With an estimated population of about 7,50,000 and the growth rate being 3.1% per year, the country is still for the most part rural and about 85% of the people live in villages.
There are about 19 different dialects comprising within the three main ethnic groups that constitute its population.
Meanwhile the ‘Ngalops‘ are descendants of Tibetan immigrants who arrived in Bhutan from 9th century and settled in the west of country.
‘Lhotshampas’ or the these Nepalese group, who began settling in the south of Bhutan in the late 19th century. The Lhotshampa represents different Nepali speaking ethnic groups primarily Brahman, Chettri, Gurung, Rai and Limbu.
The people from the far corners of the East, also known as ‘Sharchops‘ are often recognized as the original inhabitants of Bhutan and are Indo Mongoloid origin.