Dominican DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Dominican Republic · Americas
The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola, where the first lasting European settlements in the Americas were founded; Santo Domingo, founded in the 1490s, is the oldest continuously inhabited European city in the New World. Dominican ancestry combines European, African and Indigenous Taíno roots. In our model, the European side is described by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (31.8%), steppe herders (17.5%) and Western hunter-gatherers (5.6%), with a North African hunter-gatherer share (3.8%) common in Iberians; the African side by West African ancestry (28.0%) plus smaller Central and East African-related shares, about a third in all; and the Taíno side by Native American ancestry (6.3%). Compared with the Puerto Rican average, Dominicans carry much more African ancestry (9.8% West African there) and less Native American (14.2% there). No other average in our panel is close: the nearest are Brazilian Pardo samples (0.0455) and the Lumbee of North Carolina (0.0964), while the model itself fits closely (0.0164).
- Largest ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 31.8%, West African 28.0%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 17.5%
- Closest modern population in our data: Brazilian (Pardo), distance 0.0455
- Model fit: 0.0164, a close fit (global model)
Dominican 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 Dominican individuals sampled in Dominican Republic. Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Dominican average
The ancient make-up of the Dominican average is led by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (31.8%), followed by West African (28.0%) and Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (17.5%). The Anatolian Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC. The West African share (28.0%) reflects ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. No single source dominates, so the profile is best read as a balanced blend of several ancient ancestries.
Smaller traces of North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian), Western rainforest foragers (BiAka), Nilotic East African and Central African rainforest foragers (Mbuti) (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 0.016), so these proportions are a reasonable summary. 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.
Karukera – Caribbean Creole Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Dominican
Genetically, the Dominican average sits nearest to Brazilian (Pardo) at 0.046, Lumbee at 0.096 and Cape Verdean at 0.108. On our scale, a distance of 0.046 counts as close. By the tenth closest (Afro-Mehri) the distance grows to 0.127, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazilian (Pardo) | 0.0455 | Close |
| 2 | Lumbee | 0.0964 | Distant |
| 3 | Cape Verdean | 0.1080 | Distant |
| 4 | Afro-Emirati | 0.1136 | Distant |
| 5 | Shwashin Arab (Libya) | 0.1143 | Distant |
| 6 | Coloured | 0.1192 | Distant |
| 7 | Hartani Arab (Algeria Algiers) | 0.1207 | Distant |
| 8 | Hartani/Gnawa Arab (Morocco Casablanca) | 0.1246 | Distant |
| 9 | Hartani/Gnawa Berber (Morocco Errachidia, Central Atlas Tamazight) | 0.1265 | Distant |
| 10 | Afro-Mehri | 0.1273 | 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 Dominican
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Dominican, Spain Andalusia Early Modern (SSA-Mixed Profile) (Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD) comes first, at 0.115, with Kenya Late Medieval-Early Modern Manda Swahili next. Even the best ancient match is distant, so the modern population is better described as a blend of several ancestral sources than as the continuation of one. 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 | Spain Andalusia Early Modern (SSA-Mixed Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.1153 |
| 2 | Kenya Late Medieval-Early Modern Manda Swahili | Late Medieval to Early Modern, c. 1300-1800 AD | 0.1299 |
| 3 | Kenya Early Modern Mtwapa Swahili | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.1535 |
| 4 | Portugal Roman Empire Idanha-a-Velha (North African-Mixed Profile) | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.1768 |
| 5 | Spain Valencia Early Modern (North African Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.1952 |
| 6 | Austria Roman Empire Wels (North African Profile) | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.1989 |
| 7 | Spain Madrid CA (North African Profile) | Copper Age (Chalcolithic) | 0.2031 |
| 8 | France Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Chausse Saint-Pierre (North African Profile) | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.2070 |
| 9 | Hungary Late Antiquity Roman (North African Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.2085 |
| 10 | Italy Sardinia CA (North African Profile) | Copper Age (Chalcolithic) | 0.2143 |
Ancient DNA from Dominican Republic
Our ancient DNA database holds 135 individuals excavated in present-day Dominican Republic, dated from about 1,072 BC to 1700 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are Q1b (72), C (1) and F (1), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are C1 (64), A2 (47) and D1 (9). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Dominican population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 135 from Dominican Republic.
Compare yourself with Dominican
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Dominican average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Dominican 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 Dominican individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Dominican. 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 Dominican average. Your own DNA has its own story: Karukera – Caribbean Creole 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 of mixed Creole Caribbean ancestry: your combined Taíno/indigenous, West/Central African, and European-colonial roots, given roughly equal weight rather than centering one layer, across 8 communities (Haitian...
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Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Dominican?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Dominican average is about 31.8% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 28.0% West African and 17.5% Steppe herders (Yamnaya). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Dominican?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Dominican average are Brazilian (Pardo), Lumbee and Cape Verdean. The closest ancient matches are Spain Andalusia Early Modern (SSA-Mixed Profile), Kenya Late Medieval-Early Modern Manda Swahili and Kenya Early Modern Mtwapa Swahili.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Dominican?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Dominican 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 Dominican ancestry?
Karukera – Caribbean Creole Ancestry Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Dominican average closely. 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.