Algerian DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Algeria · North Africa
Algeria, the largest country in Africa, stretches from the Mediterranean coast to the heart of the Sahara, and its history runs from the Numidian kingdoms through Roman, Arab, Ottoman and French rule to independence in 1962. In our model, the ancestry is 36.9% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 23.4% North African hunter-gatherer (Iberomaurusian), 14.1% Natufian, 13.1% West African, 8.6% steppe, 2.5% Iranian Neolithic and 1.4% Caucasus hunter-gatherer. Algeria sits in the middle of a west to east gradient across the Maghreb: its Iberomaurusian share falls between Moroccan Arabs (25.8%) and Tunisians (20.5%), and drops much lower in Libya (11.2%). Within the country, Berber-speaking groups such as the Kabyles and Mozabites carry more of this local layer than the national average. Its nearest modern neighbour is the Moroccan Arab average (0.0121), just ahead of Arabs from Algiers, then Tunisian samples from Matmata and Jendouba. Ancient matches start at 0.0433, with Guanches from the Canary Islands filling the top of the list.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 36.9%, North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian) 23.4%, Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) 14.1%
- Closest modern population in our data: Moroccan Arab, distance 0.0121
- Closest ancient group in our data: Canary Islands High-Late Medieval Guanche, distance 0.0433
Algerian 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 Algerian individuals sampled in Algeria. Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Algerian average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Algerian average, 36.9%, goes to Anatolian Neolithic farmers, ahead of North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian) (23.4%) and Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) (14.1%). The Anatolian Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC. The North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian) share (23.4%) reflects the Late Stone Age North Africans known from the Taforalt cave in Morocco.
Smaller traces of Iranian Neolithic farmers and Caucasus hunter-gatherers (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 0.019), so these proportions are a reasonable summary. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Tamazgha – North African Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Algerian
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Moroccan Arab first for Algerian, at 0.012, then Algerian Arab (Algiers) and Moroccan Arab (Casablanca). Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Moroccan Arab (0.012), Moroccan Arab (Casablanca) (0.019) and Tunisian Berber (Matmata) (0.021). Even the tenth closest, Tunisian Arab (Tunis), is only 0.027 away: Algerian belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moroccan Arab | 0.0121 | Very close |
| 2 | Algerian Arab (Algiers) | 0.0128 | Very close |
| 3 | Moroccan Arab (Casablanca) | 0.0192 | Very close |
| 4 | Tunisian Berber (Matmata) | 0.0205 | Very close |
| 5 | Tunisian Arab (Jendouba) | 0.0218 | Very close |
| 6 | Moroccan | 0.0239 | Very close |
| 7 | Mozabite | 0.0250 | Close |
| 8 | Algerian (Arab-Berber) | 0.0257 | Close |
| 9 | Tunisian | 0.0258 | Close |
| 10 | Tunisian Arab (Tunis) | 0.0272 | 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 Algerian
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Algerian average is Canary Islands High-Late Medieval Guanche (High to Late Medieval, c. 1000-1500 AD), at 0.043, followed by Canary Islands Guanche and Canary Islands Early Medieval Guanche. 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 | Canary Islands High-Late Medieval Guanche | High to Late Medieval, c. 1000-1500 AD | 0.0433 |
| 2 | Canary Islands Guanche | Pre-Hispanic Canary Islands, before c. 1500 AD | 0.0442 |
| 3 | Canary Islands Early Medieval Guanche | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0484 |
| 4 | Canary Islands Late Medieval Guanche | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0505 |
| 5 | Canary Islands High Medieval Guanche | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0511 |
| 6 | Austria Roman Empire Wels (North African Profile) | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0526 |
| 7 | Tunisia IA Phoenician/Punic Kerkouane (North African Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0556 |
| 8 | Canary Islands Late Antiquity Guanche | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0556 |
| 9 | Spain Valencia Early Modern (North African Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0581 |
| 10 | Canary Islands Late Medieval-Early Modern Guanche | Late Medieval to Early Modern, c. 1300-1800 AD | 0.0607 |
Ancient DNA from Algeria
Our ancient DNA database holds 13 individuals excavated in present-day Algeria, dated from about 11,550 BC to 152 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are E1b (2), G2a (1) and R1b (1), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are H (3), J1 (2) and H1 (1). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Algerian population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 13 from Algeria.
Compare yourself with Algerian
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Algerian average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Algerian 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 Algerian. 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 Algerian average. Your own DNA has its own story: Tamazgha – North 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 with roots in North Africa: ancient regional core (Iberomaurusian and Taforalt, Neolithic farmers and Green Sahara herders, Numidians and Libyan natives, Carthage, Roman Africa, Vandal and Byzantine Africa, the...
More populations from North Africa
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Algerian?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Algerian average is about 36.9% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 23.4% North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian) and 14.1% Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Algerian?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Algerian Arab (Algiers)), the closest modern populations to the Algerian average are Moroccan Arab, Moroccan Arab (Casablanca) and Tunisian Berber (Matmata). The closest ancient matches are Canary Islands High-Late Medieval Guanche, Canary Islands Guanche and Canary Islands Early Medieval Guanche.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Algerian?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Algerian 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 Algerian ancestry?
For the Algerian average, the regional report to choose is Tamazgha – North African Ancestry Report, which our fit test rates as an excellent match. 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.