Chechen DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Russia (Chechnya) · Caucasus
Chechens, who call themselves Nokhchi, live on the northern slopes of the eastern Caucasus and on the plains of the Terek and Sunzha rivers. Chechen belongs to the Nakh branch of the North-East Caucasian languages, together with Ingush and Bats. In our model, the Chechen average is 37.0% Caucasus hunter-gatherer, 28.6% steppe-related, 18.6% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 9.4% Levantine Neolithic, 4.1% Iranian Neolithic and 2.2% East Asian. Its steppe share is higher than in the Ingush (23.2%) or Circassians (21.4%), and its Caucasus share lower than in Ossetians (51.0%). The nearest modern average is the Ingush (distance 0.0174), then, notably, mountain peoples of western Dagestan such as the Karata, Hunzib and Bagvalal, while no Circassian group is among the ten closest: Chechens look east, towards Dagestan. The closest ancient groups are Late Antique and early medieval Alans from North Ossetia (0.0258) and from the Saltovo-Mayaki culture, followed by Iron Age people of the Scythian period with a Ciscaucasian profile.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Caucasus hunter-gatherers 37.0%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 28.6%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 18.6%
- Closest modern population in our data: Ingushian, distance 0.0174
- Closest ancient group in our data: North Ossetia Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Alan, distance 0.0258
Chechen 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 Chechen individuals sampled in Russia (Chechnya). Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Chechen average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Chechen average comes out as 37.0% Caucasus hunter-gatherers, 28.6% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 18.6% Anatolian Neolithic farmers. The Caucasus hunter-gatherers component reflects the hunter-gatherers of the Caucasus, a deep ancestry shared by the Caucasus, Anatolia and the Iranian plateau. The Steppe herders (Yamnaya) share (28.6%) 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 Iranian Neolithic farmers and East Asian (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 0.024), so these proportions are a reasonable summary. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Ararat – Levant & Caucasus Report
Closest modern populations to Chechen
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Ingushian first for Chechen, at 0.017, then Karata (Ciscaucasian Profile) and Karata. Even the tenth closest, Tsez, is only 0.028 away: Chechen belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ingushian | 0.0174 | Very close |
| 2 | Karata (Ciscaucasian Profile) | 0.0219 | Very close |
| 3 | Karata | 0.0221 | Very close |
| 4 | Hunzib | 0.0233 | Very close |
| 5 | Bagvalal | 0.0242 | Very close |
| 6 | Tabasaran | 0.0262 | Close |
| 7 | Bagvalin | 0.0270 | Close |
| 8 | Tsez (B) | 0.0271 | Close |
| 9 | Kumyk | 0.0277 | Close |
| 10 | Tsez | 0.0278 | 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 Chechen
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Chechen, North Ossetia Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Alan (Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD) comes first, at 0.026, with Ukraine Early Medieval Saltovo-Mayaki Verkhnii Saltiv (Alan, Ciscaucasian 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 | North Ossetia Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Alan | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0258 |
| 2 | Ukraine Early Medieval Saltovo-Mayaki Verkhnii Saltiv (Alan, Ciscaucasian Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0283 |
| 3 | Karachay-Cherkessia Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Alan | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0285 |
| 4 | Ukraine IA Scythian Pisochyn (Ciscaucasian Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0301 |
| 5 | Georgia EIA Kistauri | Early Iron Age | 0.0330 |
| 6 | Armenia IA Lchashen-Metsamor/Urartian Bardzryal | Iron Age | 0.0334 |
| 7 | Armenia MBA Trialeti | Middle Bronze Age | 0.0338 |
| 8 | Krasnodar IA-Hellenistic Maeotian Polyana Topolya | Hellenistic era, c. 330-30 BC | 0.0342 |
| 9 | Adygea LBA Dolmen Shushuk | Late Bronze Age | 0.0343 |
| 10 | Armenia LBA Lchashen-Metsamor Noratus | Late Bronze Age | 0.0343 |
Ancient DNA from Russia
Our ancient DNA database holds 2,938 individuals excavated in present-day Russia, dated from about 208,050 BC to 1918 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1a (370), R1b (317) and N1a (235), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U5 (367), U4 (226) and U2 (150). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Chechen population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Russia
- The Yeniseian and Andronovo Substrates in the Gene Pools of the Indigenous Southern Siberian Populations Analyzed by Q and R1a Y-Haplogroups (2026)
- Ancient genomics study reveals low HLA diversity in eastern hunter-gatherers (2026)
- Comparison of Illumina NovaSeq 6000, GeneMind SURFSeq 5000, Salus Evo, and MGI DNBSEQ-G400 for Ancient DNA Whole-Genome Sequencing (2026)
- Biochip for Determination of 92 Human Y-Chromosome Haplogroups by SNP Markers and Frequency Distribution of These Haplogroups in Slavic Population of European Russia (2026)
- Modern descendants of Kyordyughen warrior (Yakutia, 4200 years before present) in populations of Far East (2026)
- Genetic history of Rus' (2025)
- Paratyphoid Fever and Relapsing Fever in 1812 Napoleon’s Devastated Army (2025)
- Pre-Slavic and Slavic Interaction at Eastern Periphery of Slavic Expansion in Northeastern Europe (Y-Gene Pools of Volga-Oka Region) (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 2,938 from Russia.
Compare yourself with Chechen
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Chechen average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Chechen 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 Chechen individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Chechen. 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 Chechen average. Your own DNA has its own story: Ararat – Levant & Caucasus 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 Levant or Caucasus ancestry: ancient regional core (Levant Iron Age, Caucasus Hunter-Gatherer, Kura-Araxes Bronze Age) versus non-regional outside admixture, across 13 communities (Maronite, Druze, Sunni...
More populations from Caucasus
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Chechen?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Chechen average is about 37.0% Caucasus hunter-gatherers, 28.6% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 18.6% 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 Chechen?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Chechen average are Ingushian, Karata (Ciscaucasian Profile) and Karata. The closest ancient matches are North Ossetia Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Alan, Ukraine Early Medieval Saltovo-Mayaki Verkhnii Saltiv (Alan, Ciscaucasian Profile) and Karachay-Cherkessia Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Alan.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Chechen?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Chechen 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 Chechen ancestry?
For the Chechen average, the regional report to choose is Ararat – Levant & Caucasus 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.