Lithuanian DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Lithuania · Northern Europe
Lithuanian is often described as one of the most conservative living Indo-European languages, keeping many old features lost elsewhere. In the Middle Ages, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania became one of the largest states in Europe, covering much of present-day Belarus and Ukraine, and Lithuania was the last European state to adopt Christianity, in 1387. In our model, the Lithuanian average is 43.1% steppe-related, 28.7% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 17.5% Western hunter-gatherer and 10.6% Eastern hunter-gatherer: a little more farmer and less Eastern hunter-gatherer ancestry than the Latvians (25.1% and 13.7%). After two regional Lithuanian samples, the nearest averages are Latvians (distance 0.0189) and Belarusians (0.0208), then Russians from Pskov and Saint Petersburg. The closest ancient groups are early medieval people with a Balto-Slavic profile, from the early Slavic site of Pohansko in Czechia (0.0172) and from Avar-period Austria. Its fit distance of 0.081 is high, so these percentages are approximate.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 43.1%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 28.7%, Western hunter-gatherers 17.5%
- Closest population outside Lithuania in our data: Latvian, distance 0.0189
- Closest ancient group in our data: Czechia Early Medieval Early Slav Pohansko (Balto-Slavic Profile), distance 0.0172
Lithuanian 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 Lithuanian individuals sampled in Lithuania. Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Lithuanian average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Lithuanian average, 43.1%, goes to Steppe herders (Yamnaya), ahead of Anatolian Neolithic farmers (28.7%) and Western hunter-gatherers (17.5%). 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 Anatolian Neolithic farmers share (28.7%) reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC.
The fit is loose (fit distance 0.081), 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. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Sarmatia – Balto-Slavic Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Lithuanian
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Lithuanian (West Zemaitija) first for Lithuanian, at 0.010, then Lithuanian (VZ) and Latvian. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Latvian (0.019), Belarusian (0.021) and Russian (Pskov) (0.023). By the tenth closest (Polish (Mazovia Warsaw)) the distance grows to 0.032, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lithuanian (West Zemaitija) | 0.0104 | Very close |
| 2 | Lithuanian (VZ) | 0.0118 | Very close |
| 3 | Latvian | 0.0189 | Very close |
| 4 | Belarusian | 0.0208 | Very close |
| 5 | Russian (Pskov) | 0.0227 | Very close |
| 6 | Russian (Saint Petersburg) | 0.0227 | Very close |
| 7 | Estonian | 0.0249 | Very close |
| 8 | Russian (Smolensk) | 0.0261 | Close |
| 9 | Kashubian | 0.0311 | Close |
| 10 | Polish (Mazovia Warsaw) | 0.0315 | 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 Lithuanian
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Lithuanian average is Czechia Early Medieval Early Slav Pohansko (Balto-Slavic Profile) (Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD), at 0.017, followed by Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (Balto-Slavic Profile) and Russia Tatarstan Early Medieval Mellya Tamak (Balto-Slavic Profile). That is a very close match, which suggests strong genetic continuity between those ancient people (or close relatives of theirs) and the modern population. 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 | Czechia Early Medieval Early Slav Pohansko (Balto-Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0172 |
| 2 | Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (Balto-Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0186 |
| 3 | Russia Tatarstan Early Medieval Mellya Tamak (Balto-Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0187 |
| 4 | Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Early (Balto-Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0211 |
| 5 | Poland High Medieval Legowo (Balto-Slavic Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0215 |
| 6 | Denmark Early Medieval Viking Age Langeland (Balto-Slavic Profile) | Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD | 0.0223 |
| 7 | Sweden Early Medieval Viking Age Gotland (Baltic Profile) | Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD | 0.0228 |
| 8 | Czechia Early Medieval Early Slav Brandysek (Balto-Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0236 |
| 9 | Poland High Medieval Plonsk (Balto-Slavic Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0238 |
| 10 | Hungary LIA Sarmatian (Balto-Slavic Profile) | Late Iron Age | 0.0241 |
Ancient DNA from Lithuania
Our ancient DNA database holds 57 individuals excavated in present-day Lithuania, dated from about 6,423 BC to 1812 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1a (11), N1a (7) and I2a (3), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U5 (12), T2 (4) and H2 (3). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Lithuanian population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
| Haplogroup | Individuals | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| R1a | 11 | Spiginas4 Gyvakarai1 Spiginas2 |
| N1a | 7 | DA171 R10836 R10838 |
| I2a | 3 | Kretuonas2 Spiginas1 YYY087A |
| R1b | 3 | Donkalnis7 YYY084B YYY093A |
| E1b | 1 | YYY090A |
| F | 1 | DON006 |
| G2a | 1 | CGG017685 |
| I2 | 1 | Donkalnis4 |
Most frequent mtDNA haplogroups
| Haplogroup | Individuals | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| U5 | 12 | DON005 Donkalnis4 Donkalnis7 |
| T2 | 4 | Turlojiske1948 Turlojiske6 Turlojiske1 |
| H2 | 3 | RISE598 DA171 CGG017691 |
| H1 | 2 | CGG017690 AGU007 |
| H4 | 2 | Turlojiske3 R10832 |
| K1 | 2 | Donkalnis5 Gyvakarai1 |
| U4 | 2 | Spiginas4 R10838 |
| H | 1 | Turlojiske4 |
Ancient DNA studies on Lithuania
- Millennia of Mitochondrial Change: Tracing Haplogroup Variation in Lithuania (2026)
- Patterns of genetic structure and adaptive positive selection in the Lithuanian population from high-density SNP data (2019)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 57 from Lithuania.
Compare yourself with Lithuanian
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Lithuanian average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Lithuanian 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 Lithuanian. 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 Lithuanian average. Your own DNA has its own story: Sarmatia – Balto-Slavic 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 from Eastern and Central-Eastern Europe of Balto-Slavic ancestry: ancient regional core (Corded Ware, Bronze Age cultures, Scythian, Sarmatian and Baltic Iron Age, Przeworsk, Wielbark and Chernyakhiv, Early Slavs...
More populations from Northern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Lithuanian?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Lithuanian average is about 43.1% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 28.7% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 17.5% Western hunter-gatherers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Lithuanian?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Lithuanian (West Zemaitija)), the closest modern populations to the Lithuanian average are Latvian, Belarusian and Russian (Pskov). The closest ancient matches are Czechia Early Medieval Early Slav Pohansko (Balto-Slavic Profile), Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (Balto-Slavic Profile) and Russia Tatarstan Early Medieval Mellya Tamak (Balto-Slavic Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Lithuanian?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Lithuanian 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 Lithuanian ancestry?
For the Lithuanian average, the regional report to choose is Sarmatia – Balto-Slavic Ancestry Report, which our fit test rates as an excellent 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.