Omani DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Oman · West Asia
Oman sits on the southeastern corner of Arabia, facing Iran and the Makran coast across the Gulf of Oman and looking out over the Indian Ocean. Its sailors and merchants built a maritime network that by the 19th century reached Zanzibar and the East African coast. In our model, the Omani average is 32.8% Natufian, 28.2% Iranian Neolithic farmer, 24.5% Levantine Neolithic farmer, 7.7% steppe, 4.6% West African and 2.2% Caucasus hunter-gatherer. Compared with the Saudi average (52.8% Natufian, 20.0% Iranian Neolithic), Oman leans clearly toward the Iranian side, and its African-related share is the largest of our Arabian Peninsula pages, both fitting a long history of trade across the sea. Oman has no close match in our panel: the nearest modern averages, Syrian Bedouin, southern Iraqi Arabs, Emiratis and Saudis, are all at 0.0339 or more. The closest ancient groups, medieval Socotra and Hellenistic Halicarnassus, are further still (0.0665 and beyond), so treat these neighbours as rough pointers.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) 32.8%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 28.2%, Levantine Neolithic farmers 24.5%
- Closest modern population in our data: Bedouin (Syria), distance 0.0339
- Closest ancient group in our data: Yemen Socotra Early-High Medieval, distance 0.0665
Omani 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 Omani individuals sampled in Oman, listed in the G25 sheet as "Omani_Arab". Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Omani average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Omani average comes out as 32.8% Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant), 28.2% Iranian Neolithic farmers and 24.5% Levantine Neolithic farmers. The Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) component reflects the early farmers of the Levant and the Natufian foragers who came before them. The Iranian Neolithic farmers share (28.2%) reflects the early farmers and herders of the Zagros mountains in Iran. No single source dominates, so the profile is best read as a balanced blend of several ancient ancestries.
Smaller traces of West African and Caucasus hunter-gatherers (under 5% each) 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 acceptable (fit distance 0.036): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Closest modern populations to Omani
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Bedouin (Syria) first for Omani, at 0.034, then Iraqi Arab (South) and Syrian Arab (Al-Hasakah, Mesopotamian Arab Profile). By the tenth closest (Iraqi Arab (Najaf, Mesopotamian Arab Profile)) the distance grows to 0.048, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bedouin (Syria) | 0.0339 | Close |
| 2 | Iraqi Arab (South) | 0.0397 | Close |
| 3 | Syrian Arab (Al-Hasakah, Mesopotamian Arab Profile) | 0.0411 | Close |
| 4 | Emirati (group B) | 0.0414 | Close |
| 5 | Bedouin (group A) | 0.0421 | Close |
| 6 | Syrian Arab (Aleppo, Mesopotamian Arab Profile) | 0.0434 | Close |
| 7 | Syrian Arab (Deir ez-Zor, Mesopotamian Arab Profile) | 0.0434 | Close |
| 8 | Saudi (group B) | 0.0468 | Close |
| 9 | Iraqi Arab (South, Mesopotamian Arab Profile) | 0.0483 | Close |
| 10 | Iraqi Arab (Najaf, Mesopotamian Arab Profile) | 0.0484 | 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 Omani
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Omani, Yemen Socotra Early-High Medieval (Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD) comes first, at 0.067, with Yemen Socotra Early Medieval 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 | Yemen Socotra Early-High Medieval | Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD | 0.0665 |
| 2 | Yemen Socotra Early Medieval | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0692 |
| 3 | Turkey Anatolia Achaemenid-Hellenistic Halicarnassus (Levantine Profile) | Hellenistic era, c. 330-30 BC | 0.0700 |
| 4 | Yemen Socotra High Medieval | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0722 |
| 5 | Italy Campania Roman Empire Pompeii (Levantine Profile) | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0750 |
| 6 | Yemen Socotra Early-Late Modern | Modern era, c. 1500-1950 AD | 0.0756 |
| 7 | Lebanon Hellenistic-Roman Empire Beirut | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0764 |
| 8 | Bahrain Early Medieval | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0775 |
| 9 | Iraq MBA Old Babylonian Bakr Awa (Levantine Profile) | Middle Bronze Age | 0.0783 |
| 10 | Syria High Medieval Tell Masaikh (Arabian Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0811 |
Ancient DNA from Oman
Our ancient DNA database holds 2 individuals excavated in present-day Oman. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are P1 (1) and R1b (1), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are H2 (1) and M9 (1). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Omani population.
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 2 from Oman.
Compare yourself with Omani
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Omani average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Omani 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 Omani individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Omani. 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 Omani 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 West Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Omani?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Omani average is about 32.8% Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant), 28.2% Iranian Neolithic farmers and 24.5% Levantine Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Omani?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Omani average are Bedouin (Syria), Iraqi Arab (South) and Syrian Arab (Al-Hasakah, Mesopotamian Arab Profile). The closest ancient matches are Yemen Socotra Early-High Medieval, Yemen Socotra Early Medieval and Turkey Anatolia Achaemenid-Hellenistic Halicarnassus (Levantine Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Omani?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Omani 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 Omani ancestry?
None of our regional reports is built for Omani 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.