Romani (Balkans) DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Balkans · Southern Europe
The Romani people, or Roma, trace their origins to northern India: their language, Romani, belongs to the Indo-Aryan family, and genetic and linguistic studies indicate that their ancestors left South Asia roughly 1,500 years ago and reached the Balkans by the Middle Ages, before spreading across Europe. This page uses a Balkan Roma average. In our model, the South Asian heritage shows most clearly as 26.3% South Asian hunter-gatherer related ancestry (Irula proxy), alongside 10.7% Iranian Neolithic, 22.9% steppe and 35.6% Anatolian Neolithic farmer ancestry, much of the last gained during centuries of life in south-eastern Europe. The South Asian-related share is larger than in the Spanish Gitanos (18.8%). The closest ancient group is an early modern Roma community from Barc in Albania (distance 0.0209); all other ancient groups are far away (above 0.08). The nearest modern averages are other Roma, from Czechia (0.0134) and Romania, then Spanish Romani at 0.0501, a sign of the separate histories of each community.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 35.6%, South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) 26.3%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 22.9%
- Closest modern population in our data: Roma (Czechia), distance 0.0134
- Closest ancient group in our data: Albania Early Modern Barc Roma, distance 0.0209
This page sums up what the DNA of the Romani (Balkans) sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Balkans, listed in the G25 sheet as "Roma_Balkans", 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 Romani (Balkans) average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Romani (Balkans) average comes out as 35.6% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 26.3% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) and 22.9% Steppe herders (Yamnaya). The Anatolian Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC. The South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) share (26.3%) reflects the deep hunter-gatherer ancestry of South Asia (Ancient Ancestral South Indians).
Smaller traces of Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) 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 model fits well (fit distance 0.022), 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.
Drom – Roma & Romani Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Romani (Balkans)
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Roma (Czechia) first for Romani (Balkans), at 0.013, then Roma (Romania) and Spanish Romani (Gitanos). Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Spanish Romani (Gitanos) (0.050), Cochin Jew (A) (0.056) and Parsi (Pakistan) (0.071). By the tenth closest (Persian (Khorasan)) the distance grows to 0.078, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roma (Czechia) | 0.0134 | Very close |
| 2 | Roma (Romania) | 0.0186 | Very close |
| 3 | Spanish Romani (Gitanos) | 0.0501 | Moderate |
| 4 | Cochin Jew (A) | 0.0556 | Moderate |
| 5 | Parsi (Pakistan) | 0.0705 | Moderate |
| 6 | Parsi | 0.0709 | Moderate |
| 7 | Qizilbash | 0.0725 | Moderate |
| 8 | Tajik (Herat) | 0.0727 | Moderate |
| 9 | Iranian (Persian Khorasan) | 0.0777 | Moderate |
| 10 | Persian (Khorasan) | 0.0777 | Moderate |
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 Romani (Balkans)
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Romani (Balkans) average is Albania Early Modern Barc Roma (Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD), at 0.021. Turkey Anatolia Late Medieval Capalibag (Turkish Profile) and Turkey Anatolia Late Medieval-Early Modern Capalibag (Turkish Profile) 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 | Albania Early Modern Barc Roma | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0209 |
| 2 | Turkey Anatolia Late Medieval Capalibag (Turkish Profile) | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0839 |
| 3 | Turkey Anatolia Late Medieval-Early Modern Capalibag (Turkish Profile) | Late Medieval to Early Modern, c. 1300-1800 AD | 0.0883 |
| 4 | Turkey Anatolia Early Modern Kaman-Kalehoyuk (Turkish Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0960 |
| 5 | Lithuania IA Flat Burials Marvele (Ciscaucasian Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0973 |
| 6 | Turkey Anatolia Early Modern Capalibag (Turkish Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0980 |
| 7 | Stavropol IA Scythian Novozavedennoye (Ciscaucasian-Mixed Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0982 |
| 8 | Krasnodar High Medieval Anapa | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.1009 |
| 9 | Stavropol LBA-EIA Koban Novozavedennoye | Early Iron Age | 0.1013 |
| 10 | Ukraine IA Scythian Pisochyn (Ciscaucasian Profile) | Iron Age | 0.1030 |
Ancient DNA from Balkans
Our database lists the ancient DNA studies linked to Balkans below.
Ancient DNA studies on Balkans
Compare yourself with Romani (Balkans)
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Romani (Balkans) average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Romani (Balkans) 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 Romani (Balkans) individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Romani (Balkans). 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 Romani (Balkans) average. Your own DNA has its own story: Drom – Roma & Romani 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 Roma/Romani ancestry: deep South Asian founder streams, the Persian/Central Asia route, the Byzantine Anatolia route, and regional Roma core versus outside host admixture, across 9 communities (Calé/Spanish...
More populations from Southern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Romani (Balkans)?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Romani (Balkans) average is about 35.6% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 26.3% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) and 22.9% 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 Romani (Balkans)?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Roma (Czechia)), the closest modern populations to the Romani (Balkans) average are Spanish Romani (Gitanos), Cochin Jew (A) and Parsi (Pakistan). The closest ancient matches are Albania Early Modern Barc Roma, Turkey Anatolia Late Medieval Capalibag (Turkish Profile) and Turkey Anatolia Late Medieval-Early Modern Capalibag (Turkish Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Romani (Balkans)?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Romani (Balkans) 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 Romani (Balkans) ancestry?
For the Romani (Balkans) average, the regional report to choose is Drom – Roma & Romani 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.