Karen DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Myanmar and Thailand · Southeast Asia
The Karen live in the hills along the border between Myanmar and Thailand, and in Myanmar's Karen State and Irrawaddy delta. Karenic languages form their own branch of the Sino-Tibetan family, and this page uses the Sgaw Karen average, the largest Karen group. Their genetic profile differs clearly from that of the Bamar: in our model, the Karen average is 57.2% Southeast Asian Neolithic farmer and 41.5% East Asian, with only 1.3% South Asian hunter-gatherer related, against 18.2% for the Burmese average. Even more telling are the neighbours: the closest modern averages are the Wa (0.0137), the Lawa (0.0159), the Blang and the Palaung, all Austroasiatic-speaking hill peoples, rather than other Sino-Tibetan speakers, which points to deep mixing with earlier inhabitants of the hills. The closest ancient group is close in both senses: Iron Age people buried in log coffins in the highlands of northwestern Thailand, at 0.0211, in the same border region where many Karen live today.
- Ancient components in our model: Southeast Asian Neolithic farmers 57.2%, East Asian 41.5%, South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) 1.3%
- Closest modern population in our data: Wa, distance 0.0137
- Closest ancient group in our data: Thailand IA Log Coffin, distance 0.0211
This page sums up what the DNA of the Karen sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Myanmar and Thailand, listed in the G25 sheet as "Karen_Sgaw", 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 Karen average
The ancient make-up of the Karen average is led by Southeast Asian Neolithic farmers (57.2%), followed by East Asian (41.5%) and South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) (1.3%). The Southeast Asian Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic farmers of mainland Southeast Asia. The East Asian share (41.5%) reflects ancestry most common today in East Asia.
Smaller traces of South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) (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 fit is loose (fit distance 0.043), 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.
Closest modern populations to Karen
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Karen average is Wa, at a distance of 0.014 (very close). Next come Lawa at 0.016 and Blang at 0.027. By the tenth closest (Hani) the distance grows to 0.058, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wa | 0.0137 | Very close |
| 2 | Lawa | 0.0159 | Very close |
| 3 | Blang | 0.0271 | Close |
| 4 | Palaung (Yunnan, De'ang) | 0.0332 | Close |
| 5 | Lahu | 0.0386 | Close |
| 6 | Khmer (Cambodia) | 0.0505 | Moderate |
| 7 | Akha (Thailand) | 0.0544 | Moderate |
| 8 | Dai (Yunnan Dehong Dai and Jingpo AP) | 0.0551 | Moderate |
| 9 | Cambodian | 0.0563 | Moderate |
| 10 | Hani | 0.0576 | 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 Karen
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Karen average is Thailand IA Log Coffin (Iron Age), at 0.021. China Guangxi LBA Hanging Coffin Hua Cun and Vietnam BA Nui Nap 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 | Thailand IA Log Coffin | Iron Age | 0.0211 |
| 2 | China Guangxi LBA Hanging Coffin Hua Cun | Late Bronze Age | 0.0500 |
| 3 | Vietnam BA Nui Nap | Bronze Age | 0.0638 |
| 4 | China Yunnan HP Hanging Coffin-Nanzhao Wa Shi | Historical period | 0.0638 |
| 5 | China Yunnan HP Yuan Dynasty Dou-Sha-Guan | Historical period | 0.0684 |
| 6 | China Yunnan HP Nanzhao-Dali Long Ma | Historical period | 0.0697 |
| 7 | China Guangxi HP Ming Dynasty Huatuyan | Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 AD | 0.0717 |
| 8 | Vietnam LN Nam Tun | Late Neolithic | 0.0717 |
| 9 | China Dushan 8700BP | c. 6750 BC | 0.0730 |
| 10 | China Huatuyan 400BP | c. 1550 AD | 0.0741 |
Ancient DNA from Thailand and Myanmar
Our ancient DNA database holds 80 individuals excavated in present-day Thailand and Myanmar, dated from about 1,350 BC to 645 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are N1b (6), O1b (6) and O2a (6), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are F1 (34), G2 (7) and N8 (4). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Karen population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Thailand and Myanmar
- Paternal genetic landscape of contemporary Thai populations in the borderland provinces of Thailand and Myanmar (2025)
- Natural selection and adaptive traits in the Maniq, a nomadic hunter-gatherer society from Mainland Southeast Asia (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 77 from Thailand, 3 from Myanmar.
Compare yourself with Karen
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Karen average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Karen 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
Keep in mind that a population average is a statistical summary of a limited number of sampled individuals. Real people inside any group vary, some carry more of one ancestry and some less, and no genetic profile decides who is or is not Karen. Use these numbers as a map of deep ancestry, not as a label.
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 Karen average. For your own DNA, Advanced Ancestry Report (16€) gives a full ancestry breakdown with no regional focus, in a personal PDF report.
Comprehensive DNA analysis comparing your genetics to over 2,000 modern reference populations.
More populations from Southeast Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Karen?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Karen average is about 57.2% Southeast Asian Neolithic farmers, 41.5% East Asian and 1.3% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Karen?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Karen average are Wa, Lawa and Blang. The closest ancient matches are Thailand IA Log Coffin, China Guangxi LBA Hanging Coffin Hua Cun and Vietnam BA Nui Nap.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Karen?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Karen 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 Karen ancestry?
None of our regional reports is built for Karen ancestry, so the full Advanced Ancestry Report (no regional focus) is the better choice. The DNA Mega-Analysis adds Neanderthal %, traits and closest ancient populations. The free Report Finder checks every report against your own DNA first.
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.