Czech DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Czech Republic · Eastern Europe
The Czech Republic, in the centre of Europe, is made up of Bohemia, Moravia and part of Silesia. Czech is a West Slavic language, and for centuries Czech and German speakers lived side by side in the Bohemian lands, until most German speakers were expelled after the Second World War. In our model, the Czech average is 46.7% steppe-related, 37.7% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 12.9% Western hunter-gatherer and 2.7% Eastern hunter-gatherer, with much less Eastern hunter-gatherer ancestry than the Poles (6.7%). The shared history with German neighbours shows in the list of nearest averages: after Kajkavian Croats from northern Croatia (distance 0.0130), they are Germans from Saxony (Leipzig), North Bohemia and Thuringia, then Hungarians, all ahead of the Slovaks (0.0228). The closest ancient groups have a Central European Slavic profile, from Avar-period Austria and Hungary (0.0165 and 0.0167), early medieval Old Croats and the early Slavic site of Pohansko in Moravia.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 46.7%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 37.7%, Western hunter-gatherers 12.9%
- Closest modern population in our data: Croat (Kajkavian Northern Croatia), distance 0.0130
- Closest ancient group in our data: Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile), distance 0.0165
Where does Czech DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Czech individuals sampled in Czech Republic and compare them with deep ancestral reference populations, with other modern groups and with ancient genomes. It is one of 335 populations in our atlas.
Ancient make-up of the Czech average
The ancient make-up of the Czech average is led by Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (46.7%), followed by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (37.7%) and Western hunter-gatherers (12.9%). 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 (37.7%) 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 0.046), 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.
Sarmatia – Balto-Slavic Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Czech
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Czech average is Croat (Kajkavian Northern Croatia), at a distance of 0.013 (very close). Next come German (Saxony Leipzig) at 0.017 and German (North Bohemia) at 0.018. Even the tenth closest, Slovak, is only 0.023 away: Czech belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Croat (Kajkavian Northern Croatia) | 0.0130 | Very close |
| 2 | German (Saxony Leipzig) | 0.0166 | Very close |
| 3 | German (North Bohemia) | 0.0178 | Very close |
| 4 | German (Thuringia) | 0.0179 | Very close |
| 5 | Hungarian | 0.0181 | Very close |
| 6 | Ukrainian (Zakarpattia) | 0.0217 | Very close |
| 7 | Slovene | 0.0219 | Very close |
| 8 | Polish (Silesia) | 0.0224 | Very close |
| 9 | Slovakian | 0.0227 | Very close |
| 10 | Slovak | 0.0228 | 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 Czech
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Czech, Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile) (Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD) comes first, at 0.017, with Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Early (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 | Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0165 |
| 2 | Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Early (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0167 |
| 3 | Croatia Early Medieval Old Croat Velim (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0174 |
| 4 | Hungary Early Medieval Carolingian Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0189 |
| 5 | Poland Early Medieval Niemcza (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0199 |
| 6 | Czechia Early Medieval Early Slav Pohansko (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0205 |
| 7 | Poland Early Medieval Grodek | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0209 |
| 8 | Croatia High Medieval-Early Modern Torcec-Cirkvisce (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Medieval to Early Modern, c. 500-1800 AD | 0.0209 |
| 9 | Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0214 |
| 10 | Croatia High Medieval Gornji Kosinj (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0216 |
Ancient DNA from Czechia
Our ancient DNA database holds 624 individuals excavated in present-day Czechia, dated from about 46,000 BC to 1822 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1b (168), I2a (55) and R1a (45), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U5 (86), K1 (58) and T2 (45). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Czech population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Czechia
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 624 from Czechia.
Compare yourself with Czech
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Czech average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Czech 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 Czech. 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 Czech average. Your own DNA has its own story: Sarmatia – Balto-Slavic 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 from Eastern and Central-Eastern Europe of Balto-Slavic ancestry: ancient regional core (Corded Ware, Bronze Age cultures, Scythian, Sarmatian and Baltic Iron Age, Przeworsk, Wielbark and Chernyakhiv, Early Slavs...
More populations from Eastern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Czech?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Czech average is about 46.7% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 37.7% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 12.9% 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 Czech?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Czech average are Croat (Kajkavian Northern Croatia), German (Saxony Leipzig) and German (North Bohemia). The closest ancient matches are Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile), Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Early (Central Euro Slavic Profile) and Croatia Early Medieval Old Croat Velim (Central Euro Slavic Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Czech?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Czech 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 Czech ancestry?
For the Czech average, the regional report to choose is Sarmatia – Balto-Slavic 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.