Nenets DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Russia · Siberia
The Nenets are reindeer herders of the Russian Arctic, spread across the tundra from the White Sea to the Yamal and Taymyr peninsulas, and many still migrate with their herds over hundreds of kilometres each year. Nenets is a Samoyedic language of the Uralic family. In our model, the Nenets average is 65.3% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related), 12.6% Ancient North Eurasian, 11.8% Eastern hunter-gatherer, 7.6% Anatolian Neolithic farmer and 2.6% East Asian. Compared with the Nganasan, their Samoyedic-speaking neighbours to the east, the Nenets carry a clear western layer, the Eastern hunter-gatherer and farmer shares, which fits a homeland that reaches into northeastern Europe. After Tundra and Forest Nenets samples, the closest modern averages are the Selkup (0.0412), another Samoyedic people, then the Enets, Kets and Khanty. The closest ancient groups, medieval people from Ivanov-Mys in the Omsk region (0.0824) and from Barsov-Gorodok in the Khanty-Mansi region, are far away.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) 65.3%, Ancient North Eurasians 12.6%, Eastern hunter-gatherers 11.8%
- Closest other population in our data: Selkup, distance 0.0412
- Closest ancient group in our data: Omsk High Medieval Ust-Ishim Ivanov-Mys, distance 0.0824
Nenets 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 Nenets individuals sampled in Russia. Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Nenets average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Nenets average comes out as 65.3% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related), 12.6% Ancient North Eurasians and 11.8% Eastern hunter-gatherers. The Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) component reflects the ancestry of the peoples of northern Siberia. With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
Smaller traces of East Asian (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 0.048), 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 Nenets
Genetically, the Nenets average sits nearest to Nenets (Tundra) at 0.029, Nenets (Forest) at 0.030 and Selkup at 0.041. On our scale, a distance of 0.029 counts as close. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Selkup (0.041), Selkup (Taz) (0.049) and Enets (0.069). By the tenth closest (Dolgan) the distance grows to 0.131, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nenets (Tundra) | 0.0285 | Close |
| 2 | Nenets (Forest) | 0.0303 | Close |
| 3 | Selkup | 0.0412 | Close |
| 4 | Selkup (Taz) | 0.0490 | Close |
| 5 | Enets | 0.0693 | Moderate |
| 6 | Ket | 0.0931 | Distant |
| 7 | Khanty (Obdorsk) | 0.0953 | Distant |
| 8 | Khanty | 0.1015 | Distant |
| 9 | Mansi | 0.1248 | Distant |
| 10 | Dolgan | 0.1313 | 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 Nenets
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Nenets average is Omsk High Medieval Ust-Ishim Ivanov-Mys (High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD), at 0.082, followed by Khanty-Mansia Early Medieval Nizhneobskaya Barsov-Gorodok and Omsk Early-High Medieval Ust-Ishim Panovo. 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 | Omsk High Medieval Ust-Ishim Ivanov-Mys | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0824 |
| 2 | Khanty-Mansia Early Medieval Nizhneobskaya Barsov-Gorodok | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0838 |
| 3 | Omsk Early-High Medieval Ust-Ishim Panovo | Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD | 0.0932 |
| 4 | Krasnoyarsk LBA Bazaikha | Late Bronze Age | 0.1008 |
| 5 | Krasnoyarsk LBA Afontova Gora | Late Bronze Age | 0.1085 |
| 6 | Khanty-Mansia BA Seima-Turbino Satyga | Bronze Age | 0.1217 |
| 7 | Russia Komi IA-Early Medieval Ezhol | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.1315 |
| 8 | Irkutsk Late Medieval Ust-Belaya | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.1351 |
| 9 | Altai N Kuznetsk-Altai Nizhnetytkesken | Neolithic | 0.1358 |
| 10 | Irkutsk LN Isakovo-Serovo Ust-Ida | Late Neolithic | 0.1359 |
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 Nenets 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 Nenets
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Nenets average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Nenets 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 Nenets. 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 Nenets 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 Nenets?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Nenets average is about 65.3% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related), 12.6% Ancient North Eurasians and 11.8% Eastern hunter-gatherers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Nenets?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Nenets (Tundra)), the closest modern populations to the Nenets average are Selkup, Selkup (Taz) and Enets. The closest ancient matches are Omsk High Medieval Ust-Ishim Ivanov-Mys, Khanty-Mansia Early Medieval Nizhneobskaya Barsov-Gorodok and Omsk Early-High Medieval Ust-Ishim Panovo.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Nenets?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Nenets 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 Nenets ancestry?
None of our regional reports is built for Nenets 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.