Western Hunter-Gatherer map
Western Hunter-Gatherers (WHG) · Western and central Europe, after the last Ice Age
How to read these maps: pale yellow means little or none of the selected ancestry, orange a medium share and deep red the highest values. Each dot is the average of a modern population: hover or tap it to see its numbers. Areas with no samples nearby stay blank.
Western Hunter-Gatherers (WHG)
Western and central Europe, after the last Ice Age
Faded dots are populations the model fits less well: read their values with care. Click the map to zoom with your mouse wheel.
Who were the Western Hunter-Gatherers?
Western Hunter-Gatherers is the name geneticists give to the foragers who lived across western and central Europe after the last Ice Age, from about 14,000 years ago until farming arrived. They hunted deer, boar and aurochs, fished and gathered plants, and moved with the seasons.
Well-known genomes include Loschbour in Luxembourg, La Brana in northern Spain and Cheddar Man, who lived in England about 10,000 years ago. Studies of these genomes suggest that many of them combined dark skin with light eyes, a mix rarely seen in Europe today.
When farmers from Anatolia arrived, the two groups lived side by side for centuries and then mixed, so every modern European carries some WHG ancestry. It tends to be highest around the Baltic Sea, where the hunter-gatherer way of life lasted longest. In this model, WHG is an average of several Mesolithic individuals.
In our model, Western Hunter-Gatherer ancestry peaks today in Lithuanian PZ, at 21.7%, followed by Lithuanian North Zemaitija (21.4%) and Lithuanian (21.3%). The ten highest values come from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Russia. It reaches at least 5% in 317 of the 1,998 populations on the map, and at least 20% in 10 of them. On the world scale the colours run from 0 to 18.4%, the level reached by the top 2% of populations, so the deepest red marks the real hot spots.
Where Western Hunter-Gatherer ancestry peaks today
| # | Population | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lithuanian PZ Lithuania | 21.7% |
| 2 | Lithuanian North Zemaitija Lithuania | 21.4% |
| 3 | Lithuanian Lithuania | 21.3% |
| 4 | Lithuanian West Zemaitija Lithuania | 21.3% |
| 5 | Latvian Latvia | 21.0% |
| 6 | Lithuanian South Zemaitija Lithuania | 21.0% |
| 7 | Estonian Estonia | 20.4% |
| 8 | Lithuanian East Aukstaitija Lithuania | 20.4% |
| 9 | Lithuanian West Aukstaitija Lithuania | 20.3% |
| 10 | Karelian Southwest (Livvi) Russia | 20.0% |
Averages of modern populations, modelled with 17 reference sources. Tap a name to find it on the map.
The 17 ancestral sources
About these numbers
These maps show model estimates for population averages, not ethnic labels and not the result of any one person. Each source stands in for a wider ancestral population, and ancestries that have no source of their own in this set, such as Oceanian or Khoe-San ancestry, are absorbed by their closest relatives among the 17. Populations the model fits less well are shown with faded dots and count less in the colour surface.
Method: Each population average (Global25 coordinates) is modelled as a mix of 17 ancient and modern reference groups with non-negative least squares, shares adding up to 100%. Fit is the distance between the population and its best mix: the lower the better, above 0.06 the mix explains the population poorly. Top lists leave out the few populations these 17 groups cannot model at all (fit above 0.15). Data generated 1 October 2026, 1,998 populations on the map.
Keep exploring
For the full picture of one population, the Population Genetics Atlas has a page for each of hundreds of modern populations, with its ancient make-up and its closest modern and ancient neighbours.
Curious about your own DNA? The free Report Finder tests which of our reports fits your G25 coordinates, before you order anything.
Frequently asked questions
What does WHG mean?
WHG stands for Western Hunter-Gatherers, the foragers who lived in western and central Europe after the last Ice Age and before farming arrived. Their ancestry survives in every modern European population, mixed with farmer and steppe ancestry.
Where is Western Hunter-Gatherer ancestry highest today?
In our model it is highest in Lithuanian PZ (21.7%), Lithuanian North Zemaitija (21.4%) and Lithuanian (21.3%). These are averages of modern populations modelled with 17 reference sources, so individuals within each population can differ.
How are these ancient ancestry maps made?
Each modern population average, taken from published G25 coordinates, is modelled as a mix of the same 17 ancient and modern reference sources with a non-negative least-squares fit, the same family of method our reports use. The map then interpolates the share of the selected source between the sampled places and leaves areas with no nearby samples blank.
Does a high value mean direct descent from these people?
No. Each source stands in for a broader ancestral population, and the 17 sources are fitted together, so closely related sources can trade shares between them. Read a value as how much of this kind of ancestry the model needs to describe a population average, not as a family tree.
Why are some areas of the map blank?
The colour surface is only drawn within a few hundred kilometres of real samples. Oceans and regions without data stay empty instead of showing invented values. Each dot on the map is a real population average.