Brahui DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Pakistan · South Asia
The Brahui of central Balochistan, in Pakistan, are a well-known puzzle for linguists: their language belongs to the Dravidian family, whose other members are spoken mainly in southern and central India, more than 1,000 kilometres away. How Brahui came to be spoken there is still debated. Genetically, one point is clear: the Brahui resemble their neighbours, not distant Dravidian speakers. In our model, their average is 54.0% Iranian Neolithic farmer, 16.8% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 14.0% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 8.8% steppe and 6.4% Eastern hunter-gatherer, whereas our Tamil average is 77.3% South Asian hunter-gatherer related. The closest modern average is the Baloch, at a very close 0.0067, followed by Baloch samples from Iran and Pakistan and the Jamot; the main difference from the Baloch is a slightly smaller steppe share (8.8% against 11.1%). Among ancient groups, a historical-period group with a South Asian profile from Xinjiang comes first (0.0434), ahead of medieval people from the Swat valley.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Iranian Neolithic farmers 54.0%, South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) 16.8%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 14.0%
- Closest modern population in our data: Baloch, distance 0.0067
- Closest ancient group in our data: Xinjiang HP Junmachanyilian (South Asian Profile), distance 0.0434
Brahui 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 Brahui individuals sampled in Pakistan. Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Brahui average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Brahui average, 54.0%, goes to Iranian Neolithic farmers, ahead of South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) (16.8%) and Anatolian Neolithic farmers (14.0%). The Iranian Neolithic farmers component reflects the early farmers and herders of the Zagros mountains in Iran. The South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) share (16.8%) reflects the deep hunter-gatherer ancestry of South Asia (Ancient Ancestral South Indians).
The model fits well (fit distance 0.024), 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.
Simorgh – Iranian Plateau Report
Closest modern populations to Brahui
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Baloch first for Brahui, at 0.007, then Balochi (Iran) and Balochi (A). By the tenth closest (Pashtun (Tareen)) the distance grows to 0.040, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baloch | 0.0067 | Very close |
| 2 | Balochi (Iran) | 0.0151 | Very close |
| 3 | Balochi (A) | 0.0153 | Very close |
| 4 | Balochi (B) | 0.0222 | Very close |
| 5 | Jamot (Laasi Baloch) | 0.0227 | Very close |
| 6 | Makrani | 0.0289 | Close |
| 7 | Khetran | 0.0312 | Close |
| 8 | Pashtun (Mashwani) | 0.0333 | Close |
| 9 | Kutchi (Jat Muslim) | 0.0368 | Close |
| 10 | Pashtun (Tareen) | 0.0401 | 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 Brahui
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Brahui average is Xinjiang HP Junmachanyilian (South Asian Profile) (Historical period), at 0.043, followed by Pakistan High Medieval Ghaznavid Udegram and Pakistan IA Barikot. 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 | Xinjiang HP Junmachanyilian (South Asian Profile) | Historical period | 0.0434 |
| 2 | Pakistan High Medieval Ghaznavid Udegram | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0577 |
| 3 | Pakistan IA Barikot | Iron Age | 0.0577 |
| 4 | Uzbekistan BA Bustan | Bronze Age | 0.0659 |
| 5 | Pakistan High Medieval Barikot | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0668 |
| 6 | Uzbekistan BA Dzharkutan | Bronze Age | 0.0672 |
| 7 | Pakistan IA Butkara | Iron Age | 0.0673 |
| 8 | Pakistan IA Udegram | Iron Age | 0.0678 |
| 9 | Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta | Early Bronze Age | 0.0692 |
| 10 | Turkmenistan BA Gonur Tepe | Bronze Age | 0.0703 |
Ancient DNA from Pakistan
Our ancient DNA database holds 136 individuals excavated in present-day Pakistan, dated from about 1,266 BC to 1568 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are L1a (14), E1b (11) and R2a (10), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U2 (14), M30 (9) and M65 (8). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Brahui population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Pakistan
- Contrasting maternal and paternal genetic histories among five ethnic groups from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan (2025)
- Phylogenetic analysis of the enigmatic Kalash population in Pakistan (2025)
- Ethnogenetic analysis reveals the Bronze Age genetic affiliation of Yashkuns with West Eurasians (2024)
- Multiple-Wave Admixture and Adaptive Evolution of the Pamirian Wakhi People (2024)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 136 from Pakistan.
Compare yourself with Brahui
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Brahui average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Brahui 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 Brahui. 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 Brahui 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 South Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Brahui?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Brahui average is about 54.0% Iranian Neolithic farmers, 16.8% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) and 14.0% Anatolian Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Brahui?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Brahui average are Baloch, Balochi (Iran) and Balochi (A). The closest ancient matches are Xinjiang HP Junmachanyilian (South Asian Profile), Pakistan High Medieval Ghaznavid Udegram and Pakistan IA Barikot.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Brahui?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Brahui 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 Brahui ancestry?
For the Brahui 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.