Bhil DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · India · South Asia
The Bhil are among the largest Adivasi peoples of India, living in the hills of western and central India, across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, and they speak Bhili languages of the Indo-Aryan family. This page uses the Gujarat Bhil average. South Asian hunter-gatherer related ancestry (Irula proxy) dominates at 84.6%, with 8.0% Iranian Neolithic farmer and 7.3% steppe. Two things set it apart from the Adivasi populations of eastern India: it has no Southeast Asian component, unlike the Munda-speaking Santhal and Munda, and it still carries small shares of the two northwestern sources. The Bhil profile therefore sits at the hunter-gatherer end of the same gradient as their non-tribal neighbours rather than on a separate branch. The closest modern averages confirm this: Scheduled Caste samples from Uttar Pradesh (from 0.0134), Mahadev Koli from Maharashtra, Kannadiga and Halakki Vokkaliga samples, with the Bhilala and Rathwa Bhil close by. Roopkund, around 800 AD, heads the ancient list at 0.0648.
- Ancient components in our model: South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) 84.6%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 8.0%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 7.3%
- Closest modern population in our data: Chamar (Uttar Pradesh), distance 0.0134
- Closest ancient group in our data: India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile), distance 0.0648
This page sums up what the DNA of the Bhil sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in India, listed in the G25 sheet as "Bhil_Gujarat", and it is one of 335 populations in our atlas. An average describes the group as a whole, not any single person in it.
Ancient make-up of the Bhil average
The ancient make-up of the Bhil average is led by South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) (84.6%), followed by Iranian Neolithic farmers (8.0%) and Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (7.3%). The South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) component reflects the deep hunter-gatherer ancestry of South Asia (Ancient Ancestral South Indians). With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
The fit is acceptable (fit distance 0.031): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. 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.
Sindhu – South Asian Report
Closest modern populations to Bhil
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Bhil average is Chamar (Uttar Pradesh), at a distance of 0.013 (very close). Next come Chamar at 0.014 and Marathi (Mahadev Koli) at 0.016. Even the tenth closest, Bhil (Koli Rathwa), is only 0.019 away: Bhil belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chamar (Uttar Pradesh) | 0.0134 | Very close |
| 2 | Chamar | 0.0137 | Very close |
| 3 | Marathi (Mahadev Koli) | 0.0162 | Very close |
| 4 | Kannadiga (Scheduled Caste) | 0.0162 | Very close |
| 5 | Halakki (Vokkaliga) | 0.0168 | Very close |
| 6 | Telugu (Medari Andhra Pradesh) | 0.0173 | Very close |
| 7 | Bhojpuri (Chamar) | 0.0176 | Very close |
| 8 | Bhilala (Madhya Pradesh) | 0.0176 | Very close |
| 9 | Bihari (Nishad Sahni) | 0.0188 | Very close |
| 10 | Bhil (Koli Rathwa) | 0.0190 | 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 Bhil
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Bhil, India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile) (c. 800 AD) comes first, at 0.065, with Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta (IVC Profile) next. That is only a moderate match: part of the modern profile was already present then, but later movements of people added substantial 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 | India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile) | c. 800 AD | 0.0648 |
| 2 | Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta (IVC Profile) | Early Bronze Age | 0.1159 |
| 3 | Pakistan IA Aligrama | Iron Age | 0.1317 |
| 4 | Pakistan HP Butkara | Historical period | 0.1387 |
| 5 | Pakistan HP Aligrama | Historical period | 0.1462 |
| 6 | China Shaanxi HP Northern Zhou Dynasty Xi'an (Burusho Profile) | Northern Zhou dynasty, 557-581 AD | 0.1524 |
| 7 | Pakistan HP Saidu Sharif | Historical period | 0.1543 |
| 8 | Pakistan HP Barikot | Historical period | 0.1680 |
| 9 | Pakistan IA Katelai | Iron Age | 0.1685 |
| 10 | Pakistan IA Gogdara | Iron Age | 0.1706 |
Ancient DNA from India
Our ancient DNA database holds 59 individuals excavated in present-day India, dated from about 2,350 BC to 1860 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R2a (4), H1a (3) and J2b (3), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are M3 (6), H1 (4) and U2 (4). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Bhil population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on India
- Blending borders: reconstructing the genetic history of the Sindhi population (2026)
- Blending borders: reconstructing the genetic history of the Sindhi population (2026)
- The Old Lady spider cave skeletons in Ladakh have diverse maternal genetic origin (2026)
- Layers in the sand: The genetic imprint of migration, culture, and Indus craft in the Thar desert (2026)
- Admixture and Genetic Connectivity: Autosomal Insights Into Indo-Aryan Speakers at the Eastern Edge of the Indian Subcontinent (2026)
- Novel 4400-year-old ancestral component in a tribe speaking a Dravidian language (2025)
- Ancient mitogenomes from Neolithic, megalithic and medieval burials suggest complex genetic history of Kashmir valley, India (2025)
- 50,000 years of evolutionary history of India: Impact on health and disease variation (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 59 from India.
Compare yourself with Bhil
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Bhil average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Bhil 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 Bhil. 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 Bhil average. Your own DNA has its own story: Sindhu – South Asian 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 South Asian ancestry: ancient regional core (Indus Valley Civilization, BMAC, Steppe migration, Himalayan Iron Age & Classical layers) versus non-regional outside admixture, across 13 communities (Punjabi...
More populations from South Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Bhil?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Bhil average is about 84.6% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 8.0% Iranian Neolithic farmers and 7.3% Steppe herders (Yamnaya). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Bhil?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Bhil average are Chamar (Uttar Pradesh), Chamar and Marathi (Mahadev Koli). The closest ancient matches are India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile), Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta (IVC Profile) and Pakistan IA Aligrama.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Bhil?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Bhil 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 Bhil ancestry?
Sindhu – South Asian Report is our regional report for this part of the world. On the Bhil average its fit test reads partial, so check your own DNA first: the free Report Finder runs that test on your file.
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.