Norwegian DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Norway · Northern Europe
Norway's genetic profile is close to that of the other Scandinavian populations, with one of the strongest steppe-related signals in our atlas. In our model, the Norwegian average is 50.6% steppe (Yamnaya), 34.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmer and 15.2% Western hunter-gatherer. Scandinavia was first settled after the Ice Age by hunter-gatherers whose ancestry mixed western and eastern sources, farmers arrived around 6,000 years ago, and steppe-related ancestry came with the Corded Ware (Battle Axe) culture from about 2800 BC. The closest ancient groups in our data are Late Antiquity to early medieval Thuringians with a Northwest European profile from Germany, and Viking Age Icelanders and Swedes, all at very close distances around 0.01. The closest modern averages are Norwegians from Bergen, Danes, Icelanders, Faroese and Orcadians, a pattern that reflects the Norse settlement of the North Atlantic.
- Ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 50.6%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 34.2%, Western hunter-gatherers 15.2%
- Closest modern population in our data: Norwegian (Bergen), distance 0.0075
- Closest ancient group in our data: Germany Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Thuringian Obermollern (Northwest Euro Profile), distance 0.0085
Norwegian 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 Norwegian individuals sampled in Norway. Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Norwegian average
The ancient make-up of the Norwegian average is led by Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (50.6%), followed by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (34.2%) and Western hunter-gatherers (15.2%). The Steppe herders (Yamnaya) component reflects the Bronze Age herders of the Pontic-Caspian steppe (Yamnaya and related groups), whose ancestry spread across Europe and into Asia from about 3000 BC. The Anatolian Neolithic farmers share (34.2%) reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC.
The fit is loose (fit distance 0.044), 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. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Nordsee – North Sea Germanic Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Norwegian
Genetically, the Norwegian average sits nearest to Norwegian (Bergen) at 0.008, Danish at 0.008 and Icelandic at 0.011. On our scale, a distance of 0.008 counts as very close. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Danish (0.008), Icelandic (0.011) and Faroese (0.012). Even the tenth closest, Irish, is only 0.016 away: Norwegian belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
Most of the closest populations that have their own atlas page (6 of 7) are also from Northern Europe, as geography would predict.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwegian (Bergen) | 0.0075 | Very close |
| 2 | Danish | 0.0083 | Very close |
| 3 | Icelandic | 0.0109 | Very close |
| 4 | Faroese | 0.0116 | Very close |
| 5 | Orcadian | 0.0121 | Very close |
| 6 | Frisian | 0.0130 | Very close |
| 7 | Orcadian (other sample set) | 0.0150 | Very close |
| 8 | Swedish | 0.0156 | Very close |
| 9 | Ulster (Scot) | 0.0157 | Very close |
| 10 | Irish | 0.0163 | 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 Norwegian
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Norwegian average is Germany Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Thuringian Obermollern (Northwest Euro Profile) (Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD), at 0.009, followed by Germany Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Thuringian Brucken (Northwest Euro Profile) and Iceland Viking. That is a very close match, which suggests strong genetic continuity between those ancient people (or close relatives of theirs) and the modern population. 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 | Germany Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Thuringian Obermollern (Northwest Euro Profile) | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0085 |
| 2 | Germany Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Thuringian Brucken (Northwest Euro Profile) | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0090 |
| 3 | Iceland Viking | Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD | 0.0093 |
| 4 | Hungary Early Medieval Lombard Period (Northwest Euro Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0096 |
| 5 | Iceland Early-High Medieval Viking Age Hofstadir | Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD | 0.0099 |
| 6 | Sweden Early-High Medieval Viking Age Skara (Norse Profile) | Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD | 0.0100 |
| 7 | England Saxon | Anglo-Saxon period, c. 450-1066 AD | 0.0102 |
| 8 | Austria Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Lombard Moedling Leinerinnen (Northwest Euro Profile) | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0102 |
| 9 | Hungary Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Avar Period (Northwest Euro Profile) | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0106 |
| 10 | Denmark Late Medieval Holbaek | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0106 |
Ancient DNA from Norway
Our ancient DNA database holds 223 individuals excavated in present-day Norway, dated from about 7,434 BC to 1816 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1a (52), I1a (19) and R1b (13), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U5 (30), J1 (25) and H1 (22). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Norwegian population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Most frequent mtDNA haplogroups
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 223 from Norway.
Compare yourself with Norwegian
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Norwegian average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Norwegian 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 Norwegian individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Norwegian. 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 Norwegian average. Your own DNA has its own story: Nordsee – North Sea Germanic Ancestry 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 North Sea Germanic ancestry: ancient regional core (native British/Dutch/Danish Iron Age, Roman Britain, Anglo-Saxon migration, Viking Age, Frisian Saxon, Anglo-Norman) versus non-regional outside admixture...
More populations from Northern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Norwegian?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Norwegian average is about 50.6% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 34.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 15.2% Western hunter-gatherers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Norwegian?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Norwegian (Bergen)), the closest modern populations to the Norwegian average are Danish, Icelandic and Faroese. The closest ancient matches are Germany Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Thuringian Obermollern (Northwest Euro Profile), Germany Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Thuringian Brucken (Northwest Euro Profile) and Iceland Viking.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Norwegian?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Norwegian 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 Norwegian ancestry?
For the Norwegian average, the regional report to choose is Nordsee – North Sea Germanic Ancestry Report, which our fit test rates as an excellent match. 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.