Khanty DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Russia · Siberia
The Khanty live along the Ob and its tributaries in western Siberia, in the Khanty-Mansi region now better known for its oil fields, and traditionally fished, hunted and herded reindeer in the taiga. Khanty and its sister language Mansi form the Ob-Ugric branch of the Uralic family, the closest living relatives of Hungarian. In our model, the Khanty average is 45.0% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related), 22.2% Ancient North Eurasian, 16.9% Eastern hunter-gatherer, 9.1% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 5.6% East Asian and 1.2% Levantine Neolithic. That mixes the Siberian components of their eastern neighbours with a European forest-zone layer, though a smaller one than among the Mansi (24.0% Eastern hunter-gatherer). The closest ancient group is local: Early Medieval people from Barsov-Gorodok on the middle Ob (0.0322), followed by Panovo in the Omsk region and Bronze Age Seima-Turbino Satyga, also in the Khanty-Mansi region. The closest modern averages are another Khanty sample, the Mansi (0.0297), then the Komi and Siberian Tatars.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) 45.0%, Ancient North Eurasians 22.2%, Eastern hunter-gatherers 16.9%
- Closest other population in our data: Mansi, distance 0.0297
- Closest ancient group in our data: Khanty-Mansia Early Medieval Nizhneobskaya Barsov-Gorodok, distance 0.0322
This page sums up what the DNA of the Khanty sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Russia, 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 Khanty average
The ancient make-up of the Khanty average is led by Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) (45.0%), followed by Ancient North Eurasians (22.2%) and Eastern hunter-gatherers (16.9%). The Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) component reflects the ancestry of the peoples of northern Siberia. The Ancient North Eurasians share (22.2%) reflects the Ice Age hunters of Siberia known as Ancient North Eurasians.
Smaller traces of Levantine Neolithic farmers (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 0.069), 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 Khanty
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Khanty average is Khanty (Obdorsk), at a distance of 0.010 (very close). Next come Mansi at 0.030 and Komi (B) at 0.061. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Mansi (0.030), Komi (B) (0.061) and Tatar (Siberian Zabolotniye) (0.069). By the tenth closest (Tatar (Siberian Iskero-Tobolsk)) the distance grows to 0.119, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khanty (Obdorsk) | 0.0096 | Very close |
| 2 | Mansi | 0.0297 | Close |
| 3 | Komi (B) | 0.0612 | Moderate |
| 4 | Tatar (Siberian Zabolotniye) | 0.0691 | Moderate |
| 5 | Selkup (Taz) | 0.0846 | Distant |
| 6 | Selkup | 0.0898 | Distant |
| 7 | Nenets | 0.1015 | Distant |
| 8 | Ket | 0.1093 | Distant |
| 9 | Tatar (Siberian Irtysh Barabinsk) | 0.1144 | Distant |
| 10 | Tatar (Siberian Iskero-Tobolsk) | 0.1191 | 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 Khanty
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Khanty, Khanty-Mansia Early Medieval Nizhneobskaya Barsov-Gorodok (Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD) comes first, at 0.032, with Omsk Early-High Medieval Ust-Ishim Panovo 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 | Khanty-Mansia Early Medieval Nizhneobskaya Barsov-Gorodok | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0322 |
| 2 | Omsk Early-High Medieval Ust-Ishim Panovo | Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD | 0.0445 |
| 3 | Khanty-Mansia BA Seima-Turbino Satyga | Bronze Age | 0.0565 |
| 4 | Tyumen IA Sargat-Bakalda Ipkul' | Iron Age | 0.0582 |
| 5 | Russia Komi IA-Early Medieval Ezhol | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0598 |
| 6 | Tyumen Early Medieval Potschevash Vikulovo | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0693 |
| 7 | Omsk High Medieval Ust-Ishim Ivanov-Mys | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0696 |
| 8 | Russia Bashkortostan Early Medieval Karayakupovo Karanayevo | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0802 |
| 9 | Chelyabinsk Early Medieval Kushnarenkovo-Karayakupovo Uyelgi | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0817 |
| 10 | Chelyabinsk Early Medieval Karayakupovo Uyelgi | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0821 |
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 Khanty 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 Khanty
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Khanty average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Khanty 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 Khanty. 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 Khanty 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 Khanty?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Khanty average is about 45.0% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related), 22.2% Ancient North Eurasians and 16.9% Eastern hunter-gatherers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Khanty?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Khanty (Obdorsk)), the closest modern populations to the Khanty average are Mansi, Komi (B) and Tatar (Siberian Zabolotniye). The closest ancient matches are Khanty-Mansia Early Medieval Nizhneobskaya Barsov-Gorodok, Omsk Early-High Medieval Ust-Ishim Panovo and Khanty-Mansia BA Seima-Turbino Satyga.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Khanty?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Khanty 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 Khanty ancestry?
None of our regional reports is built for Khanty 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.