system is basically patriarchal, family estates are divided equally between sons and daughters. Both men and women are free to choose whom to marry and both can initiate divorce.

Most of Bhutan's people live in small rural villages on river banks or gently sloping hills, overlooking a patchwork of terraced fields and pasture land. Largely self-sufficient in food they grow crops and graze animals for butter, cheese and milk.