The people of Goa are known as 'Goans'. They are peaceful, friendly and fun loving people who love rest. The life style in Goa reflects a unique blend of East and West and the Goans usually comprise of a predominantly Hindu and a Christian population and a small Muslim community.

The people of Goa are very tolerant about religion and often participate in each others festivals. They celebrate Carnival, Shigmo, Christmas, Ganesh Chaturti, Diwali, Eid, New Year and a lot of other festivals. They also consider themselves to be a Goan first and then a Hindu, Christian or Muslim.

The Goans speak Konkani which is the mother tongue of people in each and every part of Goa and is highly responsible for unification of the Goan population. Many people also speak English, Marathi, Hindi and even Portuguese. Portuguese names are also common among the people in Goa due to a strong Portuguese influence that the state displays being a Portuguese colony for 451 years.

The main occupation of the people of Goa is fishing and most of the Goans are fishermen. Now-a-days many people in Goa also contribute to the tourism industry by promoting their hotels, beach resorts and giving houses for rent to the tourists in Goa. Some people also run restaurants that serve some of the best Goan cuisine.

Some of the people in Goa are also motorcycle pilots by profession. Infact Goa is the only place where one can find a unique pillion-passenger motorcycle taxi or two wheeler taxi often referred to as a 'pilot'. It is known to be a cheap form of transport in Goa and is a very popular means for the ladies to roam around to the markets.

Goans are born music lovers and most Goans can pluck at a guitar or pick out a tune on the piano. Music streams through the blood of every Goan and their love for music can be heard both day and night, not only in the houses but at social occasions. The people of Goa also enjoy sports and earlier the bull fight was a common game in Goa. However it is banned and the Goans today enjoy sports like football and cricket.

Goans are very proud of their state of Goa and in order to protect it they are always well prepared to fight. However even though environmental issues feature prominently, the Goans lack firmness in dealing with issues related to government utilities, administrative corruption and horrendous government services.