Montenegrin DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Montenegro · Southern Europe
Montenegro, the Black Mountain, rises steeply from the Adriatic coast into the Dinaric Alps. The medieval states of Duklja and Zeta grew up here, the first taking its name from the Roman town of Doclea, and the mountain communities kept a large measure of self-rule through the Ottoman period. In our model, the Montenegrin average is 49.0% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 43.8% steppe and 7.2% Western hunter-gatherer, very close to the Serbian average (49.6%, 43.4% and 6.9%) and with a little more farmer ancestry than Bosnians (45.6%). The nearest modern averages are the Serbian average (distance 0.0094) and Serbs from Belgrade and from Montenegro itself, then Romanians (0.0138) and Bosniaks from the Sandzak, the borderland shared with Serbia. The closest ancient groups are early medieval people with a South Slavic profile buried in Avar-period Austria (0.0102) and Conquest-period Hungary (0.0104), both at very close distances.
- Ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 49.0%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 43.8%, Western hunter-gatherers 7.2%
- Closest modern population in our data: Serbian, distance 0.0094
- Closest ancient group in our data: Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (South Slavic Profile), distance 0.0102
Where does Montenegrin DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Montenegrin individuals sampled in Montenegro and compare them with deep ancestral reference populations, with other modern groups and with ancient genomes. It is one of 335 populations in our atlas.
Ancient make-up of the Montenegrin average
The ancient make-up of the Montenegrin average is led by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (49.0%), followed by Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (43.8%) and Western hunter-gatherers (7.2%). The Anatolian Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC. The Steppe herders (Yamnaya) share (43.8%) 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 fit is acceptable (fit distance 0.034): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Balkan Frontier – Serbian, Croatian & Balkan Slavic Report
Closest modern populations to Montenegrin
Genetically, the Montenegrin average sits nearest to Serbian at 0.009, Serb (Serbia Belgrade) at 0.011 and Serb at 0.012. On our scale, a distance of 0.009 counts as very close. Even the tenth closest, Bosnian, is only 0.018 away: Montenegrin belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serbian | 0.0094 | Very close |
| 2 | Serb (Serbia Belgrade) | 0.0110 | Very close |
| 3 | Serb | 0.0117 | Very close |
| 4 | Serb (Montenegro) | 0.0136 | Very close |
| 5 | Romanian | 0.0138 | Very close |
| 6 | Bosniak (Sandzak) | 0.0147 | Very close |
| 7 | Romanian (Alba) | 0.0151 | Very close |
| 8 | Bosniak | 0.0172 | Very close |
| 9 | Moldovan | 0.0177 | Very close |
| 10 | Bosnian | 0.0183 | 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 Montenegrin
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Montenegrin average is Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (South Slavic Profile) (Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD), at 0.010. Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (South Slavic Profile) and Croatia Early Medieval Old Croat Velim (South Slavic Profile) come next. 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 | Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (South Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0102 |
| 2 | Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (South Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0104 |
| 3 | Croatia Early Medieval Old Croat Velim (South Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0155 |
| 4 | Hungary Late Antiquity Roman (South Slavic Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0155 |
| 5 | Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Middle (South Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0174 |
| 6 | Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Middle/Late (South Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0177 |
| 7 | Croatia Early Medieval Avar Period Late Nustar (South Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0181 |
| 8 | Hungary Early Medieval Carolingian Period (South Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0197 |
| 9 | Serbia Early Medieval Ravna Kuline (South Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0201 |
| 10 | Hungary Late Antiquity Sarmatian (South Slavic Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0205 |
Ancient DNA from Montenegro
Our ancient DNA database holds 27 individuals excavated in present-day Montenegro, dated from about 3,000 BC to 1100 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are J2b (8), G2a (1) and I (1), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U5 (6), H1 (4) and U4 (2). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Montenegrin population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 27 from Montenegro.
Compare yourself with Montenegrin
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Montenegrin average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Montenegrin 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 Montenegrin individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Montenegrin. 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 Montenegrin average. Your own DNA has its own story: Balkan Frontier – Serbian, Croatian & Balkan Slavic 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 Balkan ancestry: ancient regional core (Illyrian, Thracian, Dacian, Paeonian, Scordisci Celtic, Proto-Slavic, Roman-provincial Dalmatia/Moesia/Macedonia, Sarmatian) versus non-regional outside admixture, across...
More populations from Southern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Montenegrin?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Montenegrin average is about 49.0% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 43.8% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 7.2% 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 Montenegrin?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Montenegrin average are Serbian, Serb (Serbia Belgrade) and Serb. The closest ancient matches are Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (South Slavic Profile), Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (South Slavic Profile) and Croatia Early Medieval Old Croat Velim (South Slavic Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Montenegrin?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Montenegrin 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 Montenegrin ancestry?
For the Montenegrin average, the regional report to choose is Balkan Frontier – Serbian, Croatian & Balkan Slavic 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.