Finnish DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Finland · Northern Europe
Finland has one of the most distinctive genetic profiles in Europe, shaped by its position at the northeastern edge of the continent and by a history of small founding groups. In our model, the Finnish average is 33.3% steppe, 27.8% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 23.3% Eastern hunter-gatherer, 12.1% Western hunter-gatherer and 3.4% East Asian. The large Eastern hunter-gatherer share reflects the deep roots of northeastern Europe, and the East Asian trace fits a well-established finding: Finns, like other Uralic-speaking peoples of the region, carry a small Siberian-related component that reached northeastern Europe at least 3,500 years ago. Later bottlenecks, as small groups settled the interior, made Finns genetically more distinct than most of their neighbours. The closest ancient groups are medieval and later people from Palkane and Tampere in Finland, and the closest modern averages are central Finns, Ingrians and Karelians.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 33.3%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 27.8%, Eastern hunter-gatherers 23.3%
- Closest modern population in our data: Finnish (Central), distance 0.0092
- Closest ancient group in our data: Finland High Medieval Palkane Rauniokirkko, distance 0.0154
Where does Finnish DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Finnish individuals sampled in Finland 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 Finnish average
The ancient make-up of the Finnish average is led by Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (33.3%), followed by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (27.8%) and Eastern hunter-gatherers (23.3%). 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 (27.8%) reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC. No single source dominates, so the profile is best read as a balanced blend of several ancient ancestries.
Smaller traces of East Asian (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 0.053), 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.
Closest modern populations to Finnish
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Finnish average is Finnish (Central), at a distance of 0.009 (very close). Next come Finnish (Ingria) at 0.012 and Ingrian at 0.014. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Ingrian (0.014), Karelian (Southern) (0.017) and Karelian (0.018). Even the tenth closest, Votian, is only 0.025 away: Finnish belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finnish (Central) | 0.0092 | Very close |
| 2 | Finnish (Ingria) | 0.0121 | Very close |
| 3 | Ingrian | 0.0140 | Very close |
| 4 | Karelian (Southern) | 0.0171 | Very close |
| 5 | Karelian | 0.0184 | Very close |
| 6 | Karelian (Northern) | 0.0186 | Very close |
| 7 | Karelian (Tver) | 0.0200 | Very close |
| 8 | Veps | 0.0250 | Close |
| 9 | Russian (Arkhangelsk Krasnoborsky) | 0.0251 | Close |
| 10 | Votian | 0.0251 | 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 Finnish
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Finnish, Finland High Medieval Palkane Rauniokirkko (High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD) comes first, at 0.015, with Finland Late Modern Palkane Rauniokirkko 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 | Finland High Medieval Palkane Rauniokirkko | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0154 |
| 2 | Finland Late Modern Palkane Rauniokirkko | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0202 |
| 3 | Finland Early Modern Palkane Rauniokirkko | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0237 |
| 4 | Finland High Medieval Tampere Vilusenharju | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0265 |
| 5 | Finland High Medieval Palkane Ristianmaki | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0322 |
| 6 | Lithuania Late Modern Napoleonic Wars Vilnius French Soldier (Finnic Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0328 |
| 7 | Sweden Early Medieval Viking Age Gotland (Finnic Profile) | Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD | 0.0330 |
| 8 | Russia Vladimir Early Medieval (Uralic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0336 |
| 9 | Sweden Early Modern Kalmar (Mixed Finnic-Slavic Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0347 |
| 10 | Sweden Early-High Medieval Viking Age Sigtuna (Finnic Profile) | Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD | 0.0367 |
Ancient DNA from Finland
Our ancient DNA database holds 120 individuals excavated in present-day Finland, dated from about 500 AD to 1850 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are N1a (6), I1a (4) and R1a (1), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U5 (24), H1 (15) and U4 (8). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Finnish population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
| Haplogroup | Individuals | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| N1a | 6 | Luistari-reported1 Luistari-reported2 Luistari-reported3 |
| I1a | 4 | PKN006 PLK003 PKN011 |
| R1a | 1 | PKN012 |
| R1b | 1 | Janakkala |
Ancient DNA studies on Finland
- Population genomics, demography, and circum-Baltic connectivity of Early Medieval southwestern Finland (2026)
- Bioarchaeological analysis illustrates the life of a 16th-century Sámi individual from Kitka, Kuusamo, northern Finland (2026)
- Archaeogenetics reveals fine-scale genetic continuity and patterns of kinship and health in medieval Finland (2025)
- The Finnic Peoples of Russia: Genetic Structure Inferred from Genome-Wide and Y-Chromosome Data (2024)
- Y chromosome sequencing data suggest dual paths of haplogroup N1a1 into Finland (2024)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 120 from Finland.
Compare yourself with Finnish
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Finnish average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Finnish 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 Finnish. 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 Finnish 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 Northern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Finnish?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Finnish average is about 33.3% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 27.8% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 23.3% Eastern hunter-gatherers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Finnish?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Finnish (Central)), the closest modern populations to the Finnish average are Ingrian, Karelian (Southern) and Karelian. The closest ancient matches are Finland High Medieval Palkane Rauniokirkko, Finland Late Modern Palkane Rauniokirkko and Finland Early Modern Palkane Rauniokirkko.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Finnish?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Finnish 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 Finnish ancestry?
None of our regional reports is built for Finnish 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.