Moroccan Jewish DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Morocco · North Africa
Jewish communities lived in Morocco from antiquity, and after 1492 they were joined by many Sephardic exiles from Spain and Portugal; most Moroccan Jews moved to Israel, France and Canada in the second half of the 20th century. In our model, the Moroccan Jewish average is 49.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 13.8% steppe, 13.6% Natufian, 10.0% Iranian Neolithic, 7.5% North African (Iberomaurusian) and 5.9% Caucasus hunter-gatherer. The North African share is modest, far below that of the Moroccan average (25.7%), and there is no West African component (14.1% in Moroccans), so Moroccan Jews remain genetically closer to other Jewish communities than to their former neighbours. The nearest modern averages are Algerian Jews (distance 0.0170), Tunisian and Libyan Jews, then Sabbatean and Turkish Jewish samples. Fittingly, the closest ancient group is the Late Medieval Sephardic community of Tarrega in Catalonia (0.0273), ahead of the medieval Jews of Erfurt and Norwich.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 49.2%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 13.8%, Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) 13.6%
- Closest modern population in our data: Algerian Jew, distance 0.0170
- Closest ancient group in our data: Spain Catalonia Late Medieval Sephardic Jew Tarrega, distance 0.0273
Where does Moroccan Jewish DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Moroccan Jewish individuals sampled in Morocco, listed in the G25 sheet as "Moroccan_Jew" 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 Moroccan Jewish average
The ancient make-up of the Moroccan Jewish average is led by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (49.2%), followed by Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (13.8%) and Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) (13.6%). The Anatolian Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC.
The model fits well (fit distance 0.021), so these proportions are a reasonable summary. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Am Yisrael – Jewish Diaspora Report
Closest modern populations to Moroccan Jewish
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Moroccan Jewish average is Algerian Jew, at a distance of 0.017 (very close). Next come Tunisian Jewish at 0.020 and Libyan Jew at 0.024. Even the tenth closest, Italki Jew, is only 0.028 away: Moroccan Jewish belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Algerian Jew | 0.0170 | Very close |
| 2 | Tunisian Jewish | 0.0202 | Very close |
| 3 | Libyan Jew | 0.0242 | Very close |
| 4 | Sabbatean (Donme) | 0.0246 | Very close |
| 5 | Turkish Jew | 0.0254 | Close |
| 6 | Sephardic Jew (Turkey) | 0.0254 | Close |
| 7 | Sephardic Jewish | 0.0265 | Close |
| 8 | Bulgarian Jew | 0.0277 | Close |
| 9 | Sephardic Jew (Bulgaria) | 0.0279 | Close |
| 10 | Italki Jew | 0.0284 | 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 Moroccan Jewish
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Moroccan Jewish average is Spain Catalonia Late Medieval Sephardic Jew Tarrega (Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD), at 0.027, followed by Germany Late Medieval Ashkenazi Jew Erfurt (Western Profile) and England High Medieval Tzarfati Jew Norwich. 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 | Spain Catalonia Late Medieval Sephardic Jew Tarrega | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0273 |
| 2 | Germany Late Medieval Ashkenazi Jew Erfurt (Western Profile) | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0294 |
| 3 | England High Medieval Tzarfati Jew Norwich | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0304 |
| 4 | Algeria Roman Empire Sitifis (North African-Mixed Profile) | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0324 |
| 5 | Croatia Late Antiquity Hvar Radosevic (North African-Mixed Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0334 |
| 6 | Italy Sicily High Medieval Segesta Muslim (North African-Mixed Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0342 |
| 7 | Tunisia IA Punic Carthage (Punic Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0347 |
| 8 | Italy Lazio Roman Empire-Late Antiquity Isola Sacra (East Med/Western Jewish Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0348 |
| 9 | Italy Sicily Late Antiquity Marsala (East Med+North African Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0354 |
| 10 | Italy Lazio Roman Empire Isola Sacra (East Med Profile) | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0376 |
Ancient DNA from Morocco
Our ancient DNA database holds 52 individuals excavated in present-day Morocco, dated from about 19,806 BC to 3,700 BC. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are E1b (8), G2a (3) and T1a (3), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U6 (14), H (10) and K1 (3). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Moroccan Jewish population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Morocco
- Genomic history of Northwestern Africa, since the Iron Age (2026)
- Moroccan genome project: genomic insight into a North African population (2025)
- Moroccan genome project: Genomic insight into a North African population (2024)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 52 from Morocco.
Compare yourself with Moroccan Jewish
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Moroccan Jewish average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Moroccan Jewish 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 Moroccan Jewish. 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 Moroccan Jewish average. Your own DNA has its own story: Am Yisrael – Jewish Diaspora 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 Jewish ancestry: ancient Israelite & Levantine core (Canaanite, Iron Age, Phoenician) plus the host admixture of your diaspora community, on a Jerusalem-centred animated map.
More populations from North Africa
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Moroccan Jewish?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Moroccan Jewish average is about 49.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 13.8% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 13.6% Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Moroccan Jewish?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Moroccan Jewish average are Algerian Jew, Tunisian Jewish and Libyan Jew. The closest ancient matches are Spain Catalonia Late Medieval Sephardic Jew Tarrega, Germany Late Medieval Ashkenazi Jew Erfurt (Western Profile) and England High Medieval Tzarfati Jew Norwich.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Moroccan Jewish?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Moroccan Jewish 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 Moroccan Jewish ancestry?
Am Yisrael – Jewish Diaspora Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Moroccan Jewish 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.