Afrikaner DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · South Africa · Sub-Saharan Africa
Afrikaners are South Africans whose community grew from the Dutch East India Company's settlement at the Cape, founded in 1652, which drew settlers from the Netherlands, Germany and Huguenot France. Their language, Afrikaans, developed from Dutch at the Cape. In our model, the Afrikaner average is 47.6% steppe, 39.9% Anatolian Neolithic farmer and 12.4% Western hunter-gatherer, a typical Northwest European profile. Genetic studies also find about 5% African and Asian ancestry on average, which this sample average does not show. The neighbours reflect the founding mix: the closest modern averages are French samples from Normandy (0.0175 and 0.0178), almost level with the Dutch (0.0181), then Germans, northern French and Belgians. Northern France and the Low Countries are genetically very close, and Huguenot families were an important early group. Medieval England provides the nearest ancient group, Early to High Medieval Cherry Hinton in Cambridgeshire (0.0143), followed by medieval Belgians from St. Rombout's in Mechelen.
- Ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 47.6%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 39.9%, Western hunter-gatherers 12.4%
- Closest modern population in our data: French Oïl (Normandy Seine-Maritime), distance 0.0175
- Closest ancient group in our data: England Early-High Medieval Cambridgeshire Cherry Hinton, distance 0.0143
Where does Afrikaner DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Afrikaner individuals sampled in South Africa and compare them with deep ancestral reference populations, with other modern groups and with ancient genomes. It is one of 335 populations in our atlas.
Ancient make-up of the Afrikaner average
The ancient make-up of the Afrikaner average is led by Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (47.6%), followed by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (39.9%) and Western hunter-gatherers (12.4%). The Steppe herders (Yamnaya) component reflects the Bronze Age herders of the Pontic-Caspian steppe (Yamnaya and related groups), whose ancestry spread across Europe and into Asia from about 3000 BC. The Anatolian Neolithic farmers share (39.9%) reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC.
The fit is acceptable (fit distance 0.033): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Closest modern populations to Afrikaner
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Afrikaner average is French Oïl (Normandy Seine-Maritime), at a distance of 0.018 (very close). Next come France (Upper Normandy, N=10) at 0.018 and Dutch at 0.018. Even the tenth closest, Austrian (Upper Austria), is only 0.022 away: Afrikaner belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French Oïl (Normandy Seine-Maritime) | 0.0175 | Very close |
| 2 | France (Upper Normandy, N=10) | 0.0178 | Very close |
| 3 | Dutch | 0.0181 | Very close |
| 4 | German | 0.0205 | Very close |
| 5 | France (Nord-Pas-de-Calais, N=13) | 0.0213 | Very close |
| 6 | Belgian (group A) | 0.0216 | Very close |
| 7 | German (North Rhine-Westphalia) | 0.0219 | Very close |
| 8 | Breton (Ille-et-Vilaine Rennes) | 0.0220 | Very close |
| 9 | Belgian | 0.0221 | Very close |
| 10 | Austrian (Upper Austria) | 0.0222 | Very close |
Distances are Euclidean distances between averaged G25 coordinates. On our scale, below 0.025 is very close, below 0.050 close, below 0.080 moderate, and beyond that distant.
Closest ancient populations to Afrikaner
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Afrikaner average is England Early-High Medieval Cambridgeshire Cherry Hinton (Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD), at 0.014, followed by England High-Late Medieval Cambridgeshire Hospital of St. John and Belgium High Medieval Holy Roman Empire St. Rombout's (Northwest Euro Profile). That is a very close match, which suggests strong genetic continuity between those ancient people (or close relatives of theirs) and the modern population. A close ancient match is not proof of direct descent: it means those individuals carried a similar overall mix of ancestry.
| # | Ancient sample or group | Period | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England Early-High Medieval Cambridgeshire Cherry Hinton | Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD | 0.0143 |
| 2 | England High-Late Medieval Cambridgeshire Hospital of St. John | High to Late Medieval, c. 1000-1500 AD | 0.0151 |
| 3 | Belgium High Medieval Holy Roman Empire St. Rombout's (Northwest Euro Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0159 |
| 4 | Belgium High-Late Medieval Holy Roman Empire St. Rombout's (Western Euro Profile) | High to Late Medieval, c. 1000-1500 AD | 0.0161 |
| 5 | Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (Northern Euro Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0163 |
| 6 | Belgium Late Medieval Holy Roman Empire Sint-Truiden (Northwest Euro Profile) | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0167 |
| 7 | Belgium High Medieval Holy Roman Empire Sint-Truiden (Northwest Euro Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0169 |
| 8 | Belgium Early Medieval Merovingian Koksijde (Northwest Euro Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0170 |
| 9 | Denmark Early Medieval Viking Age Langeland (Mixed Northern Euro Profile) | Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD | 0.0173 |
| 10 | Denmark Early Medieval Viking Age Jutland (Western Euro Profile) | Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD | 0.0176 |
Ancient DNA from South Africa
Our ancient DNA database holds 55 individuals excavated in present-day South Africa, dated from about 8,335 BC to 1810 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are A1b (19) and E1b (1), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are L0 (14) and L3 (3). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Afrikaner population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on South Africa
- Homo sapiens-specific evolution unveiled by ancient southern African genomes (2025)
- The Indian Ocean slave trade and colonial expansion resulted in strong sex-biased admixture in South Africa (2025)
- Wide-scale geographical analysis of genetic ancestry in the South African Coloured population (2025)
- 9,000 years of genetic continuity in southernmost Africa demonstrated at Oakhurst rockshelter (2024)
- 9,000 years of genetic continuity in southernmost Africa demonstrated at Oakhurst rockshelter (2024)
- Patterns of African and Asian admixture in the Afrikaner population of South Africa (2020)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 55 from South Africa.
Compare yourself with Afrikaner
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Afrikaner average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Afrikaner and its neighbours. To find out which of our reports actually fits your DNA, run the free Report Finder: it runs the same fit test that every report uses before an order.
No G25 coordinates yet? Get a free simulated G25 from your raw DNA file, or order G25 coordinates.
About these numbers
Keep in mind that a population average is a statistical summary of a limited number of sampled individuals. Real people inside any group vary, some carry more of one ancestry and some less, and no genetic profile decides who is or is not Afrikaner. Use these numbers as a map of deep ancestry, not as a label.
Method: averaged G25 coordinates, Euclidean distances to other modern and ancient averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations (data generated 2026-10-01). Read the full method.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the Afrikaner average. For your own DNA, Advanced Ancestry Report (16€) gives a full ancestry breakdown with no regional focus, in a personal PDF report.
Comprehensive DNA analysis comparing your genetics to over 2,000 modern reference populations.
More populations from Sub-Saharan Africa
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Afrikaner?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Afrikaner average is about 47.6% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 39.9% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 12.4% Western hunter-gatherers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Afrikaner?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Afrikaner average are French Oïl (Normandy Seine-Maritime), France (Upper Normandy, N=10) and Dutch. The closest ancient matches are England Early-High Medieval Cambridgeshire Cherry Hinton, England High-Late Medieval Cambridgeshire Hospital of St. John and Belgium High Medieval Holy Roman Empire St. Rombout's (Northwest Euro Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Afrikaner?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Afrikaner average and to its neighbours. If you have G25 coordinates, paste them in the comparison box on this page to check that for free.
Which ExploreYourDNA report suits Afrikaner ancestry?
None of our regional reports is built for Afrikaner ancestry, so the full Advanced Ancestry Report (no regional focus) is the better choice. The DNA Mega-Analysis adds Neanderthal %, traits and closest ancient populations. The free Report Finder checks every report against your own DNA first.
Where does the data on this page come from?
From the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the sampled individuals: genetic distances to other modern and ancient population averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations. The full method is described at https://www.exploreyourdna.com/populations#method.