Azerbaijani DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Azerbaijan · Caucasus
Azerbaijan lies on the western shore of the Caspian Sea, in the eastern South Caucasus, and Azerbaijani is a Turkic language close to Turkish. Turkic speech spread here from the 11th century, in the Seljuk period, among a population that had spoken Iranian and Caucasian languages, including the language of ancient Caucasian Albania. In our model, the Azerbaijani average is 32.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 22.0% Iranian Neolithic, 18.3% Caucasus hunter-gatherer, 14.8% steppe, 7.0% Natufian and 5.7% East Asian. The East Asian share is almost the same as in Iranian Azerbaijanis (5.8%) and a little below that of Central Anatolian Turks (7.6%). The nearest modern averages are Karapapakhs from Kars (distance 0.0121), Iranian Azerbaijanis (0.0124), Azeris from Gabala and Kars, and Tats from Dagestan (0.0141), an Iranian-speaking people, a sign of shared regional roots across language lines. Every ancient group is distant, the nearest being medieval people from Ganj Dareh in Iran at 0.0396.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 32.2%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 22.0%, Caucasus hunter-gatherers 18.3%
- Closest modern population in our data: Karapapakh (Turkey Kars), distance 0.0121
- Closest ancient group in our data: Iran Medieval Ganj Dareh, distance 0.0396
Azerbaijani 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 Azerbaijani individuals sampled in Azerbaijan, listed in the G25 sheet as "Azeri_Azerbaijan". Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Azerbaijani average
The ancient make-up of the Azerbaijani average is led by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (32.2%), followed by Iranian Neolithic farmers (22.0%) and Caucasus hunter-gatherers (18.3%). The Anatolian Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC. The Iranian Neolithic farmers share (22.0%) reflects the early farmers and herders of the Zagros mountains in Iran. No single source dominates, so the profile is best read as a balanced blend of several ancient ancestries.
The model fits well (fit distance 0.025), so these proportions are a reasonable summary. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Simorgh – Iranian Plateau Report
Closest modern populations to Azerbaijani
Genetically, the Azerbaijani average sits nearest to Karapapakh (Turkey Kars) at 0.012, Iranian Azerbaijani at 0.012 and Azeri (Azerbaijan Gabala) at 0.013. On our scale, a distance of 0.012 counts as very close. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Karapapakh (Turkey Kars) (0.012), Iranian Azerbaijani (0.012) and Tat (Dagestan Nyugdi) (0.014). Even the tenth closest, Karapapakh (Turkey Igdir), is only 0.019 away: Azerbaijani belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karapapakh (Turkey Kars) | 0.0121 | Very close |
| 2 | Iranian Azerbaijani | 0.0124 | Very close |
| 3 | Azeri (Azerbaijan Gabala) | 0.0134 | Very close |
| 4 | Azeri (Turkey Kars) | 0.0139 | Very close |
| 5 | Tat (Dagestan Nyugdi) | 0.0141 | Very close |
| 6 | Azerbaijani (other sample set) | 0.0151 | Very close |
| 7 | Azerbaijani (Iran EastAz) | 0.0153 | Very close |
| 8 | Azerbaijani (Republic Agjabedi) | 0.0164 | Very close |
| 9 | Kurdish Kurmanji (Azerbaijan) | 0.0180 | Very close |
| 10 | Karapapakh (Turkey Igdir) | 0.0185 | 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 Azerbaijani
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Azerbaijani, Iran Medieval Ganj Dareh (Medieval, c. 500-1500 AD) comes first, at 0.040, with Turkey Anatolia Late Medieval Capalibag (Turkish Profile) next. 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 | Iran Medieval Ganj Dareh | Medieval, c. 500-1500 AD | 0.0396 |
| 2 | Turkey Anatolia Late Medieval Capalibag (Turkish Profile) | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0411 |
| 3 | Iran IA Hasanlu (Iranian Plateau Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0433 |
| 4 | Armenia Hellenistic Aghitu (Orontid) | Hellenistic era, c. 330-30 BC | 0.0445 |
| 5 | Iraq Achaemenid Bakr Awa (Zagrosian Profile) | Achaemenid era, c. 550-330 BC | 0.0449 |
| 6 | Armenia Lchashen MBA | Middle Bronze Age | 0.0450 |
| 7 | Iran IA Dinkha Tepe (Iranian Plateau Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0455 |
| 8 | Azerbaijan Roman Empire-Late Antiquity Shamakhi | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0459 |
| 9 | Iran IA Hajji Firuz (Iranian Plateau Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0460 |
| 10 | Turkey Armenian Highland Van IA Urartian-Median/Achaemenid | Achaemenid era, c. 550-330 BC | 0.0464 |
Ancient DNA from Azerbaijan
Our ancient DNA database holds 7 individuals excavated in present-day Azerbaijan, dated from about 5,688 BC to 272 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are J2b (2), G1a (1) and J1a (1), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are K1 (3), U1 (2) and H13 (1). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Azerbaijani population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 7 from Azerbaijan.
Compare yourself with Azerbaijani
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Azerbaijani average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Azerbaijani 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 Azerbaijani individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Azerbaijani. 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 Azerbaijani average. Your own DNA has its own story: Simorgh – Iranian Plateau 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 Iranian-plateau ancestry: ancient regional core (Bronze/Iron Age Iranian Plateau, Achaemenid, Parthian, Sassanid Persia) versus non-regional outside admixture, across 10 communities (Persian, Lur/Bakhtiari...
More populations from Caucasus
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Azerbaijani?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Azerbaijani average is about 32.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 22.0% Iranian Neolithic farmers and 18.3% Caucasus hunter-gatherers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Azerbaijani?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Azeri (Azerbaijan Gabala)), the closest modern populations to the Azerbaijani average are Karapapakh (Turkey Kars), Iranian Azerbaijani and Tat (Dagestan Nyugdi). The closest ancient matches are Iran Medieval Ganj Dareh, Turkey Anatolia Late Medieval Capalibag (Turkish Profile) and Iran IA Hasanlu (Iranian Plateau Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Azerbaijani?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Azerbaijani 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 Azerbaijani ancestry?
For the Azerbaijani average, the regional report to choose is Simorgh – Iranian Plateau 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.