Munda DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · India · South Asia
The Munda people live mainly on the Chota Nagpur plateau of Jharkhand, around Ranchi, and in neighbouring Odisha, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. Their language, Mundari, gave its name to the whole Munda branch of the Austroasiatic family, the family of Khmer and Vietnamese. Birsa Munda, who led an uprising against colonial rule in 1899 and 1900, remains a major figure in Jharkhand. In our model, the Munda average is 78.2% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) and 21.8% Southeast Asian Neolithic farmer, the largest Southeast Asian share among the Munda-speaking pages of our atlas, ahead of the Santhal (18.0%). That component is represented here by Man Bac, a Neolithic site in northern Vietnam, and most researchers think that Austroasiatic languages reached India from the east. The closest modern averages are Ho samples from Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, the Korwa and the Birhor, all Munda speakers. Ancient matches are distant: the Great Andamanese (0.1014) and Hoabinhian foragers from Laos (0.1091).
- Ancient components in our model: South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) 78.2%, Southeast Asian Neolithic farmers 21.8%
- Closest modern population in our data: Ho (Madhya Pradesh), distance 0.0123
- Closest ancient group in our data: Andaman Islands 100BP (Great Andamanese), distance 0.1014
Where does Munda DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Munda individuals sampled in India 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 Munda average
The ancient make-up of the Munda average is led by South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) (78.2%), followed by Southeast Asian Neolithic farmers (21.8%). The South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) component reflects the deep hunter-gatherer ancestry of South Asia (Ancient Ancestral South Indians). The Southeast Asian Neolithic farmers share (21.8%) reflects the Neolithic farmers of mainland Southeast Asia. With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
The fit is loose (fit distance 0.051), 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 Munda
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Munda average is Ho (Madhya Pradesh), at a distance of 0.012 (very close). Next come Korwa at 0.013 and Ho (Odisha) at 0.013. Even the tenth closest, Baiga (Madhya Pradesh), is only 0.019 away: Munda belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ho (Madhya Pradesh) | 0.0123 | Very close |
| 2 | Korwa | 0.0125 | Very close |
| 3 | Ho (Odisha) | 0.0129 | Very close |
| 4 | Birhor | 0.0144 | Very close |
| 5 | Ho (Bihar) | 0.0161 | Very close |
| 6 | Santhal (Bangladesh) | 0.0171 | Very close |
| 7 | Kharia (Chhattisgarh) | 0.0176 | Very close |
| 8 | Bhumij (Odisha) | 0.0177 | Very close |
| 9 | Bhumij (Jharkhand) | 0.0180 | Very close |
| 10 | Baiga (Madhya Pradesh) | 0.0191 | 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 Munda
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Munda, Andaman Islands 100BP (Great Andamanese) (c. 1850 AD) comes first, at 0.101, with Laos Hoabinhian next. Even the best ancient match is distant, so the modern population is better described as a blend of several ancestral sources than as the continuation of one. 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 | Andaman Islands 100BP (Great Andamanese) | c. 1850 AD | 0.1014 |
| 2 | Laos Hoabinhian | Hoabinhian foragers (pre-Neolithic) | 0.1091 |
| 3 | Malaysia Hoabinhian | Hoabinhian foragers (pre-Neolithic) | 0.1250 |
| 4 | China Yunnan EN Xingyi | Early Neolithic | 0.1372 |
| 5 | China Heilongjiang EUP Acheng | Early Upper Palaeolithic | 0.1560 |
| 6 | China Tianyuan | Early Upper Palaeolithic | 0.1652 |
| 7 | India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile) | c. 800 AD | 0.1972 |
| 8 | Mongolia EUP Salkhit | Early Upper Palaeolithic | 0.2003 |
| 9 | China Guangxi EP Longlin | Epipalaeolithic | 0.2041 |
| 10 | Tibet Early Modern Guge Kingdom Guge Ganshidong | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.2059 |
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 Munda 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 Munda
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Munda average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Munda 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 Munda. 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 Munda 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 South Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Munda?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Munda average is about 78.2% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) and 21.8% Southeast Asian Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Munda?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Munda average are Ho (Madhya Pradesh), Korwa and Ho (Odisha). The closest ancient matches are Andaman Islands 100BP (Great Andamanese), Laos Hoabinhian and Malaysia Hoabinhian.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Munda?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Munda 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 Munda ancestry?
Our regional report for this part of the world does not fit the Munda average closely, 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.