Italian DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Italy · Southern Europe
Italy's genetic landscape runs along a gradient from north to south. This page uses the Marche average, from the centre of the peninsula, one of the closest to Italy's overall mean. In our model, Anatolian Neolithic farmers contribute 56.7% and steppe herders 30.8%, the two main layers found across southern Europe: early farmers who arrived more than 7,000 years ago, then Bronze Age newcomers carrying steppe-related ancestry. Smaller shares linked to the Levant (5.6% Natufian), the Caucasus (2.7%) and Iran (2.7%) fit the well-documented movement of people from the eastern Mediterranean into Italy, especially during the Roman Imperial period. The closest modern averages are neighbouring central Italians from Umbria and Lazio, followed by Tuscans, the Arbereshe and Greeks from the Peloponnese. Among ancient groups, the nearest is a High Medieval Christian community from Segesta in Sicily (distance 0.0107), followed by early medieval individuals with a Central Mediterranean profile.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 56.7%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 30.8%, Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) 5.6%
- Closest modern population in our data: Italian (Umbria, Umbrian), distance 0.0089
- Closest ancient group in our data: Italy Sicily High Medieval Segesta Christian (Central Med Profile), distance 0.0107
Italian 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 Italian individuals sampled in Italy, listed in the G25 sheet as "Italian_Marche". Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Italian average
The ancient make-up of the Italian average is led by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (56.7%), followed by Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (30.8%) and Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) (5.6%). The Anatolian Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC. The Steppe herders (Yamnaya) share (30.8%) reflects the Bronze Age herders of the Pontic-Caspian steppe (Yamnaya and related groups), whose ancestry spread across Europe and into Asia from about 3000 BC.
Smaller traces of Caucasus hunter-gatherers, Iranian Neolithic farmers and Western hunter-gatherers (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. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Thalassa – Mediterranean Islander Report
Closest modern populations to Italian
Genetically, the Italian average sits nearest to Italian (Umbria, Umbrian) at 0.009, Italian (Lazio, Lazian) at 0.012 and Tuscan at 0.014. On our scale, a distance of 0.009 counts as very close. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Tuscan (0.014), Arbereshe (0.018) and Greek (Peloponnese Laconia Vardounia/East Taygetos) (0.018). Even the tenth closest, Albanian Tosk (Cham Greece), is only 0.024 away: Italian belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian (Umbria, Umbrian) | 0.0089 | Very close |
| 2 | Italian (Lazio, Lazian) | 0.0119 | Very close |
| 3 | Tuscan | 0.0137 | Very close |
| 4 | Arbereshe | 0.0181 | Very close |
| 5 | Greek (Peloponnese Laconia Vardounia/East Taygetos) | 0.0184 | Very close |
| 6 | Greek (Thessaly) | 0.0196 | Very close |
| 7 | Apulian | 0.0198 | Very close |
| 8 | Greek (Achaea) | 0.0204 | Very close |
| 9 | Greek | 0.0210 | Very close |
| 10 | Albanian Tosk (Cham Greece) | 0.0235 | 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 Italian
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Italian average is Italy Sicily High Medieval Segesta Christian (Central Med Profile) (High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD), at 0.011, followed by Hungary Early Medieval Lombard Period (Central Med Profile) and Hungary Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Avar Period (Central Med Profile). 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 | Italy Sicily High Medieval Segesta Christian (Central Med Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0107 |
| 2 | Hungary Early Medieval Lombard Period (Central Med Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0143 |
| 3 | Hungary Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Avar Period (Central Med Profile) | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0149 |
| 4 | Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Middle (Central Med Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0153 |
| 5 | Croatia Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Gardun (Central Med Profile) | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0167 |
| 6 | Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Early/Middle (Central Med Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0179 |
| 7 | Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period (Central Med Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0181 |
| 8 | Italy Lazio Late Antiquity San Ercolano (East Med Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0185 |
| 9 | Croatia Roman Empire Zadar (Central Med Profile) | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0189 |
| 10 | Germany Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Thuringian Brucken (Central Med Profile) | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0192 |
Ancient DNA from Italy
Our ancient DNA database holds 1,616 individuals excavated in present-day Italy, dated from about 37,855 BC to 1750 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1b (216), G2a (154) and I2a (59), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are T2 (156), H1 (128) and U5 (121). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Italian population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Italy
- LAYERED GENOMIC COMPOSITION AND LINGUISTIC CONTINUITY IN GRECÌA SALENTINA (2026)
- From prehistory to present-day: How isolation shaped the distinct genomic makeup of Italian Alpine valleys (2026)
- DNA signatures preserved in the official 1978 sample collection of the Shroud of Turin (2026)
- Ancient DNA analyses of remains of the Medici family (16th century) provide insights into the genetic variation of Plasmodium falciparum (2026)
- The Etruscans of Felsina: Reconstruction of the Genetic Profile and Biological Connections with Italic and Transalpine Populations from the Villanovan Period to the Roman period. (2026)
- DNA Traces on the Shroud of Turin: Metagenomics of the 1978 Official Sample Collection (2026)
- Ancient genomes from the siege and destruction of Middle Bronze Age Roca Vecchia (Apulia, Italy) shed light on Aegean contacts and conflicts (2025)
- The shifting dynamics of ancestry and culture at a post-Roman crossroads (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 1,616 from Italy.
Compare yourself with Italian
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Italian average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Italian 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 Italian individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Italian. 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 Italian average. Your own DNA has its own story: Thalassa – Mediterranean Islander 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 Mediterranean-island ancestry: ancient regional core (Minoan, Mycenaean, Nuragic Sardinian, Phoenician, Sicani, Daunian) versus non-regional outside admixture, across 9 communities (Sicilian, Sardinian, Maltese...
More populations from Southern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Italian?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Italian average is about 56.7% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 30.8% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 5.6% Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Italian?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Italian (Umbria, Umbrian)), the closest modern populations to the Italian average are Tuscan, Arbereshe and Greek (Peloponnese Laconia Vardounia/East Taygetos). The closest ancient matches are Italy Sicily High Medieval Segesta Christian (Central Med Profile), Hungary Early Medieval Lombard Period (Central Med Profile) and Hungary Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Avar Period (Central Med Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Italian?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Italian 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 Italian ancestry?
For the Italian average, the regional report to choose is Thalassa – Mediterranean Islander 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.