Punjabi (Pakistan) DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Pakistan · South Asia
Punjab, the land of five rivers, lies in the Indus basin, home of the Indus Valley Civilisation. This page uses the Lahore average. Like most South Asians, Punjabis descend from a blend of three deep sources. In our model, 56.3% is South Asian hunter-gatherer related ancestry (using the Irula of southern India as a proxy, not a pure ancient source), 22.2% is related to Iranian Neolithic farmers and 18.6% to steppe herders, with 3.0% Anatolian Neolithic. Ancient DNA shows that people of the Indus era combined Iranian-related and South Asian hunter-gatherer ancestry, and that steppe-related ancestry arrived in the second millennium BC. The closest ancient groups are Roopkund individuals with a South Asian profile, from around 800 AD, and Iron Age to historical-period people from the Swat valley in northern Pakistan. The closest modern averages in our data span the subcontinent, led by Malayali Nambudiri Brahmins, Pashtuns of Uttar Pradesh and Bhojpuri Shia Muslims.
- Largest ancient components in our model: South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) 56.3%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 22.2%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 18.6%
- Closest modern population in our data: Malayali Brahmin (Nambudiri), distance 0.0140
- Closest ancient group in our data: India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile), distance 0.0360
This page sums up what the DNA of the Punjabi (Pakistan) sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Pakistan, listed in the G25 sheet as "Punjabi_Lahore", 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 Punjabi (Pakistan) average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Punjabi (Pakistan) average, 56.3%, goes to South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), ahead of Iranian Neolithic farmers (22.2%) and Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (18.6%). The South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) component reflects the deep hunter-gatherer ancestry of South Asia (Ancient Ancestral South Indians). The Iranian Neolithic farmers share (22.2%) reflects the early farmers and herders of the Zagros mountains in Iran.
Smaller traces of Anatolian 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 fit is acceptable (fit distance 0.027): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. 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.
Sindhu – South Asian Report
Closest modern populations to Punjabi (Pakistan)
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Malayali Brahmin (Nambudiri) first for Punjabi (Pakistan), at 0.014, then Pashtun (India Uttar Pradesh) and Bhojpuri Muslim Shia. Even the tenth closest, Tamil Brahmin (Iyer Tamil Nadu), is only 0.017 away: Punjabi (Pakistan) belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malayali Brahmin (Nambudiri) | 0.0140 | Very close |
| 2 | Pashtun (India Uttar Pradesh) | 0.0146 | Very close |
| 3 | Bhojpuri Muslim Shia | 0.0146 | Very close |
| 4 | Tulu Brahmin (Karnataka) | 0.0148 | Very close |
| 5 | Brahmin (Telugu) | 0.0151 | Very close |
| 6 | Brahmin (Kerala Nambudiri) | 0.0152 | Very close |
| 7 | Kshatriya | 0.0157 | Very close |
| 8 | Kannadiga Brahmin (Havyaka) | 0.0163 | Very close |
| 9 | Bhojpuri (Kshatriya) | 0.0165 | Very close |
| 10 | Tamil Brahmin (Iyer Tamil Nadu) | 0.0166 | 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 Punjabi (Pakistan)
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Punjabi (Pakistan) average is India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile) (c. 800 AD), at 0.036. Pakistan HP Butkara and Pakistan IA Aligrama come next. 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 | India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile) | c. 800 AD | 0.0360 |
| 2 | Pakistan HP Butkara | Historical period | 0.0451 |
| 3 | Pakistan IA Aligrama | Iron Age | 0.0482 |
| 4 | Pakistan HP Aligrama | Historical period | 0.0489 |
| 5 | Pakistan HP Saidu Sharif | Historical period | 0.0561 |
| 6 | Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta (IVC Profile) | Early Bronze Age | 0.0569 |
| 7 | China Shaanxi HP Northern Zhou Dynasty Xi'an (Burusho Profile) | Northern Zhou dynasty, 557-581 AD | 0.0661 |
| 8 | Pakistan IA Katelai | Iron Age | 0.0711 |
| 9 | Pakistan HP Barikot | Historical period | 0.0731 |
| 10 | Pakistan IA Gogdara | Iron Age | 0.0738 |
Ancient DNA from Pakistan
Our ancient DNA database holds 136 individuals excavated in present-day Pakistan, dated from about 1,266 BC to 1568 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are L1a (14), E1b (11) and R2a (10), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U2 (14), M30 (9) and M65 (8). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Punjabi (Pakistan) population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Pakistan
- Contrasting maternal and paternal genetic histories among five ethnic groups from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan (2025)
- Phylogenetic analysis of the enigmatic Kalash population in Pakistan (2025)
- Ethnogenetic analysis reveals the Bronze Age genetic affiliation of Yashkuns with West Eurasians (2024)
- Multiple-Wave Admixture and Adaptive Evolution of the Pamirian Wakhi People (2024)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 136 from Pakistan.
Compare yourself with Punjabi (Pakistan)
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Punjabi (Pakistan) average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Punjabi (Pakistan) 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 Punjabi (Pakistan). 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 Punjabi (Pakistan) average. Your own DNA has its own story: Sindhu – South Asian 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 South Asian ancestry: ancient regional core (Indus Valley Civilization, BMAC, Steppe migration, Himalayan Iron Age & Classical layers) versus non-regional outside admixture, across 13 communities (Punjabi...
More populations from South Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Punjabi (Pakistan)?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Punjabi (Pakistan) average is about 56.3% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 22.2% Iranian Neolithic farmers and 18.6% Steppe herders (Yamnaya). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Punjabi (Pakistan)?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Punjabi (Pakistan) average are Malayali Brahmin (Nambudiri), Pashtun (India Uttar Pradesh) and Bhojpuri Muslim Shia. The closest ancient matches are India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile), Pakistan HP Butkara and Pakistan IA Aligrama.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Punjabi (Pakistan)?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Punjabi (Pakistan) 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 Punjabi (Pakistan) ancestry?
For the Punjabi (Pakistan) average, the regional report to choose is Sindhu – South Asian 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.