Hausa DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Nigeria and Niger · Sub-Saharan Africa
The Hausa are the largest people of the central Sahel, living mainly in northern Nigeria and southern Niger, around old city-states such as Kano, Katsina and Zaria. Hausa belongs to the Chadic branch of the Afroasiatic family, unlike the Niger-Congo languages of most of their southern neighbours. In our model, the Hausa average is 75.6% West African, 20.4% Nilotic East African and 4.0% North African hunter-gatherer (Iberomaurusian), with a close fit (0.0107). The Nilotic share, absent from the Yoruba reference to the south, points to ancestry shared across the Sahel belt toward Lake Chad and the Nile, and the small Iberomaurusian share fits centuries of trans-Saharan trade. Their closest modern averages are Sahelian and Senegambian peoples: Soninke, Wolof, Serer and Mandinka, all around 0.03. The closest ancient group is striking: Muslims buried at Segesta in medieval Sicily, with a profile labelled Chari River, after the river that feeds Lake Chad (0.0418).
- Ancient components in our model: West African 75.6%, Nilotic East African 20.4%, North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian) 4.0%
- Closest modern population in our data: Soninke (Gambia), distance 0.0286
- Closest ancient group in our data: Italy Sicily High Medieval Segesta Muslim (Chari River Profile), distance 0.0418
Where does Hausa DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Hausa individuals sampled in Nigeria and Niger 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 Hausa average
The ancient make-up of the Hausa average is led by West African (75.6%), followed by Nilotic East African (20.4%) and North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian) (4.0%). The West African component reflects ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The Nilotic East African share (20.4%) reflects ancestry found in East African populations. With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
Smaller traces of North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian) (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 model fits well (fit distance 0.011), 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.
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Hausa
Genetically, the Hausa average sits nearest to Soninke (Gambia) at 0.029, Wolof at 0.030 and Serer (Gambia) at 0.030. On our scale, a distance of 0.029 counts as close. By the tenth closest (Manjak (Gambia)) the distance grows to 0.035, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soninke (Gambia) | 0.0286 | Close |
| 2 | Wolof | 0.0298 | Close |
| 3 | Serer (Gambia) | 0.0299 | Close |
| 4 | Mandinka | 0.0310 | Close |
| 5 | Laka | 0.0319 | Close |
| 6 | Fulani (Gambia A) | 0.0321 | Close |
| 7 | Kaba | 0.0333 | Close |
| 8 | Gambian | 0.0339 | Close |
| 9 | Mandenka | 0.0341 | Close |
| 10 | Manjak (Gambia) | 0.0351 | 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 Hausa
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Hausa average is Italy Sicily High Medieval Segesta Muslim (Chari River Profile) (High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD), at 0.042. Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile) and Abkhazia Late Modern Tkhina (Chari River Profile) come next. That is a close match: much of the modern profile was already present then, while later movements of people added further 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 | Italy Sicily High Medieval Segesta Muslim (Chari River Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0418 |
| 2 | Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0526 |
| 3 | Abkhazia Late Modern Tkhina (Chari River Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0578 |
| 4 | Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (Central/Southern African Bantu Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0612 |
| 5 | Democratic Republic of the Congo Kindoki 230BP | c. 1700 AD | 0.0677 |
| 6 | Democratic Republic of the Congo Ngongo Mbata 220BP | c. 1750 AD | 0.0681 |
| 7 | COG Kindoki 230BP | c. 1700 AD | 0.0683 |
| 8 | COG NgongoMbata 220BP | c. 1750 AD | 0.0703 |
| 9 | Tanzania Pemba 600BP | c. 1350 AD | 0.0715 |
| 10 | Tanzania Early Modern Lindi Swahili (Bantu Zone P Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0785 |
Compare yourself with Hausa
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Hausa average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Hausa 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 Hausa individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Hausa. 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 Hausa average. Your own DNA has its own story: Sankofa – African 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 predominantly Sub-Saharan African (SSA) ancestry: modelling against 230+ regional African populations (West, Central, East & Southern Africa, the Horn of Africa, Madagascar) plus the European, Amerindian and...
More populations from Sub-Saharan Africa
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Hausa?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Hausa average is about 75.6% West African, 20.4% Nilotic East African and 4.0% North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Hausa?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Hausa average are Soninke (Gambia), Wolof and Serer (Gambia). The closest ancient matches are Italy Sicily High Medieval Segesta Muslim (Chari River Profile), Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile) and Abkhazia Late Modern Tkhina (Chari River Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Hausa?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Hausa 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 Hausa ancestry?
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Hausa 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.