Ingush DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Russia (Ingushetia) · Caucasus
The Ingush, who call themselves Ghalghai, live in Ingushetia in the central North Caucasus, where medieval stone tower villages still stand in the mountain valleys. Their language is closely related to Chechen within the Nakh branch of the North-East Caucasian family. In our model, the Ingush average is 39.9% Caucasus hunter-gatherer, 24.6% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 23.2% steppe-related, 5.7% Natufian, 3.4% East Asian and 3.3% Iranian Neolithic, with more Caucasus-related and less steppe-related ancestry than the Chechens (37.0% and 28.6%). The nearest modern average is the Chechen one (distance 0.0174), but after it the Ingush look west rather than east: Circassians (0.0184), Balkars, Adyghe and Ossetians, their western neighbours, all come before the Dagestani peoples that stand so close to the Chechens. The closest ancient groups are early medieval Alans of the Saltovo-Mayaki culture (0.0256) and Late Antique to early medieval Alans from North Ossetia.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Caucasus hunter-gatherers 39.9%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 24.6%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 23.2%
- Closest modern population in our data: Chechen, distance 0.0174
- Closest ancient group in our data: Ukraine Early Medieval Saltovo-Mayaki Verkhnii Saltiv (Alan, Ciscaucasian Profile), distance 0.0256
Ingush is one of the 335 modern populations in our population genetics atlas. The numbers on this page describe the average Global25 (G25) genome of the Ingush individuals sampled in Russia (Ingushetia). Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Ingush average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Ingush average comes out as 39.9% Caucasus hunter-gatherers, 24.6% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 23.2% Steppe herders (Yamnaya). The Caucasus hunter-gatherers component reflects the hunter-gatherers of the Caucasus, a deep ancestry shared by the Caucasus, Anatolia and the Iranian plateau. The Anatolian Neolithic farmers share (24.6%) reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC.
Smaller traces of East Asian and Iranian Neolithic farmers (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 acceptable (fit distance 0.025): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Ararat – Levant & Caucasus Report
Closest modern populations to Ingush
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Chechen first for Ingush, at 0.017, then Circassian (Adyghe) (other sample set) and Balkar. Even the tenth closest, Karachay, is only 0.025 away: Ingush belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chechen | 0.0174 | Very close |
| 2 | Circassian (Adyghe) (other sample set) | 0.0184 | Very close |
| 3 | Balkar | 0.0195 | Very close |
| 4 | Adygei | 0.0198 | Very close |
| 5 | Ossetian (North Ossetia) | 0.0216 | Very close |
| 6 | Karata | 0.0223 | Very close |
| 7 | North Ossetian | 0.0238 | Very close |
| 8 | Kumyk | 0.0239 | Very close |
| 9 | Circassian (Adyghe) | 0.0243 | Very close |
| 10 | Karachay | 0.0245 | 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 Ingush
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Ingush, Ukraine Early Medieval Saltovo-Mayaki Verkhnii Saltiv (Alan, Ciscaucasian Profile) (Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD) comes first, at 0.026, with North Ossetia Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Alan 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 | Ukraine Early Medieval Saltovo-Mayaki Verkhnii Saltiv (Alan, Ciscaucasian Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0256 |
| 2 | North Ossetia Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Alan | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0269 |
| 3 | Armenia IA Lchashen-Metsamor/Urartian Bardzryal | Iron Age | 0.0332 |
| 4 | Karachay-Cherkessia Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Alan | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0333 |
| 5 | Ukraine IA Scythian Pisochyn (Ciscaucasian Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0337 |
| 6 | Georgia Late Antiquity Nedzikhi (Arsacid-Chosroid) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0339 |
| 7 | Georgia EIA Kistauri | Early Iron Age | 0.0347 |
| 8 | Krasnodar High Medieval Anapa | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0351 |
| 9 | Armenia MBA Trialeti | Middle Bronze Age | 0.0353 |
| 10 | Armenia LBA Lchashen-Metsamor Lchashen | Late Bronze Age | 0.0358 |
Ancient DNA from Russia
Our ancient DNA database holds 2,938 individuals excavated in present-day Russia, dated from about 208,050 BC to 1918 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1a (370), R1b (317) and N1a (235), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U5 (367), U4 (226) and U2 (150). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Ingush population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Russia
- The Yeniseian and Andronovo Substrates in the Gene Pools of the Indigenous Southern Siberian Populations Analyzed by Q and R1a Y-Haplogroups (2026)
- Ancient genomics study reveals low HLA diversity in eastern hunter-gatherers (2026)
- Comparison of Illumina NovaSeq 6000, GeneMind SURFSeq 5000, Salus Evo, and MGI DNBSEQ-G400 for Ancient DNA Whole-Genome Sequencing (2026)
- Biochip for Determination of 92 Human Y-Chromosome Haplogroups by SNP Markers and Frequency Distribution of These Haplogroups in Slavic Population of European Russia (2026)
- Modern descendants of Kyordyughen warrior (Yakutia, 4200 years before present) in populations of Far East (2026)
- Genetic history of Rus' (2025)
- Paratyphoid Fever and Relapsing Fever in 1812 Napoleon’s Devastated Army (2025)
- Pre-Slavic and Slavic Interaction at Eastern Periphery of Slavic Expansion in Northeastern Europe (Y-Gene Pools of Volga-Oka Region) (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 2,938 from Russia.
Compare yourself with Ingush
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Ingush average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Ingush 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 Ingush individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Ingush. 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 Ingush average. Your own DNA has its own story: Ararat – Levant & Caucasus 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 Levant or Caucasus ancestry: ancient regional core (Levant Iron Age, Caucasus Hunter-Gatherer, Kura-Araxes Bronze Age) versus non-regional outside admixture, across 13 communities (Maronite, Druze, Sunni...
More populations from Caucasus
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Ingush?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Ingush average is about 39.9% Caucasus hunter-gatherers, 24.6% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 23.2% 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 Ingush?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Ingush average are Chechen, Circassian (Adyghe) (other sample set) and Balkar. The closest ancient matches are Ukraine Early Medieval Saltovo-Mayaki Verkhnii Saltiv (Alan, Ciscaucasian Profile), North Ossetia Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Alan and Armenia IA Lchashen-Metsamor/Urartian Bardzryal.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Ingush?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Ingush 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 Ingush ancestry?
For the Ingush average, the regional report to choose is Ararat – Levant & Caucasus Report, which our fit test rates as an excellent 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.