Gujarati DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · India · South Asia
Gujarat, on India's west coast, has been a land of farmers, traders and seafarers since the Indus era, when cities such as Lothal and Dholavira stood on its coasts and salt flats. Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and Gujarati communities are also known for a large diaspora in East Africa, Britain and North America. In our model, the Gujarati average is 65.0% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 21.6% Iranian Neolithic farmer and 13.4% steppe, which places it near the middle of the north to south gradient of South Asia, with much less steppe-related ancestry than the Jats of Haryana (36.4%). The closest modern averages are Koli Patel samples from Gujarat itself (0.0093), Agarwal Bania from Haryana, Jains from Bhilwara in Rajasthan and Kurmi from the Braj region. The closest ancient group is the South Asian profile at Roopkund in the Himalaya, about 800 AD, at a close 0.0202, while the Indus-era profile from Shahr-i-Sokhta is further away (0.0563).
- Ancient components in our model: South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) 65.0%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 21.6%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 13.4%
- Closest modern population in our data: Gujarati (Koli Patel), distance 0.0093
- Closest ancient group in our data: India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile), distance 0.0202
This page sums up what the DNA of the Gujarati sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in India, 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 Gujarati average
The ancient make-up of the Gujarati average is led by South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) (65.0%), followed by Iranian Neolithic farmers (21.6%) and Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (13.4%). The South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) component reflects the deep hunter-gatherer ancestry of South Asia (Ancient Ancestral South Indians). The Iranian Neolithic farmers share (21.6%) reflects the early farmers and herders of the Zagros mountains in Iran. With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
The fit is acceptable (fit distance 0.037): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. 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.
Sindhu – South Asian Report
Closest modern populations to Gujarati
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Gujarati average is Gujarati (Koli Patel), at a distance of 0.009 (very close). Next come Haryanvi (Bania Agarwal) at 0.011 and Rajasthani (Jain Bhilwara) at 0.013. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Haryanvi (Bania Agarwal) (0.011), Rajasthani (Jain Bhilwara) (0.013) and Braj (Kurmi) (0.014). Even the tenth closest, Bagheli (Chaurasia), is only 0.019 away: Gujarati belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gujarati (Koli Patel) | 0.0093 | Very close |
| 2 | Haryanvi (Bania Agarwal) | 0.0110 | Very close |
| 3 | Rajasthani (Jain Bhilwara) | 0.0132 | Very close |
| 4 | Braj (Kurmi) | 0.0136 | Very close |
| 5 | Konkani Christian (Catholic Brahmin Kumta) | 0.0158 | Very close |
| 6 | Konkani Christian (Catholic Brahmin) | 0.0166 | Very close |
| 7 | Kodava (Forward Caste Profile) | 0.0171 | Very close |
| 8 | Nasrani | 0.0171 | Very close |
| 9 | Malayali Christian (Nasrani) | 0.0178 | Very close |
| 10 | Bagheli (Chaurasia) | 0.0185 | 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 Gujarati
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Gujarati average is India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile) (c. 800 AD), at 0.020. Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta (IVC Profile) and Pakistan IA Aligrama come 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 | India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile) | c. 800 AD | 0.0202 |
| 2 | Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta (IVC Profile) | Early Bronze Age | 0.0563 |
| 3 | Pakistan IA Aligrama | Iron Age | 0.0707 |
| 4 | Pakistan HP Butkara | Historical period | 0.0736 |
| 5 | Pakistan HP Aligrama | Historical period | 0.0825 |
| 6 | Pakistan HP Saidu Sharif | Historical period | 0.0913 |
| 7 | China Shaanxi HP Northern Zhou Dynasty Xi'an (Burusho Profile) | Northern Zhou dynasty, 557-581 AD | 0.0989 |
| 8 | Pakistan IA Katelai | Iron Age | 0.1045 |
| 9 | Pakistan HP Barikot | Historical period | 0.1053 |
| 10 | Pakistan IA Gogdara | Iron Age | 0.1073 |
Ancient DNA from India
Our ancient DNA database holds 59 individuals excavated in present-day India, dated from about 2,350 BC to 1860 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R2a (4), H1a (3) and J2b (3), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are M3 (6), H1 (4) and U2 (4). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Gujarati population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on India
- Blending borders: reconstructing the genetic history of the Sindhi population (2026)
- Blending borders: reconstructing the genetic history of the Sindhi population (2026)
- The Old Lady spider cave skeletons in Ladakh have diverse maternal genetic origin (2026)
- Layers in the sand: The genetic imprint of migration, culture, and Indus craft in the Thar desert (2026)
- Admixture and Genetic Connectivity: Autosomal Insights Into Indo-Aryan Speakers at the Eastern Edge of the Indian Subcontinent (2026)
- Novel 4400-year-old ancestral component in a tribe speaking a Dravidian language (2025)
- Ancient mitogenomes from Neolithic, megalithic and medieval burials suggest complex genetic history of Kashmir valley, India (2025)
- 50,000 years of evolutionary history of India: Impact on health and disease variation (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 59 from India.
Compare yourself with Gujarati
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Gujarati average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Gujarati 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 Gujarati. 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 Gujarati average. Your own DNA has its own story: Sindhu – South Asian 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 South Asian ancestry: ancient regional core (Indus Valley Civilization, BMAC, Steppe migration, Himalayan Iron Age & Classical layers) versus non-regional outside admixture, across 13 communities (Punjabi...
More populations from South Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Gujarati?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Gujarati average is about 65.0% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 21.6% Iranian Neolithic farmers and 13.4% 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 Gujarati?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Gujarati (Koli Patel)), the closest modern populations to the Gujarati average are Haryanvi (Bania Agarwal), Rajasthani (Jain Bhilwara) and Braj (Kurmi). The closest ancient matches are India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile), Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta (IVC Profile) and Pakistan IA Aligrama.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Gujarati?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Gujarati 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 Gujarati ancestry?
Sindhu – South Asian Report is our regional report for this part of the world. On the Gujarati average its fit test reads partial, so check your own DNA first: the free Report Finder runs that test on your file.
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.