Hutu DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Burundi and Rwanda · Sub-Saharan Africa
The Hutu make up most of the population of Burundi and Rwanda and share the Bantu languages Kirundi and Kinyarwanda, and much of their culture, with their Tutsi neighbours. The Hutu average here comes from Burundi, and our model splits it into 50.2% West African, 32.7% Nilotic East African, 6.5% Levantine Neolithic, 6.4% Western rainforest forager (BiAka), 2.6% San and 1.7% Mbuti. The West African share reflects the Bantu-speaking farmers who spread through the region, and the forager shares point to contact with forest peoples such as the Twa. Compared with the Tutsi average (70.7% Nilotic), the Hutu average leans toward other Bantu-speaking peoples of East Africa, but both are averages of groups that overlap a great deal and say nothing about any individual. The closest modern averages are the Wasambaa (0.0191) and Wabondei of northeastern Tanzania and the Swahili, and the closest ancient group is a Swahili-coast population from Makwasinyi in Kenya, about 1300 to 1800 AD (0.0316).
- Largest ancient components in our model: West African 50.2%, Nilotic East African 32.7%, Levantine Neolithic farmers 6.5%
- Closest modern population in our data: Wasambaa, distance 0.0191
- Closest ancient group in our data: Kenya Late Medieval-Early Modern Makwasinyi Swahili, distance 0.0316
This page sums up what the DNA of the Hutu sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Burundi and Rwanda, listed in the G25 sheet as "Hutu_Burundi", 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 Hutu average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Hutu average, 50.2%, goes to West African, ahead of Nilotic East African (32.7%) and Levantine Neolithic farmers (6.5%). The West African component reflects ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The Nilotic East African share (32.7%) reflects ancestry found in East African populations.
Smaller traces of Southern African foragers (San) 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 fit is loose (fit distance 0.044), 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. 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 Hutu
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Hutu average is Wasambaa, at a distance of 0.019 (very close). Next come Wabondei at 0.032 and Swahili at 0.033. By the tenth closest (Bantu (Kenya)) the distance grows to 0.057, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wasambaa | 0.0191 | Very close |
| 2 | Wabondei | 0.0320 | Close |
| 3 | Swahili | 0.0327 | Close |
| 4 | Mijikenda (Kauma) | 0.0352 | Close |
| 5 | Mzigua | 0.0413 | Close |
| 6 | Luo (Kenya) | 0.0486 | Close |
| 7 | Luhya (Kenya) | 0.0511 | Moderate |
| 8 | Luhya | 0.0517 | Moderate |
| 9 | Kenyan (Bantu) | 0.0550 | Moderate |
| 10 | Bantu (Kenya) | 0.0570 | 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 Hutu
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Hutu average is Kenya Late Medieval-Early Modern Makwasinyi Swahili (Late Medieval to Early Modern, c. 1300-1800 AD), at 0.032, followed by Kenya Early Modern Kakapel 300BP and Kenya IA Deloraine. 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 | Kenya Late Medieval-Early Modern Makwasinyi Swahili | Late Medieval to Early Modern, c. 1300-1800 AD | 0.0316 |
| 2 | Kenya Early Modern Kakapel 300BP | c. 1650 AD | 0.0492 |
| 3 | Kenya IA Deloraine | Iron Age | 0.0578 |
| 4 | Italy Sicily High Medieval Segesta Muslim (Chari River Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0580 |
| 5 | Tanzania Early Modern Songo Mnara Swahili (Swahili-Mixed Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0597 |
| 6 | Tanzania Pemba 600BP | c. 1350 AD | 0.0604 |
| 7 | Tanzania Early Modern Lindi Swahili (Bantu Zone P Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0633 |
| 8 | Abkhazia Late Modern Tkhina (Chari River Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0658 |
| 9 | Uganda Munsa 500BP | c. 1450 AD | 0.0710 |
| 10 | Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (Central/Southern African Bantu Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0745 |
Compare yourself with Hutu
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Hutu average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Hutu 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 Hutu individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Hutu. 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.
Thanks: to Nomad (GenArchivist) for the population and ancient sample collection this atlas is built on, and to Davidski (Eurogenes) for Global25.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the Hutu 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 Hutu?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Hutu average is about 50.2% West African, 32.7% Nilotic East African and 6.5% Levantine Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Hutu?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Hutu average are Wasambaa, Wabondei and Swahili. The closest ancient matches are Kenya Late Medieval-Early Modern Makwasinyi Swahili, Kenya Early Modern Kakapel 300BP and Kenya IA Deloraine.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Hutu?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Hutu 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 Hutu ancestry?
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Hutu 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.