Igorot DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Philippines · Southeast Asia
Igorot is the collective name for the peoples of the Cordillera mountains of northern Luzon, among them the Ifugao, Bontoc, Kankanaey, Ibaloi and Kalinga. They built the famous rice terraces of the Cordillera, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and much of the highlands stayed outside Spanish control for most of the colonial period. In our model, the Igorot average is 100.0% Southern Chinese Neolithic farmer, but the fit is rough (0.0647), the loosest of our Philippine pages, a sign of their own long history in the mountains. Their ancient matches are the most striking in our data for the Philippines: Latte-period people from Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands (0.0168) and from Guam (0.0188). Ancient DNA studies suggest that the Mariana Islands were first settled from Island Southeast Asia, probably the Philippines, about 3,500 years ago. The closest modern averages are a Kankanaey Igorot sample (0.0061), then the Yami and Amis of Taiwan.
- Ancient components in our model: Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers 100.0%
- Closest modern population in our data: Igorot (Kankanaey), distance 0.0061
- Closest ancient group in our data: Northern Mariana Islands Saipan Latte Anaguan, distance 0.0168
This page sums up what the DNA of the Igorot sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Philippines, 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 Igorot average
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Igorot average is explained almost entirely by Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers (100.0%). The Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic rice and millet farmers of southern China, whose descendants spread into Southeast Asia. That does not make the population uniform: the model simply has no finer reference population for this part of the world, and the closest populations below show the detail it cannot.
The fit is loose (fit distance 0.065), 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.
Lapita – Austronesian & Pacific Report
Closest modern populations to Igorot
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Igorot (Kankanaey) first for Igorot, at 0.006, then Yami and Amis. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Yami (0.025), Amis (0.025) and Formosan (0.028). By the tenth closest (Nias (Gomo)) the distance grows to 0.050, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Igorot (Kankanaey) | 0.0061 | Very close |
| 2 | Yami | 0.0251 | Close |
| 3 | Amis | 0.0252 | Close |
| 4 | Formosan | 0.0281 | Close |
| 5 | Atayal | 0.0320 | Close |
| 6 | Luzon | 0.0391 | Close |
| 7 | Dusun (Brunei) | 0.0485 | Close |
| 8 | Murut (Brunei) | 0.0488 | Close |
| 9 | Murut | 0.0491 | Close |
| 10 | Nias (Gomo) | 0.0501 | 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 Igorot
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Igorot average is Northern Mariana Islands Saipan Latte Anaguan (Latte period, c. 900-1700 AD), at 0.017. Guam Latte Naton and Guam Latte Haputo 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 | Northern Mariana Islands Saipan Latte Anaguan | Latte period, c. 900-1700 AD | 0.0168 |
| 2 | Guam Latte Naton | Latte period, c. 900-1700 AD | 0.0188 |
| 3 | Guam Latte Haputo | Latte period, c. 900-1700 AD | 0.0249 |
| 4 | Guam Unai Late Naton | Unai period, before c. 900 AD | 0.0303 |
| 5 | Taiwan IA Hanben | Iron Age | 0.0308 |
| 6 | Guam Unai Naton | Unai period, before c. 900 AD | 0.0313 |
| 7 | Taiwan N Gongguan | Neolithic | 0.0321 |
| 8 | Taiwan Pre-IA Hanben | Iron Age | 0.0342 |
| 9 | Vanuatu 2900BP | c. 950 BC | 0.0347 |
| 10 | Guam Unai Late Ritidian | Unai period, before c. 900 AD | 0.0390 |
Ancient DNA from Philippines
Our ancient DNA database holds 2 individuals excavated in present-day Philippines, dated from about 167 AD to 189 AD. The most frequent mtDNA haplogroups among them are B5 (1) and F1 (1). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Igorot population.
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 2 from Philippines.
Compare yourself with Igorot
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Igorot average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Igorot 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 Igorot individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Igorot. 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 Igorot average. Your own DNA has its own story: Lapita – Austronesian & Pacific 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 Austronesian / Indo-Pacific ancestry: ancient regional core (the Taiwan Neolithic homeland, the Lapita culture, Guam Unai and Latte periods, the Medieval voyage to Madagascar) versus non-regional outside...
More populations from Southeast Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Igorot?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Igorot average is about 100.0% Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Igorot?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Igorot (Kankanaey)), the closest modern populations to the Igorot average are Yami, Amis and Formosan. The closest ancient matches are Northern Mariana Islands Saipan Latte Anaguan, Guam Latte Naton and Guam Latte Haputo.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Igorot?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Igorot 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 Igorot ancestry?
For the Igorot average, the regional report to choose is Lapita – Austronesian & Pacific Report, which our fit test rates as a good match. 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.