Ni-Vanuatu DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Vanuatu · Oceania
Vanuatu is an archipelago of more than 80 islands in the southwestern Pacific, with over 100 languages, nearly all of them Austronesian. Ancient DNA has made it a remarkable case: the first settlers, people of the Lapita culture about 3,000 years ago, had almost entirely Asian-related ancestry, but by about 2,500 years ago newcomers from the Bismarck Archipelago had brought Papuan-related ancestry that largely replaced it, while the Austronesian languages stayed. The modern profile shows the result: in our model, the Ni-Vanuatu average is 65.6% Papuan and Near Oceanian and 24.8% Southern Chinese Neolithic farmer, the reverse of the Polynesian pattern, plus 7.2% South Asian hunter-gatherer related and 2.5% Southeast Asian Neolithic shares that act as stand-ins for deep ancestry. The closest ancient groups are precolonial people from Watom Island off New Britain (0.0282) and Vanuatu individuals from about 1,100 to 2,500 years ago. The closest modern averages are the Nasioi of Bougainville (0.0307 and 0.0316).
- Largest ancient components in our model: Papuan and Near Oceanian 65.6%, Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers 24.8%, South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) 7.2%
- Closest modern population in our data: Nasoi, distance 0.0307
- Closest ancient group in our data: Papua New Guinea Watom Island Precolonial, distance 0.0282
Ni-Vanuatu 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 Ni-Vanuatu individuals sampled in Vanuatu. Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Ni-Vanuatu average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Ni-Vanuatu average comes out as 65.6% Papuan and Near Oceanian, 24.8% Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers and 7.2% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy). The Papuan and Near Oceanian component reflects the ancestry of the first peoples of New Guinea and Australia. The Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers share (24.8%) reflects the Neolithic rice and millet farmers of southern China, whose descendants spread into Southeast Asia. With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
Smaller traces of Southeast Asian Neolithic farmers (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 model fits well (fit distance 0.017), so these proportions are a reasonable summary. 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 Ni-Vanuatu
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Nasoi first for Ni-Vanuatu, at 0.031, then Nasioi (Bougainville) and Australian Aboriginal. By the tenth closest (Keiese (Faan)) the distance grows to 0.163, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nasoi | 0.0307 | Close |
| 2 | Nasioi (Bougainville) | 0.0316 | Close |
| 3 | Australian Aboriginal | 0.0779 | Moderate |
| 4 | Papuan (Highland B) | 0.1042 | Distant |
| 5 | Alor | 0.1053 | Distant |
| 6 | Baining | 0.1057 | Distant |
| 7 | Pantar | 0.1321 | Distant |
| 8 | Keiese (Waur) | 0.1445 | Distant |
| 9 | Papuan (Coastal) | 0.1493 | Distant |
| 10 | Keiese (Faan) | 0.1633 | 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 Ni-Vanuatu
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Ni-Vanuatu average is Papua New Guinea Watom Island Precolonial (Pre-colonial), at 0.028, followed by Vanuatu 1100BP and Vanuatu 1200BP. 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 | Papua New Guinea Watom Island Precolonial | Pre-colonial | 0.0282 |
| 2 | Vanuatu 1100BP | c. 850 AD | 0.0333 |
| 3 | Vanuatu 1200BP | c. 750 AD | 0.0420 |
| 4 | Vanuatu 2500BP | c. 550 BC | 0.0425 |
| 5 | Vanuatu 1800CE | c. 1800 AD | 0.0458 |
| 6 | Papua New Guinea Eriama Precolonial | Pre-colonial | 0.0523 |
| 7 | Vanuatu 1600CE | c. 1600 AD | 0.0637 |
| 8 | Australia Queensland 50BP (Ngajanji) | 0.0711 | |
| 9 | AUS Willandra Lakes 4000BP | c. 2050 BC | 0.0729 |
| 10 | AUS Mapoon 112BP | c. 1850 AD | 0.0749 |
Ancient DNA from Vanuatu
Our ancient DNA database holds 37 individuals excavated in present-day Vanuatu, dated from about 1,040 BC to 1815 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are C1b (4), O1a (4) and S1a (4), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are B4 (16), P1 (7) and M28 (4). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Ni-Vanuatu population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 37 from Vanuatu.
Compare yourself with Ni-Vanuatu
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Ni-Vanuatu average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Ni-Vanuatu 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 Ni-Vanuatu individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Ni-Vanuatu. 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 Ni-Vanuatu 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.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Ni-Vanuatu?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Ni-Vanuatu average is about 65.6% Papuan and Near Oceanian, 24.8% Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers and 7.2% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Ni-Vanuatu?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Ni-Vanuatu average are Nasoi, Nasioi (Bougainville) and Australian Aboriginal. The closest ancient matches are Papua New Guinea Watom Island Precolonial, Vanuatu 1100BP and Vanuatu 1200BP.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Ni-Vanuatu?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Ni-Vanuatu 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 Ni-Vanuatu ancestry?
Our regional report for this part of the world does not fit the Ni-Vanuatu 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.