Nganasan DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Russia (Taymyr) · Siberia
The Nganasan live on the Taymyr Peninsula in Arctic Siberia and are the northernmost indigenous people of Eurasia, traditionally hunters of wild reindeer on the tundra. Like Nenets and Selkup, their language is Samoyedic, part of the Uralic family. The Nganasan average is the yardstick for Arctic Siberian ancestry in our global model, which is why it shows 100.0% of that component by construction, with no bearing on Nganasan history. On other pages it traces Arctic Siberian-related ancestry from the Even (74.5%) and Evenks (73.8%) to Uralic speakers further west, such as the Khanty (45.0%). Apart from another Nganasan sample (0.0084), every modern average is far away, the nearest Evenks and Yukaghirs starting at 0.0759, a sign of long isolation in the far north. Its ancient neighbours are Late Neolithic Ymyyakhtakh people from Yakutia (0.0632) and Bronze Age Nefteprovod in the Krasnoyarsk region.
- Reference population for the Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) component in our model (100.0% by construction)
- Closest modern population in our data: Nganassan, distance 0.0084
- Closest ancient group in our data: Sakha LN Ymyyakhtakh Pomazkino, distance 0.0632
This page sums up what the DNA of the Nganasan sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Russia (Taymyr), and it is one of 335 populations in our atlas. An average describes the group as a whole, not any single person in it.
Ancient make-up of the Nganasan average
Nganasan is itself one of the reference populations of this model: the Nganasan average is what the model uses for the Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) component, so it comes out as 100.0% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) by construction. That figure says nothing about how old, how mixed or how uniform Nganasan ancestry is; it only shows where the model's yardstick for this part of the world comes from.
The informative part of this page is the comparison below: which modern populations and which ancient genomes sit closest to the Nganasan average.
Closest modern populations to Nganasan
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Nganasan average is Nganassan, at a distance of 0.008 (very close). Next come Evenk (Zabaykalsky) at 0.076 and Evenk at 0.078. By the tenth closest (Tofalar) the distance grows to 0.135, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nganassan | 0.0084 | Very close |
| 2 | Evenk (Zabaykalsky) | 0.0759 | Moderate |
| 3 | Evenk | 0.0777 | Moderate |
| 4 | Yukagir | 0.0778 | Moderate |
| 5 | Yukaghir | 0.0861 | Distant |
| 6 | Yukagir (Tundra) | 0.0909 | Distant |
| 7 | Even | 0.0945 | Distant |
| 8 | Enets | 0.1237 | Distant |
| 9 | Dolgan | 0.1312 | Distant |
| 10 | Tofalar | 0.1350 | 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 Nganasan
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Nganasan average is Sakha LN Ymyyakhtakh Pomazkino (Late Neolithic), at 0.063. Krasnoyarsk BA Nefteprovod and Sakha LN Ymyyakhtakh Chuiya come 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 | Sakha LN Ymyyakhtakh Pomazkino | Late Neolithic | 0.0632 |
| 2 | Krasnoyarsk BA Nefteprovod | Bronze Age | 0.0684 |
| 3 | Sakha LN Ymyyakhtakh Chuiya | Late Neolithic | 0.0685 |
| 4 | Sakha LN Ymyyakhtakh Kamenka | Late Neolithic | 0.0697 |
| 5 | Krasnoyarsk EMBA Samus Tatarka | Early to Middle Bronze Age | 0.0771 |
| 6 | Omsk BA Seima-Turbino Rostovka (East/Central Siberia BA Profile) | Bronze Age | 0.0868 |
| 7 | Sakha LN Ymyyakhtakh Kyordyughen | Late Neolithic | 0.0911 |
| 8 | Irkutsk EBA Glazkovo Sosnovyi Mys | Early Bronze Age | 0.1108 |
| 9 | Sakha MN Belkachi Ogonyok | Middle Neolithic | 0.1327 |
| 10 | Sakha EN Syalakh Kangalassy | Early Neolithic | 0.1426 |
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 Nganasan 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 Nganasan
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Nganasan average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Nganasan 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 Nganasan. 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 Nganasan 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 Nganasan?
Nganasan is itself one of the reference populations of our make-up model: the Nganasan average is what the model uses for the Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) component, so its make-up is Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) by construction. The closest modern and ancient populations on this page describe it better than that figure.
Which populations are genetically closest to Nganasan?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Nganasan average are Nganassan, Evenk (Zabaykalsky) and Evenk. The closest ancient matches are Sakha LN Ymyyakhtakh Pomazkino, Krasnoyarsk BA Nefteprovod and Sakha LN Ymyyakhtakh Chuiya.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Nganasan?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Nganasan 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 Nganasan ancestry?
None of our regional reports is built for Nganasan 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.