Amhara DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Ethiopia · Sub-Saharan Africa
The Amhara live in the highlands of north-central Ethiopia, the region of the rock-cut churches of Lalibela and the castles of Gondar. Their language, Amharic, is a Semitic language and one of Ethiopia's federal working languages, and it grew up in close contact with the Cushitic Agaw languages of the same highlands. In our model, the Amhara average is 52.3% Natufian, 42.4% Nilotic East African, 3.6% Iranian Neolithic and 1.7% Caucasus hunter-gatherer. The Natufian component stands here for Near Eastern-related ancestry, which ancient DNA shows reached the Horn of Africa after about 4,500 years ago: the Mota individual from the Ethiopian highlands, from that time, carried none. The neighbours fit the linguistic history: after another Amhara sample, the closest modern average is the Cushitic-speaking Agaw (0.0113), followed by Beta Israel, the Afar, Tigrayans and Tigrinya speakers from Eritrea, all within 0.015. The closest ancient group is the Kenyan Early Pastoral Neolithic (0.0347), followed by Christian-era Nubians from Kulubnarti.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) 52.3%, Nilotic East African 42.4%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 3.6%
- Closest other population in our data: Ethiopian (Agaw), distance 0.0113
- Closest ancient group in our data: Kenya Early Pastoral N, distance 0.0347
Amhara 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 Amhara individuals sampled in Ethiopia, listed in the G25 sheet as "Ethiopian_Amhara". Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Amhara average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Amhara average comes out as 52.3% Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant), 42.4% Nilotic East African and 3.6% Iranian Neolithic farmers. The Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) component reflects the early farmers of the Levant and the Natufian foragers who came before them. The Nilotic East African share (42.4%) reflects ancestry found in East African populations.
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 fit is loose (fit distance 0.044), which usually means that none of the available reference populations is a close stand-in for part of this ancestry, so read the percentages as rough. 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 Amhara
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Amhara (other sample set) first for Amhara, at 0.006, then Ethiopian (Agaw) and Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jewish). Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Amhara (other sample set) (0.006), Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jewish) (0.012) and Afar (0.013). Even the tenth closest, Beja (Hadendowa), is only 0.030 away: Amhara belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amhara (other sample set) | 0.0058 | Very close |
| 2 | Ethiopian (Agaw) | 0.0113 | Very close |
| 3 | Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jewish) | 0.0116 | Very close |
| 4 | Afar | 0.0126 | Very close |
| 5 | Afar (Ethiopia) | 0.0127 | Very close |
| 6 | Tigrayan | 0.0139 | Very close |
| 7 | Eritrean (Tigrinya) | 0.0147 | Very close |
| 8 | Saho (Eritrean) | 0.0228 | Very close |
| 9 | Eritrean | 0.0253 | Close |
| 10 | Beja (Hadendowa) | 0.0299 | 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 Amhara
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Amhara average is Kenya Early Pastoral N (Neolithic), at 0.035, followed by Sudan Nubia Early Medieval Christian Era Kulubnarti R and Sudan Nubia Early Medieval Christian Era Kulubnarti S. 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 | Kenya Early Pastoral N | Neolithic | 0.0347 |
| 2 | Sudan Nubia Early Medieval Christian Era Kulubnarti R | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0373 |
| 3 | Sudan Nubia Early Medieval Christian Era Kulubnarti S | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0436 |
| 4 | Kenya Pastoral N Elmenteitan | Neolithic | 0.0752 |
| 5 | Tanzania Pastoral N | Neolithic | 0.0781 |
| 6 | Kenya Pastoral N Hyrax Hill 2300BP | c. 350 BC | 0.0796 |
| 7 | Kenya Pastoral N | Neolithic | 0.0870 |
| 8 | Tanzania Luxmanda 3000BP | c. 1050 BC | 0.0921 |
| 9 | Kenya Pastoral N Lukenya Hill 3500BP | c. 1550 BC | 0.0985 |
| 10 | Kenya Pastoral N Molo Cave 1500BP | c. 450 AD | 0.1236 |
Ancient DNA from Ethiopia
Our ancient DNA database holds 1 individual excavated in present-day Ethiopia. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are E1b (1), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are L3 (1). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Amhara population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
| Haplogroup | Individuals | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| E1b | 1 | I5950 |
Most frequent mtDNA haplogroups
| Haplogroup | Individuals | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| L3 | 1 | I5950 |
Ancient DNA studies on Ethiopia
- Evidence of the interplay of genetics and culture in Ethiopia (2021)
- Structure and ancestry patterns of Ethiopians in genome-wide autosomal DNA (2021)
- West Asian sources of the Eurasian component in Ethiopians: a reassessment (2019)
- Ancient Ethiopian genome reveals extensive Eurasian admixture in Eastern Africa (2015)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 1 from Ethiopia.
Compare yourself with Amhara
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Amhara average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Amhara 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
A word of caution: these figures describe the average of the Amhara individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Amhara. Individuals vary around that average, and identity is about history, language and family, not about a genetic score. Read this page as a map of deep ancestry, not as a definition.
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 Amhara 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 Amhara?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Amhara average is about 52.3% Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant), 42.4% Nilotic East African and 3.6% Iranian Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Amhara?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Ethiopian (Agaw)), the closest modern populations to the Amhara average are Amhara (other sample set), Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jewish) and Afar. The closest ancient matches are Kenya Early Pastoral N, Sudan Nubia Early Medieval Christian Era Kulubnarti R and Sudan Nubia Early Medieval Christian Era Kulubnarti S.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Amhara?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Amhara 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 Amhara ancestry?
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Amhara 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.