Kashmiri DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · India and Pakistan (Kashmir) · South Asia
The Kashmir valley has long been a meeting point between South and Central Asia. Kashmiri is an Indo-Aryan language, and most Kashmiris today are Muslim, Islam having spread in the valley from the 14th century onwards. This page uses the Kashmiri Muslim average. In our model, it is 43.6% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 25.7% Iranian Neolithic farmer and 22.2% steppe, with small Anatolian Neolithic (5.4%) and Caucasus hunter-gatherer (2.0%) shares and a 1.1% West African trace. This is a typical northern South Asian blend, close to that of Kashmiri Pandits, who have a little more steppe-related ancestry (25.2%). The fit (0.0347) is looser than for many neighbours, and even the closest modern averages, Punjabi Syeds (0.028), Kashmiri Muslims from Srinagar and Pashtuns of the Kasabgar Shah Khel, are only moderately close. Ancient genomes are no nearer: historical-period people from Saidu Sharif and Aligrama in the Swat valley sit at 0.0349 and 0.0369.
- Largest ancient components in our model: South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) 43.6%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 25.7%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 22.2%
- Closest modern population in our data: Punjabi (Syed), distance 0.0280
- Closest ancient group in our data: Pakistan HP Saidu Sharif, distance 0.0349
This page sums up what the DNA of the Kashmiri sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in India and Pakistan (Kashmir), listed in the G25 sheet as "Kashmiri_Muslim", 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 Kashmiri average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Kashmiri average, 43.6%, goes to South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), ahead of Iranian Neolithic farmers (25.7%) and Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (22.2%). The South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) component reflects the deep hunter-gatherer ancestry of South Asia (Ancient Ancestral South Indians). The Iranian Neolithic farmers share (25.7%) reflects the early farmers and herders of the Zagros mountains in Iran.
Smaller traces of Caucasus hunter-gatherers and West African (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 0.035): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. 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.
Sindhu – South Asian Report
Closest modern populations to Kashmiri
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Kashmiri average is Punjabi (Syed), at a distance of 0.028 (close). Next come Kashmiri Muslim (Srinagar) at 0.030 and Pashtun (Kasabgar Shah Khel) at 0.031. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Punjabi (Syed) (0.028), Pashtun (Kasabgar Shah Khel) (0.031) and Dogra (Kashmir) (0.032). By the tenth closest (Kashmiri Pandit) the distance grows to 0.035, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Punjabi (Syed) | 0.0280 | Close |
| 2 | Kashmiri Muslim (Srinagar) | 0.0299 | Close |
| 3 | Pashtun (Kasabgar Shah Khel) | 0.0312 | Close |
| 4 | Dogra (Kashmir) | 0.0321 | Close |
| 5 | Pahari (Rajput Muslim Jammu) | 0.0322 | Close |
| 6 | Pashtun (India Madhya Pradesh) | 0.0327 | Close |
| 7 | Punjabi (Ramgarhia Tarkhan Sikh) | 0.0335 | Close |
| 8 | Punjabi Brahmin (Doaba) | 0.0335 | Close |
| 9 | Gujarati Brahmin (Bardai) | 0.0345 | Close |
| 10 | Kashmiri Pandit | 0.0347 | 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 Kashmiri
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Kashmiri average is Pakistan HP Saidu Sharif (Historical period), at 0.035, followed by Pakistan HP Aligrama and Pakistan IA Katelai. 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 | Pakistan HP Saidu Sharif | Historical period | 0.0349 |
| 2 | Pakistan HP Aligrama | Historical period | 0.0369 |
| 3 | Pakistan IA Katelai | Iron Age | 0.0427 |
| 4 | Pakistan IA Gogdara | Iron Age | 0.0446 |
| 5 | Pakistan IA Loebanr | Iron Age | 0.0460 |
| 6 | Pakistan Late Medieval Barikot | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0464 |
| 7 | Pakistan HP Butkara | Historical period | 0.0471 |
| 8 | Pakistan High Medieval Barikot | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0486 |
| 9 | Pakistan HP Barikot | Historical period | 0.0493 |
| 10 | Pakistan IA Udegram | Iron Age | 0.0506 |
Ancient DNA from Pakistan and India
Our ancient DNA database holds 195 individuals excavated in present-day Pakistan and India, dated from about 2,350 BC to 1860 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are L1a (14), R2a (14) and E1b (13), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U2 (18), M30 (12) and M3 (10). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Kashmiri population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Pakistan and India
- Blending borders: reconstructing the genetic history of the Sindhi population (2026)
- Blending borders: reconstructing the genetic history of the Sindhi population (2026)
- The Old Lady spider cave skeletons in Ladakh have diverse maternal genetic origin (2026)
- Layers in the sand: The genetic imprint of migration, culture, and Indus craft in the Thar desert (2026)
- Admixture and Genetic Connectivity: Autosomal Insights Into Indo-Aryan Speakers at the Eastern Edge of the Indian Subcontinent (2026)
- Novel 4400-year-old ancestral component in a tribe speaking a Dravidian language (2025)
- Ancient mitogenomes from Neolithic, megalithic and medieval burials suggest complex genetic history of Kashmir valley, India (2025)
- Contrasting maternal and paternal genetic histories among five ethnic groups from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 136 from Pakistan, 59 from India.
Compare yourself with Kashmiri
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Kashmiri average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Kashmiri 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 Kashmiri individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Kashmiri. 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 Kashmiri average. Your own DNA has its own story: Sindhu – South Asian 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 South Asian ancestry: ancient regional core (Indus Valley Civilization, BMAC, Steppe migration, Himalayan Iron Age & Classical layers) versus non-regional outside admixture, across 13 communities (Punjabi...
More populations from South Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Kashmiri?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Kashmiri average is about 43.6% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 25.7% Iranian Neolithic farmers and 22.2% 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 Kashmiri?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Kashmiri Muslim (Srinagar)), the closest modern populations to the Kashmiri average are Punjabi (Syed), Pashtun (Kasabgar Shah Khel) and Dogra (Kashmir). The closest ancient matches are Pakistan HP Saidu Sharif, Pakistan HP Aligrama and Pakistan IA Katelai.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Kashmiri?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Kashmiri 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 Kashmiri ancestry?
For the Kashmiri average, the regional report to choose is Sindhu – South Asian 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.