Marathi DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · India · South Asia
Maharashtra spans the Deccan plateau and the Konkan coast of western India, and its history includes the Maratha state that rose in the 17th century and became one of the major powers of the subcontinent. Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language, but Maharashtra lies where northern and southern India meet, and the genetic profile reflects that. In our model, the Marathi average is 80.6% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 12.2% Iranian Neolithic farmer and 7.2% steppe, a much larger hunter-gatherer related share than in our Gujarati average (65.0%) and close to the profiles of southern India. Accordingly, the nearest modern averages come from both directions: Bhojpuri-speaking samples from the Gangetic plain (from 0.0109), a South Indian average (0.0124), Sinhalese samples from Sri Lanka and Halakki Vokkaliga from coastal Karnataka. Ancient genomes from India itself are still scarce, and the closest in our data is the South Asian profile at Roopkund, about 800 AD, at a moderate 0.0526.
- Ancient components in our model: South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) 80.6%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 12.2%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 7.2%
- Closest modern population in our data: Bhojpuri (Chamar), distance 0.0109
- Closest ancient group in our data: India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile), distance 0.0526
Marathi 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 Marathi individuals sampled in India. Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Marathi average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Marathi average comes out as 80.6% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 12.2% Iranian Neolithic farmers and 7.2% Steppe herders (Yamnaya). The South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) component reflects the deep hunter-gatherer ancestry of South Asia (Ancient Ancestral South Indians). With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
The fit is acceptable (fit distance 0.027): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. 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.
Sindhu – South Asian Report
Closest modern populations to Marathi
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Bhojpuri (Chamar) first for Marathi, at 0.011, then South Indian and Bhojpuri (Dusadh). Even the tenth closest, Bhil (Koli Rathwa), is only 0.016 away: Marathi belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bhojpuri (Chamar) | 0.0109 | Very close |
| 2 | South Indian | 0.0124 | Very close |
| 3 | Bhojpuri (Dusadh) | 0.0136 | Very close |
| 4 | Sinhala | 0.0136 | Very close |
| 5 | Yerukala | 0.0144 | Very close |
| 6 | Dusadh | 0.0146 | Very close |
| 7 | Chamar | 0.0148 | Very close |
| 8 | Halakki (Vokkaliga) | 0.0152 | Very close |
| 9 | Sinhalese | 0.0154 | Very close |
| 10 | Bhil (Koli Rathwa) | 0.0161 | 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 Marathi
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Marathi, India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile) (c. 800 AD) comes first, at 0.053, with Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta (IVC Profile) next. That is only a moderate match: part of the modern profile was already present then, but later movements of people added substantial 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 | India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile) | c. 800 AD | 0.0526 |
| 2 | Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta (IVC Profile) | Early Bronze Age | 0.1026 |
| 3 | Pakistan IA Aligrama | Iron Age | 0.1190 |
| 4 | Pakistan HP Butkara | Historical period | 0.1246 |
| 5 | Pakistan HP Aligrama | Historical period | 0.1331 |
| 6 | China Shaanxi HP Northern Zhou Dynasty Xi'an (Burusho Profile) | Northern Zhou dynasty, 557-581 AD | 0.1402 |
| 7 | Pakistan HP Saidu Sharif | Historical period | 0.1415 |
| 8 | Pakistan IA Katelai | Iron Age | 0.1555 |
| 9 | Pakistan HP Barikot | Historical period | 0.1556 |
| 10 | Pakistan IA Gogdara | Iron Age | 0.1579 |
Ancient DNA from India
Our ancient DNA database holds 59 individuals excavated in present-day India, dated from about 2,350 BC to 1860 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R2a (4), H1a (3) and J2b (3), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are M3 (6), H1 (4) and U2 (4). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Marathi population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on India
- Blending borders: reconstructing the genetic history of the Sindhi population (2026)
- Blending borders: reconstructing the genetic history of the Sindhi population (2026)
- The Old Lady spider cave skeletons in Ladakh have diverse maternal genetic origin (2026)
- Layers in the sand: The genetic imprint of migration, culture, and Indus craft in the Thar desert (2026)
- Admixture and Genetic Connectivity: Autosomal Insights Into Indo-Aryan Speakers at the Eastern Edge of the Indian Subcontinent (2026)
- Novel 4400-year-old ancestral component in a tribe speaking a Dravidian language (2025)
- Ancient mitogenomes from Neolithic, megalithic and medieval burials suggest complex genetic history of Kashmir valley, India (2025)
- 50,000 years of evolutionary history of India: Impact on health and disease variation (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 59 from India.
Compare yourself with Marathi
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Marathi average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Marathi 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 Marathi individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Marathi. 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 Marathi average. Your own DNA has its own story: Sindhu – South Asian 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 South Asian ancestry: ancient regional core (Indus Valley Civilization, BMAC, Steppe migration, Himalayan Iron Age & Classical layers) versus non-regional outside admixture, across 13 communities (Punjabi...
More populations from South Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Marathi?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Marathi average is about 80.6% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 12.2% Iranian Neolithic farmers and 7.2% Steppe herders (Yamnaya). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Marathi?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Marathi average are Bhojpuri (Chamar), South Indian and Bhojpuri (Dusadh). The closest ancient matches are India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile), Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta (IVC Profile) and Pakistan IA Aligrama.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Marathi?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Marathi 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 Marathi ancestry?
Sindhu – South Asian Report is our regional report for this part of the world. On the Marathi average its fit test reads partial, so check your own DNA first: the free Report Finder runs that test on your file.
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.