Mansi DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Russia · Siberia
The Mansi live on the eastern slopes of the northern Urals and along the Sosva and Konda rivers, on the western edge of Siberia. Their language, like Khanty, is Ob-Ugric, and Hungarian is its nearest relative within the Uralic family; the early Hungarian homeland is usually placed in this same Ural region. In our model, the Mansi average is 41.1% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related), 24.0% Eastern hunter-gatherer, 16.3% Ancient North Eurasian, 11.0% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 6.1% East Asian and 1.6% Levantine Neolithic. Their Eastern hunter-gatherer share, the highest of our Siberian pages and well above the Khanty figure (16.9%), reflects their position where Siberia meets the European forest zone. The neighbours confirm that bridge: after two Khanty samples (0.0297 and 0.0364), the closest modern average is the Komi (0.0408), west of the Urals. The closest ancient groups are Iron Age people of the Sargat culture from Ipkul' near Tyumen (0.0416) and Iron Age to Early Medieval Ezhol in the Komi Republic.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) 41.1%, Eastern hunter-gatherers 24.0%, Ancient North Eurasians 16.3%
- Closest modern population in our data: Khanty, distance 0.0297
- Closest ancient group in our data: Tyumen IA Sargat-Bakalda Ipkul', distance 0.0416
This page sums up what the DNA of the Mansi 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 Mansi average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Mansi average comes out as 41.1% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related), 24.0% Eastern hunter-gatherers and 16.3% Ancient North Eurasians. The Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) component reflects the ancestry of the peoples of northern Siberia. The Eastern hunter-gatherers share (24.0%) reflects the hunter-gatherers of the forest and steppe zone of eastern Europe and Russia.
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 0.067), 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 Mansi
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Khanty first for Mansi, at 0.030, then Khanty (Obdorsk) and Komi (B). By the tenth closest (Bashkir (Baimaksky)) the distance grows to 0.118, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khanty | 0.0297 | Close |
| 2 | Khanty (Obdorsk) | 0.0364 | Close |
| 3 | Komi (B) | 0.0408 | Close |
| 4 | Tatar (Siberian Zabolotniye) | 0.0520 | Moderate |
| 5 | Tatar (Siberian Iskero-Tobolsk) | 0.1037 | Distant |
| 6 | Tatar (Siberian Irtysh Barabinsk) | 0.1079 | Distant |
| 7 | Siberian Tatar | 0.1099 | Distant |
| 8 | Selkup (Taz) | 0.1106 | Distant |
| 9 | Selkup | 0.1157 | Distant |
| 10 | Bashkir (Baimaksky) | 0.1180 | 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 Mansi
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Mansi average is Tyumen IA Sargat-Bakalda Ipkul' (Iron Age), at 0.042, followed by Russia Komi IA-Early Medieval Ezhol and Khanty-Mansia Early Medieval Nizhneobskaya Barsov-Gorodok. 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 | Tyumen IA Sargat-Bakalda Ipkul' | Iron Age | 0.0416 |
| 2 | Russia Komi IA-Early Medieval Ezhol | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0492 |
| 3 | Khanty-Mansia Early Medieval Nizhneobskaya Barsov-Gorodok | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0569 |
| 4 | Russia Bashkortostan Early Medieval Karayakupovo Karanayevo | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0582 |
| 5 | Omsk Early-High Medieval Ust-Ishim Panovo | Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD | 0.0593 |
| 6 | Chelyabinsk Early Medieval Karayakupovo Uyelgi | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0596 |
| 7 | Chelyabinsk Early Medieval Kushnarenkovo-Karayakupovo Uyelgi | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0608 |
| 8 | Khanty-Mansia BA Seima-Turbino Satyga | Bronze Age | 0.0610 |
| 9 | Tyumen IA Sargat-Bakalda Starolybaevo | Iron Age | 0.0613 |
| 10 | Tyumen Early Medieval Potschevash Vikulovo | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0630 |
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 Mansi 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 Mansi
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Mansi average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Mansi 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 Mansi individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Mansi. 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 Mansi 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 Mansi?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Mansi average is about 41.1% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related), 24.0% Eastern hunter-gatherers and 16.3% Ancient North Eurasians. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Mansi?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Mansi average are Khanty, Khanty (Obdorsk) and Komi (B). The closest ancient matches are Tyumen IA Sargat-Bakalda Ipkul', Russia Komi IA-Early Medieval Ezhol and Khanty-Mansia Early Medieval Nizhneobskaya Barsov-Gorodok.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Mansi?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Mansi 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 Mansi ancestry?
None of our regional reports is built for Mansi 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.