Chukchi DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Russia (Chukotka) · Siberia
The Chukchi live on the Chukotka Peninsula at the far northeastern tip of Asia, facing Alaska across the Bering Strait. Traditionally, inland Chukchi herded reindeer while coastal Chukchi hunted walrus and whales, and their language belongs to the Chukotko-Kamchatkan family, together with Koryak and Itelmen. In our model, the Chukchi average is 49.9% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related), 25.3% Native American, 21.3% Ancient Northeast Asian and 3.4% Ancient North Eurasian. That Native American-related share is about six times the Yukaghir figure (4.1%), a clear sign of long two-way contacts across the Bering Strait. Language and geography both shape the neighbour list: the people of Sireniki, a Yupik village on the Chukotka coast, come first (0.0514), then the Itelmen and Koryak of Kamchatka and the Siberian Yupik, all at about 0.05. The closest ancient groups are Early Modern people from Kamchatka (0.0617) and Bronze Age Ol'skaia in Magadan. With a rough fit (0.0739), these percentages call for caution.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) 49.9%, Native American (Paleo-American) 25.3%, Ancient Northeast Asians 21.3%
- Closest modern population in our data: Eskimo (Sireniki), distance 0.0514
- Closest ancient group in our data: Kamchatka Early Modern, distance 0.0617
Chukchi 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 Chukchi individuals sampled in Russia (Chukotka). Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Chukchi average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Chukchi average comes out as 49.9% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related), 25.3% Native American (Paleo-American) and 21.3% Ancient Northeast Asians. The Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) component reflects the ancestry of the peoples of northern Siberia. The Native American (Paleo-American) share (25.3%) reflects the ancestry of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas.
Smaller traces of Ancient North Eurasians (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 loose (fit distance 0.074), which usually means that none of the available reference populations is a close stand-in for part of this ancestry, so read the percentages as rough. 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.
Closest modern populations to Chukchi
Genetically, the Chukchi average sits nearest to Eskimo (Sireniki) at 0.051, Itelmen at 0.053 and Koryak at 0.054. On our scale, a distance of 0.051 counts as moderate. No modern population in the data is very close (the nearest is 0.051 away), which points to a distinctive genetic profile, often the mark of long isolation or of a mix that is rare elsewhere.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eskimo (Sireniki) | 0.0514 | Moderate |
| 2 | Itelmen | 0.0525 | Moderate |
| 3 | Koryak | 0.0538 | Moderate |
| 4 | Siberian Yupik | 0.0539 | Moderate |
| 5 | Yupik (Sireniki) | 0.0542 | Moderate |
| 6 | Yupik (Chukotka) | 0.0692 | Moderate |
| 7 | Yupik (Naukan) | 0.0755 | Moderate |
| 8 | Inuit (Nunavut) | 0.0986 | Distant |
| 9 | Inuit (Alaska) | 0.1085 | Distant |
| 10 | Yukagir (Tundra) | 0.1245 | Distant |
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 Chukchi
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Chukchi average is Kamchatka Early Modern (Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD), at 0.062, followed by Magadan BA Ol'skaia and Greenland Paleo-Eskimo Saqqaq. 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 | Kamchatka Early Modern | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0617 |
| 2 | Magadan BA Ol'skaia | Bronze Age | 0.0665 |
| 3 | Greenland Paleo-Eskimo Saqqaq | Paleo-Eskimo (Saqqaq), c. 2500-800 BC | 0.0848 |
| 4 | Chukotka Old Bering Sea Ekven | Old Bering Sea culture, c. 200 BC-800 AD | 0.1018 |
| 5 | Sakha MN Belkachi Ogonyok | Middle Neolithic | 0.1050 |
| 6 | Sakha MN Onnyos | Middle Neolithic | 0.1089 |
| 7 | Sakha Mesolithic Duvanni Yar | Mesolithic | 0.1097 |
| 8 | Chukotka Old Bering Sea Uelen | Old Bering Sea culture, c. 200 BC-800 AD | 0.1105 |
| 9 | Buryatia Mesolithic Dzhylinda | Mesolithic | 0.1126 |
| 10 | Sakha EN Syalakh Kangalassy | Early Neolithic | 0.1211 |
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 Chukchi 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 Chukchi
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Chukchi average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Chukchi 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 Chukchi. 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 Chukchi average. For your own DNA, Advanced Ancestry Report (16€) gives a full ancestry breakdown with no regional focus, in a personal PDF report.
Comprehensive DNA analysis comparing your genetics to over 2,000 modern reference populations.
More populations from Siberia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Chukchi?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Chukchi average is about 49.9% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related), 25.3% Native American (Paleo-American) and 21.3% Ancient Northeast Asians. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Chukchi?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Chukchi average are Eskimo (Sireniki), Itelmen and Koryak. The closest ancient matches are Kamchatka Early Modern, Magadan BA Ol'skaia and Greenland Paleo-Eskimo Saqqaq.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Chukchi?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Chukchi 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 Chukchi ancestry?
None of our regional reports is built for Chukchi ancestry, so the full Advanced Ancestry Report (no regional focus) is the better choice. The DNA Mega-Analysis adds Neanderthal %, traits and closest ancient populations. The free Report Finder checks every report against your own DNA first.
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.