Haitian DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Haiti · Americas
Haiti occupies the western third of Hispaniola. As the French colony of Saint-Domingue it was the richest sugar colony of the 18th century, worked by hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans, until the Haitian Revolution, which began in 1791 and in 1804 created the first independent state founded by formerly enslaved people. Haitian Creole, based on French with strong West African influence, is spoken by nearly everyone. In our model, the Afro-Haitian average is 76.8% West African, with Nilotic (7.9%) and western rainforest forager (3.5%) shares that bring the African-related total to nearly nine tenths, and European-related shares from Anatolian Neolithic farmers (6.9%) and Eastern hunter-gatherers (4.9%). That puts Haiti between the Jamaican (91.2% West African) and African American averages, and far from its neighbour the Dominican Republic (28.0% West African). The closest modern averages are Afro-Barbadians (0.0246) and Afro-Grenadians, other Caribbean populations with similar histories, and the closest ancient group is African Americans from Catoctin Furnace in Maryland (0.052).
- Largest ancient components in our model: West African 76.8%, Nilotic East African 7.9%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 6.9%
- Closest modern population in our data: Afro-Barbadian, distance 0.0246
- Closest ancient group in our data: USA Maryland Early-Late Modern Catoctin Furnace (African American Profile), distance 0.0520
This page sums up what the DNA of the Haitian sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Haiti, listed in the G25 sheet as "Afro-Haitian", 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 Haitian average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Haitian average, 76.8%, goes to West African, ahead of Nilotic East African (7.9%) and Anatolian Neolithic farmers (6.9%). The West African component reflects ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
Smaller traces of Eastern hunter-gatherers and Western rainforest foragers (BiAka) (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 0.018), 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 Haitian
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Haitian average is Afro-Barbadian, at a distance of 0.025 (very close). Next come Afro-Grenadian at 0.027 and Fulani (Guinea) at 0.043. By the tenth closest (Soninke (Gambia)) the distance grows to 0.069, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afro-Barbadian | 0.0246 | Very close |
| 2 | Afro-Grenadian | 0.0271 | Close |
| 3 | Fulani (Guinea) | 0.0427 | Close |
| 4 | Afro-Panamanian | 0.0458 | Close |
| 5 | Afro-Brazilian | 0.0469 | Close |
| 6 | Senegal (Halpularen) | 0.0469 | Close |
| 7 | Fulani (Senegal) | 0.0471 | Close |
| 8 | Fulani (Guinea A) | 0.0474 | Close |
| 9 | Jamaican | 0.0535 | Moderate |
| 10 | Soninke (Gambia) | 0.0688 | Moderate |
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 Haitian
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Haitian average is USA Maryland Early-Late Modern Catoctin Furnace (African American Profile) (Modern era, c. 1500-1950 AD), at 0.052. USA Delaware Early Modern Avery's Rest (Mixed SSA Profile) and Tanzania Early Modern Songo Mnara Swahili (Swahili-Mixed Profile) come next. That is only a moderate match: part of the modern profile was already present then, but later movements of people added substantial layers. 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 | USA Maryland Early-Late Modern Catoctin Furnace (African American Profile) | Modern era, c. 1500-1950 AD | 0.0520 |
| 2 | USA Delaware Early Modern Avery's Rest (Mixed SSA Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0603 |
| 3 | Tanzania Early Modern Songo Mnara Swahili (Swahili-Mixed Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0705 |
| 4 | USA Maryland Early-Late Modern Catoctin Furnace (West African Profile) | Modern era, c. 1500-1950 AD | 0.0751 |
| 5 | Italy Sicily High Medieval Segesta Muslim (Chari River Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0758 |
| 6 | Kenya Late Medieval-Early Modern Makwasinyi Swahili | Late Medieval to Early Modern, c. 1300-1800 AD | 0.0807 |
| 7 | USA Delaware Early Modern Avery's Rest (West/Central African Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0832 |
| 8 | USA Maryland Early-Late Modern Catoctin Furnace (Central/Southern African Bantu Profile) | Modern era, c. 1500-1950 AD | 0.0837 |
| 9 | Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0850 |
| 10 | Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (Central/Southern African Bantu Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0877 |
Ancient DNA from Haiti
Our ancient DNA database holds 2 individuals excavated in present-day Haiti. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are Q1b (1), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are D1 (2). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Haitian population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
| Haplogroup | Individuals | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Q1b | 1 | I12576 |
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 2 from Haiti.
Compare yourself with Haitian
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Haitian average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Haitian 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 Haitian individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Haitian. 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 Haitian 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...
More populations from Americas
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Haitian?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Haitian average is about 76.8% West African, 7.9% Nilotic East African and 6.9% Anatolian Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Haitian?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Haitian average are Afro-Barbadian, Afro-Grenadian and Fulani (Guinea). The closest ancient matches are USA Maryland Early-Late Modern Catoctin Furnace (African American Profile), USA Delaware Early Modern Avery's Rest (Mixed SSA Profile) and Tanzania Early Modern Songo Mnara Swahili (Swahili-Mixed Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Haitian?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Haitian 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 Haitian ancestry?
Karukera – Caribbean Creole Ancestry Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Haitian 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.