Khakas DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Russia (Khakassia) · Siberia
The Khakas live in the Minusinsk basin on the middle Yenisei, in the Republic of Khakassia in southern Siberia, whose archaeology runs from the Bronze Age Okunevo culture to the Tagar and Tashtyk cultures of the Iron Age. In the 9th century the Yenisei Kyrgyz built a powerful state here, and Khakas is a Turkic language of the region. In our model, the Khakas average is 44.6% Ancient Northeast Asian, 18.0% steppe, 14.7% Arctic Siberian, 13.8% Ancient North Eurasian, 5.6% Anatolian Neolithic farmer and 3.3% East Asian. The Ancient North Eurasian share stands out: it is about twice the Altaian figure (7.2%), and its source, the Ice Age hunters of Afontova Gora, lived near Krasnoyarsk on the same river. After other Khakas samples, the closest modern averages are the Teleut (0.0214) and the Shor, Turkic peoples of the nearby mountains. In the ancient data, historical-period people from Jirentaigoukou in Xinjiang come closest (0.0361).
- Largest ancient components in our model: Ancient Northeast Asians 44.6%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 18.0%, Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) 14.7%
- Closest other population in our data: Teleut, distance 0.0214
- Closest ancient group in our data: Xinjiang HP Jirentaigoukou, distance 0.0361
This page sums up what the DNA of the Khakas sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Russia (Khakassia), listed in the G25 sheet as "Khakass", 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 Khakas average
The ancient make-up of the Khakas average is led by Ancient Northeast Asians (44.6%), followed by Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (18.0%) and Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) (14.7%). The Ancient Northeast Asians component reflects ancestry most common today in East Asia. The Steppe herders (Yamnaya) share (18.0%) 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 East Asian (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 0.048), 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.
Turan – Silk Road & Central Asian Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Khakas
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Khakas average is Khakass (Sagai), at a distance of 0.015 (very close). Next come Khakass (Kyzils) at 0.016 and Teleut at 0.021. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Teleut (0.021), Shor (0.029) and Shor (Mountain) (0.039). By the tenth closest (Altaian) the distance grows to 0.054, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khakass (Sagai) | 0.0154 | Very close |
| 2 | Khakass (Kyzils) | 0.0162 | Very close |
| 3 | Teleut | 0.0214 | Very close |
| 4 | Shor | 0.0289 | Close |
| 5 | Shor (Mountain) | 0.0387 | Close |
| 6 | Shor (Khakassia) | 0.0388 | Close |
| 7 | Kumandin | 0.0409 | Close |
| 8 | Chelkan | 0.0447 | Close |
| 9 | Tubalar | 0.0448 | Close |
| 10 | Altaian | 0.0542 | 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 Khakas
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Khakas average is Xinjiang HP Jirentaigoukou (Historical period), at 0.036. Xinjiang IA Unknown Site and Xinjiang HP Kafulang come 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 | Xinjiang HP Jirentaigoukou | Historical period | 0.0361 |
| 2 | Xinjiang IA Unknown Site | Iron Age | 0.0361 |
| 3 | Xinjiang HP Kafulang | Historical period | 0.0448 |
| 4 | Altai Early Medieval Kytmanovo | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0485 |
| 5 | Kazakhstan High Medieval Kipchak Lisakovsk | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0506 |
| 6 | Ukraine Late Medieval Crimean Khanate Mamay-Gora (Nogai, Central Asian Turkic Profile) | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0537 |
| 7 | Russia Samara Early Medieval Malaya Ryazan' Novinki (East Asian-Mixed Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0578 |
| 8 | Kyrgyzstan Early Medieval Turk | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0579 |
| 9 | Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (East Asian-Mixed Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0591 |
| 10 | Irkutsk Late Medieval Ust-Belaya | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0600 |
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 Khakas 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 Khakas
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Khakas average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Khakas 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 Khakas. 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 Khakas average. Your own DNA has its own story: Turan – Silk Road & Central Asian Ancestry 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 Central Asian / Silk Road Turkic ancestry: ancient regional core (Botai, Andronovo, BMAC Bactria-Margiana, Saka/Scythian, Wusun, Kushan Empire, Xiongnu, Turkic Khaganate, Golden Horde) versus non-regional...
More populations from Siberia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Khakas?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Khakas average is about 44.6% Ancient Northeast Asians, 18.0% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 14.7% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Khakas?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Khakass (Sagai)), the closest modern populations to the Khakas average are Teleut, Shor and Shor (Mountain). The closest ancient matches are Xinjiang HP Jirentaigoukou, Xinjiang IA Unknown Site and Xinjiang HP Kafulang.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Khakas?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Khakas 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 Khakas ancestry?
Turan – Silk Road & Central Asian Ancestry Report is our regional report for this part of the world. On the Khakas average its fit test reads partial, so check your own DNA first: the free Report Finder runs that test on your file.
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.