Polish DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Poland · Eastern Europe
Poland lies on the North European Plain, a broad corridor that has seen many movements of people. In our model, the Polish average is 44.8% steppe-related (Yamnaya), 34.8% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 13.7% Western hunter-gatherer and 6.7% Eastern hunter-gatherer. Steppe-related ancestry spread into the region from around 2900 BC with the Corded Ware culture, and the hunter-gatherer components reflect the deep roots of northern and eastern Europe. Later, the spread of Slavic-speaking groups in the early medieval period shaped much of the present-day ancestry of Central and Eastern Europe. This fits our closest ancient matches: High Medieval Elbe Slav communities from eastern Germany, at a very close distance of 0.0071. The closest modern averages are regional Polish samples from Kuyavia-Pomerania and Gdansk, followed by Ukrainians from Rivne and Zhytomyr. The fit (0.058) is at the rough end of the usual range, as is common in northeastern Europe.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 44.8%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 34.8%, Western hunter-gatherers 13.7%
- Closest modern population in our data: Polish (Kuyavia-Pomerania Bydgoszcz), distance 0.0063
- Closest ancient group in our data: Germany High Medieval Elbe Slav Niederwunsch, distance 0.0071
This page sums up what the DNA of the Polish sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Poland, 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 Polish average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Polish average, 44.8%, goes to Steppe herders (Yamnaya), ahead of Anatolian Neolithic farmers (34.8%) and Western hunter-gatherers (13.7%). 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 (34.8%) reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC.
The fit is loose (fit distance 0.058), 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.
Sarmatia – Balto-Slavic Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Polish
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Polish (Kuyavia-Pomerania Bydgoszcz) first for Polish, at 0.006, then Polish (Pomerania Gdansk) and Ukrainian (Rivne). Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Ukrainian (Rivne) (0.012), Ukrainian (0.012) and Ukrainian (Zhytomyr) (0.013). Even the tenth closest, Russian (Voronezh), is only 0.018 away: Polish belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polish (Kuyavia-Pomerania Bydgoszcz) | 0.0063 | Very close |
| 2 | Polish (Pomerania Gdansk) | 0.0068 | Very close |
| 3 | Ukrainian (Rivne) | 0.0120 | Very close |
| 4 | Ukrainian | 0.0122 | Very close |
| 5 | Ukrainian (Zhytomyr) | 0.0128 | Very close |
| 6 | Ukrainian (Chernihiv) | 0.0149 | Very close |
| 7 | Russian (Belgorod) | 0.0168 | Very close |
| 8 | Russian (Voronez) | 0.0172 | Very close |
| 9 | Kashubian | 0.0176 | Very close |
| 10 | Russian (Voronezh) | 0.0178 | 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 Polish
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Polish average is Germany High Medieval Elbe Slav Niederwunsch (High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD), at 0.007. Germany Early-High Medieval Elbe Slav Steuden and Germany Early-High Medieval Elbe Slav Obermollern come next. 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 High Medieval Elbe Slav Niederwunsch | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0071 |
| 2 | Germany Early-High Medieval Elbe Slav Steuden | Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD | 0.0087 |
| 3 | Germany Early-High Medieval Elbe Slav Obermollern | Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD | 0.0131 |
| 4 | Ukraine High Medieval Kievan Rus'-Golden Horde Pidhirtsi (Balto-Slavic Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0149 |
| 5 | Ukraine High Medieval Kievan Rus' Pidhirtsi (Balto-Slavic Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0150 |
| 6 | Germany High-Late Medieval Krakauer Berg (Balto-Slavic Profile) | High to Late Medieval, c. 1000-1500 AD | 0.0154 |
| 7 | Czechia Early Medieval Early Slav Pohansko (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0159 |
| 8 | Ukraine High Medieval Kievan Rus'-Golden Horde Korolivka (Balto-Slavic Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0164 |
| 9 | Poland Early Medieval Grodek | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0191 |
| 10 | Poland High Medieval Lad (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0192 |
Ancient DNA from Poland
Our ancient DNA database holds 1,077 individuals excavated in present-day Poland, dated from about 50,000 BC to 1700 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1a (141), I2a (72) and R1b (46), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U5 (128), T2 (83) and H1 (80). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Polish population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Poland
- A unique, non-normative burial of a young adult female from a 17th-century cemetery in Pien, north-central Poland. A multidisciplinary approach (2026)
- Ancient DNA analysis sheds light on two individuals buried in a mutual embrace at the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Cathedral in Opole, Poland (2026)
- Ancient DNA analysis sheds light on two individuals buried in a mutual embrace at the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Cathedral in Opole, Poland (2026)
- First multi-individual Neanderthal mitogenomes from north of the Carpathians (2026)
- Genetic genealogy of the Piast dynasty and related European royal families (2026)
- Cosmopolitanism in the depths of Barbaricum evidenced by archaeogenomic data from the Late Iron Age Goth community of the Maslomecz group (2026)
- Migration Period in Central Europe: New Multi-Isotopic Evidence from Tyniec upon Sleza Cemetery (4th–5th Century AD, SW Poland) (2025)
- Intensive post-war migrations and mtDNA variation based on Poland case (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 1,077 from Poland.
Compare yourself with Polish
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Polish average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Polish 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 Polish. 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 Polish average. Your own DNA has its own story: Sarmatia – Balto-Slavic 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 from Eastern and Central-Eastern Europe of Balto-Slavic ancestry: ancient regional core (Corded Ware, Bronze Age cultures, Scythian, Sarmatian and Baltic Iron Age, Przeworsk, Wielbark and Chernyakhiv, Early Slavs...
More populations from Eastern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Polish?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Polish average is about 44.8% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 34.8% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 13.7% 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 Polish?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Polish (Kuyavia-Pomerania Bydgoszcz)), the closest modern populations to the Polish average are Ukrainian (Rivne), Ukrainian and Ukrainian (Zhytomyr). The closest ancient matches are Germany High Medieval Elbe Slav Niederwunsch, Germany Early-High Medieval Elbe Slav Steuden and Germany Early-High Medieval Elbe Slav Obermollern.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Polish?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Polish 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 Polish ancestry?
For the Polish average, the regional report to choose is Sarmatia – Balto-Slavic 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.