Mandinka DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Gambia · Sub-Saharan Africa
The Mandinka of the Gambia and Casamance link their history to the Mali Empire, founded in the 13th century under Sundiata Keita, whose story their griots still sing to the sound of the kora. Their language belongs to the Mande group, like Bambara and Malinke in Mali. In our model, the Mandinka average is 85.5% West African, 7.2% Nilotic East African and 4.4% North African hunter-gatherer (Iberomaurusian), with small shares assigned to rainforest (1.8%) and southern African (1.1%) forager sources, and the fit (0.0041) is very close. In our data, they sit closer to their Senegambian neighbours, the Serer (0.0052), Manjak and Bedik, than to the Malinke of Mali (0.0109), their fellow Mande speakers to the east. The Wolof, who have their own page, come in at 0.0086. Its best ancient match is the 19th-century Rupert's Valley population of Saint Helena (0.0398).
- Largest ancient components in our model: West African 85.5%, Nilotic East African 7.2%, North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian) 4.4%
- Closest modern population in our data: Serer (Gambia), distance 0.0052
- Closest ancient group in our data: Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile), distance 0.0398
Mandinka 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 Mandinka individuals sampled in Gambia, listed in the G25 sheet as "Mandinka_Gambia". Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Mandinka average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Mandinka average, 85.5%, goes to West African, ahead of Nilotic East African (7.2%) and North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian) (4.4%). The West African component reflects ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
Smaller traces of North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian), Western rainforest foragers (BiAka) and Southern African foragers (San) (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 model fits well (fit distance 0.004), so these proportions are a reasonable summary. 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.
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Mandinka
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Serer (Gambia) first for Mandinka, at 0.005, then Mandenka and Manjak (Gambia). Even the tenth closest, Soninke (Gambia), is only 0.011 away: Mandinka belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serer (Gambia) | 0.0052 | Very close |
| 2 | Mandenka | 0.0064 | Very close |
| 3 | Manjak (Gambia) | 0.0075 | Very close |
| 4 | Bedik | 0.0078 | Very close |
| 5 | Wolof | 0.0086 | Very close |
| 6 | Gambian | 0.0093 | Very close |
| 7 | Senegal (Bedik) | 0.0098 | Very close |
| 8 | Fulani (Gambia A) | 0.0108 | Very close |
| 9 | Malinke (Mali) | 0.0109 | Very close |
| 10 | Soninke (Gambia) | 0.0112 | Very 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 Mandinka
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Mandinka average is Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile) (Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD), at 0.040, followed by Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (Central/Southern African Bantu Profile) and Democratic Republic of the Congo Kindoki 230BP. 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 | Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0398 |
| 2 | Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (Central/Southern African Bantu Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0510 |
| 3 | Democratic Republic of the Congo Kindoki 230BP | c. 1700 AD | 0.0561 |
| 4 | COG Kindoki 230BP | c. 1700 AD | 0.0568 |
| 5 | Democratic Republic of the Congo Ngongo Mbata 220BP | c. 1750 AD | 0.0619 |
| 6 | Italy Sicily High Medieval Segesta Muslim (Chari River Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0641 |
| 7 | COG NgongoMbata 220BP | c. 1750 AD | 0.0649 |
| 8 | Tanzania Pemba 600BP | c. 1350 AD | 0.0716 |
| 9 | Tanzania Early Modern Lindi Swahili (Bantu Zone P Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0774 |
| 10 | Abkhazia Late Modern Tkhina (Chari River Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0823 |
Compare yourself with Mandinka
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Mandinka average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Mandinka 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 Mandinka. 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 Mandinka average. Your own DNA has its own story: Sankofa – African 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 predominantly Sub-Saharan African (SSA) ancestry: modelling against 230+ regional African populations (West, Central, East & Southern Africa, the Horn of Africa, Madagascar) plus the European, Amerindian and...
More populations from Sub-Saharan Africa
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Mandinka?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Mandinka average is about 85.5% West African, 7.2% Nilotic East African and 4.4% North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Mandinka?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Mandinka average are Serer (Gambia), Mandenka and Manjak (Gambia). The closest ancient matches are Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile), Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (Central/Southern African Bantu Profile) and Democratic Republic of the Congo Kindoki 230BP.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Mandinka?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Mandinka 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 Mandinka ancestry?
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Mandinka average closely. 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.