Canary Islander DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Spain · Southern Europe
The Canary Islands lie in the Atlantic, about 100 kilometres off the coast of north-west Africa. Their first inhabitants, often called Guanches, came from North Africa and spoke Berber-related languages, and the islands were conquered by Castile in the 15th century. Today's Canarians carry both histories. In our model, the Canarian average is 52.6% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 27.3% steppe, 9.8% North African (Iberomaurusian), 9.2% Western hunter-gatherer and 1.1% West African. The North African share is more than twice that of Andalusians (4.6%), and the small West African share is usually traced to Africans brought to the islands after the conquest, many of them enslaved. As a result, outside the Canaries themselves (Tenerife and Gran Canaria), no modern average is very close: the Portuguese come at 0.0301, then Madeirans and Andalusians. The closest ancient groups are early medieval people from Visigothic and Umayyad-period sites in Portugal and Madrid (0.0161 and 0.0184), a period when people from North Africa settled in Iberia.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 52.6%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 27.3%, North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian) 9.8%
- Closest population outside the Canary Islands in our data: Portuguese, distance 0.0301
- Closest ancient group in our data: Portugal Early Medieval Visigoth-Ummayad Gruta do Caldeirao, distance 0.0161
This page sums up what the DNA of the Canary Islander sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Spain, listed in the G25 sheet as "Spanish_Canarias", 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 Canary Islander average
The ancient make-up of the Canary Islander average is led by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (52.6%), followed by Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (27.3%) and North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian) (9.8%). The Anatolian Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC. The Steppe herders (Yamnaya) share (27.3%) reflects the Bronze Age herders of the Pontic-Caspian steppe (Yamnaya and related groups), whose ancestry spread across Europe and into Asia from about 3000 BC.
Smaller traces of West African (under 5%) 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 acceptable (fit distance 0.025): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Hesperia – Iberian Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Canary Islander
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Canary Islander average is Spanish (Canarias Tenerife, Canarian), at a distance of 0.010 (very close). Next come Spanish (Canarias Gran Canaria, Canarian) at 0.012 and Portuguese at 0.030. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Portuguese (0.030), Portuguese (Madeira) (0.033) and Andalusian (0.034). By the tenth closest (French (Corsica)) the distance grows to 0.053, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spanish (Canarias Tenerife, Canarian) | 0.0096 | Very close |
| 2 | Spanish (Canarias Gran Canaria, Canarian) | 0.0115 | Very close |
| 3 | Portuguese | 0.0301 | Close |
| 4 | Portuguese (Madeira) | 0.0334 | Close |
| 5 | Andalusian | 0.0337 | Close |
| 6 | Galician | 0.0347 | Close |
| 7 | Sephardic Jew (Portugal, Belmonte Crypto-Jew) | 0.0458 | Close |
| 8 | Moroccan Arab (Morisco Tetouan) | 0.0484 | Close |
| 9 | Italian (Liguria, Ligurian) | 0.0515 | Moderate |
| 10 | French (Corsica) | 0.0526 | Moderate |
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 Canary Islander
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Canary Islander, Portugal Early Medieval Visigoth-Ummayad Gruta do Caldeirao (Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD) comes first, at 0.016, with Spain Madrid Early Medieval Visigoth-Ummayad Camino de las Yeseras next. That is a very close match, which suggests strong genetic continuity between those ancient people (or close relatives of theirs) and the modern population. 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 | Portugal Early Medieval Visigoth-Ummayad Gruta do Caldeirao | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0161 |
| 2 | Spain Madrid Early Medieval Visigoth-Ummayad Camino de las Yeseras | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0184 |
| 3 | Portugal Early Medieval Ummayad Monte da Nora | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0227 |
| 4 | Spain Valencia Late Medieval | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0234 |
| 5 | Spain Valencia Late Medieval San Lorenzo Christian | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0245 |
| 6 | Portugal Early Medieval Visigoth-Ummayad Monte da Nora | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0248 |
| 7 | Portugal High-Late Medieval Almohad-Kingdom of Portugal Sao Miguel de Odrinhas Christian | High to Late Medieval, c. 1000-1500 AD | 0.0261 |
| 8 | Spain Andalusia Early Medieval | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0263 |
| 9 | Spain Valencia Early-Late Medieval Vall d'Uixo Muslim | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0273 |
| 10 | Portugal Early Modern Montemor-o-Velho | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0277 |
Ancient DNA from Spain
Our ancient DNA database holds 1,704 individuals excavated in present-day Spain, dated from about 430,000 BC to 1652 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1b (262), I2a (90) and E1b (68), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are H (182), U5 (179) and H1 (159). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Canary Islander population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Spain
- Investigating ancient human DNA preservation on cave walls and in rock art (2026)
- The genetic landscape of northeastern Iberian communities from the early to late Iron Age (2026)
- Analysis of medieval burials from Ibiza reveals genetic and pathogenic diversity during the Islamic period (2026)
- Uncovering a Medieval Pogrom: Genetic History of a Jewish Community in Catalonia (Spain) (2026)
- Genetic and historical perspectives on the early medieval inhumations from the Menga dolmen, Antequera (Spain) (2025)
- 'Guess Who?': Forensic genetics and archaeology converge to identify Cristopher Columbus descendants. (2025)
- Further insights into maternal and paternal human histories in southern Iberia (2025)
- The human skull from the siege of La Loma (Santibáñez de la Peña, Palencia, Spain) (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 1,704 from Spain.
Compare yourself with Canary Islander
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Canary Islander average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Canary Islander 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 Canary Islander. 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 Canary Islander average. Your own DNA has its own story: Hesperia – Iberian 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 with roots in the Iberian Peninsula: ancient regional core (Iberian hunter-gatherers and Neolithic farmers, Bell Beaker steppe arrival, El Argar and Bronze Age Iberia, Celtiberians and Iberians, Phoenician and...
More populations from Southern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Canary Islander?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Canary Islander average is about 52.6% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 27.3% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 9.8% 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 Canary Islander?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Spanish (Canarias Tenerife, Canarian)), the closest modern populations to the Canary Islander average are Portuguese, Portuguese (Madeira) and Andalusian. The closest ancient matches are Portugal Early Medieval Visigoth-Ummayad Gruta do Caldeirao, Spain Madrid Early Medieval Visigoth-Ummayad Camino de las Yeseras and Portugal Early Medieval Ummayad Monte da Nora.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Canary Islander?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Canary Islander 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 Canary Islander ancestry?
For the Canary Islander average, the regional report to choose is Hesperia – Iberian Ancestry 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.