San (Ju/'hoan) DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Namibia and Botswana · Sub-Saharan Africa
The Ju/'hoansi are San people of the northwestern Kalahari, in northeastern Namibia and northwestern Botswana, known for their click languages of the Kx'a family. San peoples belong to some of the most deeply rooted lineages of modern humans, and southern Africa was home to foragers for many tens of thousands of years before farmers and herders arrived. Here the make-up is fixed in advance: the Ju/'hoan average defines the Southern African forager component of our global model, so it reads 100.0% San by construction. Applied to other pages, it measures forager ancestry in Bantu-speaking peoples such as the Sotho (15.3%), Xhosa (15.2%) and Zulu (12.3%). The San profile is also one of the most isolated in our data: even another Ju/'hoansi sample sits at 0.1216, and other San groups, the Khomani and the Naro, are further still. The closest ancient groups are southern African foragers from about 2,000 years ago, from Riet River (0.1223) and Ballito Bay.
- Reference population for the Southern African foragers (San) component in our model (100.0% by construction)
- Closest modern population in our data: Ju/'hoansi, distance 0.1216
- Closest ancient group in our data: South Africa LSA Ceramic Final Riet River 1800BP, distance 0.1223
Where does San (Ju/'hoan) DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the San (Ju/'hoan) individuals sampled in Namibia and Botswana, listed in the G25 sheet as "Ju_hoan_North" and compare them with deep ancestral reference populations, with other modern groups and with ancient genomes. It is one of 335 populations in our atlas.
Ancient make-up of the San (Ju/'hoan) average
San (Ju/'hoan) is itself one of the reference populations of this model: the San (Ju/'hoan) average is what the model uses for the Southern African foragers (San) component, so it comes out as 100.0% Southern African foragers (San) by construction. That figure says nothing about how old, how mixed or how uniform San (Ju/'hoan) ancestry is; it only shows where the model's yardstick for this part of the world comes from.
The informative part of this page is the comparison below: which modern populations and which ancient genomes sit closest to the San (Ju/'hoan) average.
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to San (Ju/'hoan)
Genetically, the San (Ju/'hoan) average sits nearest to Ju/'hoansi at 0.122, Khomani at 0.157 and Khomani (San) at 0.162. On our scale, a distance of 0.122 counts as distant. No modern population in the data is very close (the nearest is 0.122 away), which points to a distinctive genetic profile, often the mark of long isolation or of a mix that is rare elsewhere.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ju/'hoansi | 0.1216 | Distant |
| 2 | Khomani | 0.1571 | Distant |
| 3 | Khomani (San) | 0.1624 | Distant |
| 4 | Naro | 0.1750 | Distant |
| 5 | San | 0.1975 | Distant |
| 6 | Xun | 0.2307 | Distant |
| 7 | |Gui-G||ana | 0.2365 | Distant |
| 8 | Nama | 0.3223 | Distant |
| 9 | Hai||om | 0.3642 | Distant |
| 10 | ||Xegwi | 0.3675 | Distant |
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 San (Ju/'hoan)
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to San (Ju/'hoan), South Africa LSA Ceramic Final Riet River 1800BP (c. 150 AD) comes first, at 0.122, with South Africa Ballito Bay B 2000BP next. Even the best ancient match is distant, so the modern population is better described as a blend of several ancestral sources than as the continuation of one. 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 | South Africa LSA Ceramic Final Riet River 1800BP | c. 150 AD | 0.1223 |
| 2 | South Africa Ballito Bay B 2000BP | c. 50 BC | 0.1271 |
| 3 | South Africa LSA Ceramic Final Springbokvlakte 1400BP | c. 550 AD | 0.1275 |
| 4 | South Africa LSA Final Matjes River 3800BP | c. 1850 BC | 0.1326 |
| 5 | South Africa Faraoskop 2000BP | c. 50 BC | 0.1329 |
| 6 | South Africa LSA Oakhurst Matjes River 10200BP | c. 8250 BC | 0.1333 |
| 7 | South Africa LSA Ceramic Final Vaalbank 100BP | c. 1850 AD | 0.1337 |
| 8 | South Africa LSA Final Cape St. Francis 2200BP | c. 250 BC | 0.1340 |
| 9 | South Africa Ballito Bay A 2000BP | c. 50 BC | 0.1352 |
| 10 | South Africa LSA Final Groot Brakrivier 2300BP | c. 350 BC | 0.1364 |
Ancient DNA from Botswana
Our ancient DNA database holds 4 individuals excavated in present-day Botswana, dated from about 850 AD to 950 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are E1b (3), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are L0 (2), L2 (1) and L3 (1). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's San (Ju/'hoan) population.
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 4 from Botswana.
Compare yourself with San (Ju/'hoan)
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the San (Ju/'hoan) average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers San (Ju/'hoan) 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 San (Ju/'hoan) individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as San (Ju/'hoan). 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 San (Ju/'hoan) average. Your own DNA has its own story: Sankofa – African 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 predominantly Sub-Saharan African (SSA) ancestry: modelling against 230+ regional African populations (West, Central, East & Southern Africa, the Horn of Africa, Madagascar) plus the European, Amerindian and...
More populations from Sub-Saharan Africa
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of San (Ju/'hoan)?
San (Ju/'hoan) is itself one of the reference populations of our make-up model: the San (Ju/'hoan) average is what the model uses for the Southern African foragers (San) component, so its make-up is Southern African foragers (San) by construction. The closest modern and ancient populations on this page describe it better than that figure.
Which populations are genetically closest to San (Ju/'hoan)?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the San (Ju/'hoan) average are Ju/'hoansi, Khomani and Khomani (San). The closest ancient matches are South Africa LSA Ceramic Final Riet River 1800BP, South Africa Ballito Bay B 2000BP and South Africa LSA Ceramic Final Springbokvlakte 1400BP.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am San (Ju/'hoan)?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled San (Ju/'hoan) 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 San (Ju/'hoan) ancestry?
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the San (Ju/'hoan) average closely. 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.