Home > People of Bhutan

Bhutan is a country where survives the people with different ethnicities, caste and creed. The country’s population is comprised of immigrants, multi-religious and multi-linguistic groups. The people of Bhutan are called Drukpas. The native people of Bhutan are mainly found in central Himalayan region and are of mongoloid origin. The main occupation of people of Bhutan is cattle farming and agriculture.

There are three main ethnic groups in the country namely Ngalops, Sarchops and Lhotshampas. The dominant group is the Ngalops who resides in the western part of the kingdom. They are believed to have migrated from the Tibetan plains. They are also classified as the importers of Buddhism to the kingdom. The sharchops live in the eastern Bhutan. They are believed to be the earliest inhabitants of the country. They are categorized as Indo-Mongolian type. Lhotshamps are the inhabitants of the south. These people are known to be of Nepali origin and are believed to have arrived in the country in search of agricultural land and work by the end of the 19th century. With their inclusion, Nepali language and Hinduism got flourished in the southern part of the country.

Brokpas and Bjops inhabit in the northern region of Bhutan. The northern Himalayan zone is also the home of Yak herders. They are categorized as semi monadic and they do not live in a specific location for a longer period of time. They spend most of the time wandering in the forest. They live in makeshift tents. The populations from mongoloid stock speak language of Tibeto-Burman family and the people of Indo-Aryan speak languages of the Indo-Aryan family in the country.