Akan DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Ghana · Sub-Saharan Africa
The Akan are the largest group in Ghana and are also present in Cote d'Ivoire. Their Kwa languages, such as Twi and Fante, belong to the Niger-Congo family, and their history includes the Asante kingdom, which grew powerful from around 1700 on the gold trade. In our model, the Akan average is 97.0% West African, with 1.6% Nilotic East African and 1.4% Western rainforest forager, and the fit (0.0043) is very close. After the Yoruba reference itself, this is the highest West African share in our atlas, which means the Akan sit very near the Yoruba in the model's terms despite living some 600 km to the west. The neighbours confirm it: the Esan of Nigeria (0.012), the Yoruba (0.0131) and the Igbo (0.0132) are the closest modern averages, practically level with the Frafra and Kassena of northern Ghana. Among ancient genomes, the nearest is a 19th-century group buried in Rupert's Valley on Saint Helena (0.0426).
- Ancient components in our model: West African 97.0%, Nilotic East African 1.6%, Western rainforest foragers (BiAka) 1.4%
- Closest modern population in our data: Esan, distance 0.0120
- Closest ancient group in our data: Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile), distance 0.0426
Akan is one of the 335 modern populations in our population genetics atlas. The numbers on this page describe the average Global25 (G25) genome of the Akan individuals sampled in Ghana, listed in the G25 sheet as "Akan_Ghana". Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Akan average
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Akan average is explained almost entirely by West African (97.0%). The West African component reflects ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. That does not make the population uniform: the model simply has no finer reference population for this part of the world, and the closest populations below show the detail it cannot.
Smaller traces of Nilotic East African and Western rainforest foragers (BiAka) (under 5% each) also appear. At that level they can reflect real minor ancestry, but also simple model noise, so they should not be over-read. The model fits well (fit distance 0.004), so these proportions are a reasonable summary. This population was modelled with a global set of reference populations (ancient genomes, plus modern stand-ins where no suitable ancient genome exists), because West Eurasian sources alone cannot describe it.
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Akan
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Esan first for Akan, at 0.012, then Yoruba and Igbo. Even the tenth closest, Malinke (Mali), is only 0.020 away: Akan belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Esan | 0.0120 | Very close |
| 2 | Yoruba | 0.0131 | Very close |
| 3 | Igbo | 0.0132 | Very close |
| 4 | Frafra (Nankam) | 0.0136 | Very close |
| 5 | Kassena (Ghana) | 0.0137 | Very close |
| 6 | Mossi | 0.0148 | Very close |
| 7 | Esan (Nigeria) | 0.0152 | Very close |
| 8 | Bambara | 0.0161 | Very close |
| 9 | Jola (Gambia) | 0.0168 | Very close |
| 10 | Malinke (Mali) | 0.0200 | 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 Akan
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Akan average is Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile) (Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD), at 0.043, followed by Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (Central/Southern African Bantu Profile) and Democratic Republic of the Congo Kindoki 230BP. That is a close match: much of the modern profile was already present then, while later movements of people added further layers. 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 | Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0426 |
| 2 | Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (Central/Southern African Bantu Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0535 |
| 3 | Democratic Republic of the Congo Kindoki 230BP | c. 1700 AD | 0.0580 |
| 4 | COG Kindoki 230BP | c. 1700 AD | 0.0582 |
| 5 | Democratic Republic of the Congo Ngongo Mbata 220BP | c. 1750 AD | 0.0625 |
| 6 | COG NgongoMbata 220BP | c. 1750 AD | 0.0669 |
| 7 | Tanzania Pemba 600BP | c. 1350 AD | 0.0782 |
| 8 | Tanzania Early Modern Lindi Swahili (Bantu Zone P Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0835 |
| 9 | Italy Sicily High Medieval Segesta Muslim (Chari River Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0865 |
| 10 | South Africa Newcastle 400BP | c. 1550 AD | 0.0885 |
Compare yourself with Akan
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Akan average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Akan 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 Akan. 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 Akan average. Your own DNA has its own story: Sankofa – African Ancestry Report (15€) models your genome against the ancient sources and modern communities of the region, era by era, in a personal PDF report.
A report built for people of predominantly Sub-Saharan African (SSA) ancestry: modelling against 230+ regional African populations (West, Central, East & Southern Africa, the Horn of Africa, Madagascar) plus the European, Amerindian and...
More populations from Sub-Saharan Africa
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Akan?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Akan average is about 97.0% West African, 1.6% Nilotic East African and 1.4% Western rainforest foragers (BiAka). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Akan?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Akan average are Esan, Yoruba and Igbo. The closest ancient matches are Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile), Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (Central/Southern African Bantu Profile) and Democratic Republic of the Congo Kindoki 230BP.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Akan?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Akan 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 Akan ancestry?
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Akan average closely. Your own DNA may differ from the average, so the free Report Finder checks every report against your file before you buy.
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.