Bambara DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Mali · Sub-Saharan Africa
The Bambara (Bamana) are the largest people of Mali, living along the upper Niger around Segou and Bamako, and their language, Bamanankan, is Mali's main lingua franca. It belongs to the Mande group, close to Malinke and Mandinka, and in the 18th century the Bambara kingdom of Segou became a major power on the Niger. In our model, the Bambara average is 93.5% West African, 4.1% Nilotic East African and 2.5% North African hunter-gatherer (Iberomaurusian), with a very close fit (0.0038). Compared with the Gambian Mandinka (7.2% Nilotic, 4.4% Iberomaurusian), the Bambara carry a little less of both minor components. Their closest modern average is the Malinke of Mali (0.0069), then inland savanna peoples: the Mossi of Burkina Faso, the Dogon of the Bandiagara cliffs and the Frafra of northern Ghana. With so few ancient genomes from the region, the best ancient match comes from elsewhere: 19th-century burials from Rupert's Valley on Saint Helena (0.0414).
- Ancient components in our model: West African 93.5%, Nilotic East African 4.1%, North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian) 2.5%
- Closest modern population in our data: Malinke (Mali), distance 0.0069
- Closest ancient group in our data: Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile), distance 0.0414
Bambara 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 Bambara individuals sampled in Mali, listed in the G25 sheet as "Bambara_Mali". Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Bambara average
The ancient make-up of the Bambara average is led by West African (93.5%), followed by Nilotic East African (4.1%) and North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian) (2.5%). The West African component reflects ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
Smaller traces of Nilotic East African and North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian) (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 Bambara
Genetically, the Bambara average sits nearest to Malinke (Mali) at 0.007, Mossi at 0.010 and Dogon at 0.011. On our scale, a distance of 0.007 counts as very close. Even the tenth closest, Akan, is only 0.016 away: Bambara belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malinke (Mali) | 0.0069 | Very close |
| 2 | Mossi | 0.0100 | Very close |
| 3 | Dogon | 0.0112 | Very close |
| 4 | Frafra (Nankam) | 0.0118 | Very close |
| 5 | Kassena (Ghana) | 0.0129 | Very close |
| 6 | Senegal (Bedik) | 0.0137 | Very close |
| 7 | Bedik | 0.0146 | Very close |
| 8 | Mandenka | 0.0150 | Very close |
| 9 | Mandinka (Senegal) | 0.0151 | Very close |
| 10 | Akan | 0.0161 | 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 Bambara
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Bambara, Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile) (Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD) comes first, at 0.041, with Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (Central/Southern African Bantu 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 | Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0414 |
| 2 | Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (Central/Southern African Bantu Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0550 |
| 3 | Democratic Republic of the Congo Kindoki 230BP | c. 1700 AD | 0.0608 |
| 4 | COG Kindoki 230BP | c. 1700 AD | 0.0612 |
| 5 | Democratic Republic of the Congo Ngongo Mbata 220BP | c. 1750 AD | 0.0649 |
| 6 | COG NgongoMbata 220BP | c. 1750 AD | 0.0689 |
| 7 | Italy Sicily High Medieval Segesta Muslim (Chari River Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0759 |
| 8 | Tanzania Pemba 600BP | c. 1350 AD | 0.0782 |
| 9 | Tanzania Early Modern Lindi Swahili (Bantu Zone P Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0838 |
| 10 | Uganda Munsa 500BP | c. 1450 AD | 0.0927 |
Compare yourself with Bambara
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Bambara average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Bambara 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 Bambara individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Bambara. 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 Bambara 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 Bambara?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Bambara average is about 93.5% West African, 4.1% Nilotic East African and 2.5% North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Bambara?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Bambara average are Malinke (Mali), Mossi and Dogon. 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 Bambara?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Bambara 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 Bambara ancestry?
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Bambara 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.