Komi DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Russia · Eastern Europe
The Komi live in the north-east of European Russia, in the taiga of the Pechora and Vychegda basins, and speak a Permic language related to Udmurt. In the 14th century, the missionary Stephen of Perm created an alphabet for their language, one of the earliest written traditions of any Uralic language. In our model, the Komi average is 31.8% steppe-related, 25.9% Eastern hunter-gatherer, 24.7% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 8.9% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related), 4.5% Ancient Northeast Asian and 4.3% Western hunter-gatherer: about half the Siberian-related share of the Udmurts (18.0%) and more early farmer ancestry. After two other Komi samples, including Komi settlers in Siberia, the nearest average is northern Russian, from Leshukonsky in the Arkhangelsk region (distance 0.0272), then the Sámi of Kola. Fittingly, the closest ancient group is a modern-era population with a Komi profile from Borovyanka near Omsk, in Siberia (0.0300), followed by Iron Age people from Ivanovo.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 31.8%, Eastern hunter-gatherers 25.9%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 24.7%
- Closest non-Komi population in our data: Russian (Arkhangelsk Leshukonsky), distance 0.0272
- Closest ancient group in our data: Omsk Early-Late Modern Borovyanka (Komi Profile), distance 0.0300
This page sums up what the DNA of the Komi 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 Komi average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Komi average, 31.8%, goes to Steppe herders (Yamnaya), ahead of Eastern hunter-gatherers (25.9%) and Anatolian Neolithic farmers (24.7%). The Steppe herders (Yamnaya) component 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. The Eastern hunter-gatherers share (25.9%) reflects the hunter-gatherers of the forest and steppe zone of eastern Europe and Russia. No single source dominates, so the profile is best read as a balanced blend of several ancient ancestries.
Smaller traces of Ancient Northeast Asians and Western hunter-gatherers (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 0.045), 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 Komi
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Komi average is Komi (A), at a distance of 0.006 (very close). Next come Komi (Zyrian Siberia) at 0.017 and Russian (Arkhangelsk Leshukonsky) at 0.027. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Russian (Arkhangelsk Leshukonsky) (0.027), Saami (Kola) (0.035) and Tatar (Mishar) (0.039). By the tenth closest (Russian (Pinezhsky)) the distance grows to 0.048, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Komi (A) | 0.0064 | Very close |
| 2 | Komi (Zyrian Siberia) | 0.0171 | Very close |
| 3 | Russian (Arkhangelsk Leshukonsky) | 0.0272 | Close |
| 4 | Saami (Kola) | 0.0350 | Close |
| 5 | Tatar (Mishar) | 0.0388 | Close |
| 6 | Tatar | 0.0415 | Close |
| 7 | Russian (Arkhangelsk Mezensky) | 0.0435 | Close |
| 8 | Tatar (Ufa) | 0.0435 | Close |
| 9 | Volga Tatar | 0.0437 | Close |
| 10 | Russian (Pinezhsky) | 0.0480 | 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 Komi
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Komi average is Omsk Early-Late Modern Borovyanka (Komi Profile) (Modern era, c. 1500-1950 AD), at 0.030. Russia Ivanovo IA and Russia Tatarstan LBA-EIA Maklasheevka Devichiy Gorodok 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 | Omsk Early-Late Modern Borovyanka (Komi Profile) | Modern era, c. 1500-1950 AD | 0.0300 |
| 2 | Russia Ivanovo IA | Iron Age | 0.0301 |
| 3 | Russia Tatarstan LBA-EIA Maklasheevka Devichiy Gorodok | Early Iron Age | 0.0464 |
| 4 | Russia Udmurtia Early Medieval Nevolino Sukhoy-Log | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0520 |
| 5 | Russia Ivanovo Early Medieval (Uralic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0522 |
| 6 | Russia Bashkortostan LBA Mezhovskaya | Late Bronze Age | 0.0542 |
| 7 | Russia Bashkortostan Late Medieval Chiyalik Nizhne-Khozyatovo | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0545 |
| 8 | Sweden Early Medieval Viking Age Gotland (Finnic Profile) | Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD | 0.0566 |
| 9 | Russia Bashkortostan High-Late Medieval Chiyalik Nizhne-Khozyatovo (East Asian-Mixed Profile) | High to Late Medieval, c. 1000-1500 AD | 0.0580 |
| 10 | Russia Murmansk Late Modern Chalmny-Varre | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0581 |
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 Komi 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 Komi
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Komi average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Komi 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 Komi individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Komi. 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 Komi 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 Eastern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Komi?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Komi average is about 31.8% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 25.9% Eastern hunter-gatherers and 24.7% Anatolian Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Komi?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Komi (A)), the closest modern populations to the Komi average are Russian (Arkhangelsk Leshukonsky), Saami (Kola) and Tatar (Mishar). The closest ancient matches are Omsk Early-Late Modern Borovyanka (Komi Profile), Russia Ivanovo IA and Russia Tatarstan LBA-EIA Maklasheevka Devichiy Gorodok.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Komi?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Komi 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 Komi ancestry?
None of our regional reports is built for Komi 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.