Croatian DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Croatia · Southern Europe
Croatia stretches from the Pannonian plain to the Adriatic coast, and its genetic profile sits between Central Europe and the Balkans. In our model, the Croatian average is 44.4% steppe, 43.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 10.1% Western hunter-gatherer and 2.3% Eastern hunter-gatherer. The early farmer and Bronze Age steppe layers are shared across southeastern Europe, and ancient DNA from the region shows that the arrival of Slavic-speaking groups in the 6th and 7th centuries AD made a large contribution to today's population. Our closest ancient matches fit this picture: early medieval individuals with a Central European Slavic profile from Conquest-period Hungary and Avar-period Austria, and Early Slavs from Libiva in Czechia. The closest modern averages are Croats, Slovenes and Hungarians, then Dalmatian Croats and Bosniaks, a reminder that neighbouring populations in this region share much of their ancestry.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 44.4%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 43.2%, Western hunter-gatherers 10.1%
- Closest modern population in our data: Croat, distance 0.0048
- Closest ancient group in our data: Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile), distance 0.0117
This page sums up what the DNA of the Croatian sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Croatia, 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 Croatian average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Croatian average, 44.4%, goes to Steppe herders (Yamnaya), ahead of Anatolian Neolithic farmers (43.2%) and Western hunter-gatherers (10.1%). The Steppe herders (Yamnaya) component 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. The Anatolian Neolithic farmers share (43.2%) reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC.
Smaller traces of Eastern hunter-gatherers (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 0.042), 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. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Balkan Frontier – Serbian, Croatian & Balkan Slavic Report
Closest modern populations to Croatian
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Croat first for Croatian, at 0.005, then Slovene and Slovenian. Even the tenth closest, Bosniak (Croatia), is only 0.019 away: Croatian belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Croat | 0.0048 | Very close |
| 2 | Slovene | 0.0092 | Very close |
| 3 | Slovenian | 0.0107 | Very close |
| 4 | Hungarian | 0.0113 | Very close |
| 5 | Croat (Dalmatia) | 0.0132 | Very close |
| 6 | Bosniak | 0.0158 | Very close |
| 7 | Croat (Herzegovina) | 0.0167 | Very close |
| 8 | Bosnian | 0.0167 | Very close |
| 9 | Serb (Bosnia) | 0.0177 | Very close |
| 10 | Bosniak (Croatia) | 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 Croatian
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Croatian, Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile) (Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD) comes first, at 0.012, with Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile) 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 | Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0117 |
| 2 | Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0126 |
| 3 | Hungary Early-High Medieval Conqueror-Early Arpadian Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD | 0.0152 |
| 4 | Denmark Early Medieval Viking Age Langeland (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD | 0.0152 |
| 5 | Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Early (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0173 |
| 6 | Czechia Early Medieval Early Slav Libiva (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0180 |
| 7 | Montenegro High Medieval Doclea (South Slavic Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0183 |
| 8 | Serbia Early Modern Sirmium (Slavic Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0188 |
| 9 | Croatia Early Modern Gornji Kosinj (South Slavic Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0196 |
| 10 | Croatia Early Medieval Old Croat Velim (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0202 |
Ancient DNA from Croatia
Our ancient DNA database holds 441 individuals excavated in present-day Croatia, dated from about 48,050 BC to 1761 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are J2b (52), G2a (43) and R1b (29), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are T2 (51), U5 (42) and K1 (35). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Croatian population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Croatia
- At the Crossroads of Continents: Ancient DNA Insights into the Maternal and Paternal Population History of Croatia (2026)
- Multidisciplinary study of human remains from the 3rd century mass grave in the Roman city of Mursa, Croatia (2025)
- Death and burial of a set of fraternal twins from Tragurium: An osteobiographical approach (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 441 from Croatia.
Compare yourself with Croatian
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Croatian average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Croatian 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 Croatian. 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 Croatian average. Your own DNA has its own story: Balkan Frontier – Serbian, Croatian & Balkan Slavic 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 Balkan ancestry: ancient regional core (Illyrian, Thracian, Dacian, Paeonian, Scordisci Celtic, Proto-Slavic, Roman-provincial Dalmatia/Moesia/Macedonia, Sarmatian) versus non-regional outside admixture, across...
More populations from Southern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Croatian?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Croatian average is about 44.4% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 43.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 10.1% Western hunter-gatherers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Croatian?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Croatian average are Croat, Slovene and Slovenian. The closest ancient matches are Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile), Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile) and Hungary Early-High Medieval Conqueror-Early Arpadian Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Croatian?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Croatian 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 Croatian ancestry?
For the Croatian average, the regional report to choose is Balkan Frontier – Serbian, Croatian & Balkan Slavic 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.