Ket DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Russia (Yenisei) · Siberia
The Kets are a small people of the middle Yenisei in central Siberia, numbering only about a thousand. Their language is the last survivor of the Yeniseian family, and linguists have proposed a distant link between Yeniseian and the Na-Dene languages of North America, an idea that is still debated. In our model, the Ket average is 55.1% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related), 29.2% Ancient North Eurasian, 7.0% East Asian, 4.1% Eastern hunter-gatherer, 2.9% Levantine Neolithic and 1.7% Anatolian Neolithic farmer. That Ancient North Eurasian share is the highest in our whole atlas; the reference for this component is Afontova Gora, an Ice Age site upstream on the Yenisei at Krasnoyarsk. The fit (0.1183) is one of the roughest in the atlas, a sign of the drift of a small, isolated group. The closest modern averages are their Selkup neighbours (0.0493 and 0.056), then the Nenets and Khanty, much further away. Ancient matches are distant too (0.0936 and beyond).
- Largest ancient components in our model: Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) 55.1%, Ancient North Eurasians 29.2%, East Asian 7.0%
- Closest modern population in our data: Selkup (Taz), distance 0.0493
- Closest ancient group in our data: Khanty-Mansia Early Medieval Nizhneobskaya Barsov-Gorodok, distance 0.0936
Ket 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 Ket individuals sampled in Russia (Yenisei). Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Ket average
The ancient make-up of the Ket average is led by Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) (55.1%), followed by Ancient North Eurasians (29.2%) and East Asian (7.0%). The Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) component reflects the ancestry of the peoples of northern Siberia. The Ancient North Eurasians share (29.2%) reflects the Ice Age hunters of Siberia known as Ancient North Eurasians.
Smaller traces of Eastern hunter-gatherers, Levantine Neolithic farmers and Anatolian 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 loose (fit distance 0.118), 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 Ket
Genetically, the Ket average sits nearest to Selkup (Taz) at 0.049, Selkup at 0.056 and Nenets (Forest) at 0.091. On our scale, a distance of 0.049 counts as close. By the tenth closest (Shor (Khakassia)) the distance grows to 0.152, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Selkup (Taz) | 0.0493 | Close |
| 2 | Selkup | 0.0560 | Moderate |
| 3 | Nenets (Forest) | 0.0914 | Distant |
| 4 | Nenets | 0.0931 | Distant |
| 5 | Nenets (Tundra) | 0.0975 | Distant |
| 6 | Khanty (Obdorsk) | 0.1051 | Distant |
| 7 | Khanty | 0.1093 | Distant |
| 8 | Mansi | 0.1330 | Distant |
| 9 | Enets | 0.1378 | Distant |
| 10 | Shor (Khakassia) | 0.1521 | Distant |
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 Ket
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Ket average is Khanty-Mansia Early Medieval Nizhneobskaya Barsov-Gorodok (Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD), at 0.094, followed by Omsk High Medieval Ust-Ishim Ivanov-Mys and Omsk Early-High Medieval Ust-Ishim Panovo. Even the best ancient match is distant, so the modern population is better described as a blend of several ancestral sources than as the continuation of one. 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 | Khanty-Mansia Early Medieval Nizhneobskaya Barsov-Gorodok | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0936 |
| 2 | Omsk High Medieval Ust-Ishim Ivanov-Mys | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0960 |
| 3 | Omsk Early-High Medieval Ust-Ishim Panovo | Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD | 0.1088 |
| 4 | Krasnoyarsk LBA Bazaikha | Late Bronze Age | 0.1186 |
| 5 | Krasnoyarsk LBA Afontova Gora | Late Bronze Age | 0.1233 |
| 6 | Omsk BA Seima-Turbino Rostovka (Intermediate West Siberia BA Profile) | Bronze Age | 0.1386 |
| 7 | Khanty-Mansia BA Seima-Turbino Satyga | Bronze Age | 0.1399 |
| 8 | Krasnoyarsk LN Afontova Gora | Late Neolithic | 0.1432 |
| 9 | Altai MN Kuznetsk-Altai Ust-Isha | Middle Neolithic | 0.1460 |
| 10 | Tyumen Early Medieval Potschevash Vikulovo | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.1466 |
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 Ket 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 Ket
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Ket average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Ket 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 Ket individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Ket. 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 Ket 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 Siberia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Ket?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Ket average is about 55.1% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related), 29.2% Ancient North Eurasians and 7.0% East Asian. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Ket?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Ket average are Selkup (Taz), Selkup and Nenets (Forest). The closest ancient matches are Khanty-Mansia Early Medieval Nizhneobskaya Barsov-Gorodok, Omsk High Medieval Ust-Ishim Ivanov-Mys and Omsk Early-High Medieval Ust-Ishim Panovo.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Ket?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Ket 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 Ket ancestry?
None of our regional reports is built for Ket 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.