Sephardic Jewish DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Ottoman Balkans and Turkey (diaspora) · Southern Europe
Sephardic Jews take their name from Sepharad, the Hebrew name for Iberia. After the expulsions from Spain in 1492 and Portugal a few years later, many settled in the Ottoman Empire, in cities such as Istanbul, Thessaloniki and Sofia, where they kept their own Judeo-Spanish language, Ladino. This page uses an average from that Ottoman diaspora. In our model, it is 51.0% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 14.7% Natufian, 14.0% steppe, 12.6% Iranian Neolithic, 5.7% Caucasus hunter-gatherer and 2.0% North African. Compared with the Ashkenazi average, Sephardic Jews carry far less steppe-related ancestry (14.0% against 26.1%) and more Iranian-related ancestry (12.6% against 8.4%). The nearest modern averages are Jews of Turkey and Bulgaria (from 0.0107), then Italki (Italian) and Romaniote (Greek) Jews, communities with deep roots in the Mediterranean. The closest ancient groups are the medieval Jewish communities of Erfurt in Germany (0.0161) and Norwich in England.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 51.0%, Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) 14.7%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 14.0%
- Closest modern population in our data: Sephardic Jew (Turkey), distance 0.0107
- Closest ancient group in our data: Germany Late Medieval Ashkenazi Jew Erfurt (Western Profile), distance 0.0161
This page sums up what the DNA of the Sephardic Jewish sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Ottoman Balkans and Turkey (diaspora), listed in the G25 sheet as "Sephardic_Jew", 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 Sephardic Jewish average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Sephardic Jewish average comes out as 51.0% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 14.7% Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) and 14.0% Steppe herders (Yamnaya). The Anatolian Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC.
Smaller traces of North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian) (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 0.025): 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.
Am Yisrael – Jewish Diaspora Report
Closest modern populations to Sephardic Jewish
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Sephardic Jew (Turkey) first for Sephardic Jewish, at 0.011, then Turkish Jew and Bulgarian Jew. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Turkish Jew (0.012), Bulgarian Jew (0.013) and Italki Jew (0.014). Even the tenth closest, Algerian Jew, is only 0.023 away: Sephardic Jewish belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sephardic Jew (Turkey) | 0.0107 | Very close |
| 2 | Turkish Jew | 0.0120 | Very close |
| 3 | Bulgarian Jew | 0.0126 | Very close |
| 4 | Italki Jew | 0.0135 | Very close |
| 5 | Sephardic Jew (Bulgaria) | 0.0136 | Very close |
| 6 | Italian Jewish | 0.0150 | Very close |
| 7 | Romaniote Jew | 0.0159 | Very close |
| 8 | Ashkenazi (France) | 0.0210 | Very close |
| 9 | Sabbatean (Donme) | 0.0229 | Very close |
| 10 | Algerian Jew | 0.0233 | 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 Sephardic Jewish
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Sephardic Jewish average is Germany Late Medieval Ashkenazi Jew Erfurt (Western Profile) (Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD), at 0.016. England High Medieval Tzarfati Jew Norwich and Italy Lazio Roman Empire-Late Antiquity Isola Sacra (East Med/Western Jewish 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 | Germany Late Medieval Ashkenazi Jew Erfurt (Western Profile) | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0161 |
| 2 | England High Medieval Tzarfati Jew Norwich | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0235 |
| 3 | Italy Lazio Roman Empire-Late Antiquity Isola Sacra (East Med/Western Jewish Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0242 |
| 4 | Italy Campania Roman Empire Pompeii (East Med-Anatolian Profile) | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0245 |
| 5 | Italy Lazio Roman Empire Mazzano Romano (East Med-Anatolian Profile) | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0256 |
| 6 | Italy Lazio Roman Empire Isola Sacra (East Med Profile) | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0277 |
| 7 | Greece Roman Empire Corinthia Tenea | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0285 |
| 8 | Italy Lazio Late Antiquity Rome (East Med-Anatolian Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0288 |
| 9 | Turkey Anatolia Hellenistic-Roman Republic Halicarnassus (East Med Profile) | Roman Republic, c. 500-27 BC | 0.0291 |
| 10 | Croatia Late Antiquity Sisak (East Med Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0296 |
Compare yourself with Sephardic Jewish
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Sephardic Jewish average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Sephardic Jewish 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 Sephardic Jewish individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Sephardic Jewish. 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 Sephardic Jewish average. Your own DNA has its own story: Am Yisrael – Jewish Diaspora 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 Jewish ancestry: ancient Israelite & Levantine core (Canaanite, Iron Age, Phoenician) plus the host admixture of your diaspora community, on a Jerusalem-centred animated map.
More populations from Southern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Sephardic Jewish?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Sephardic Jewish average is about 51.0% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 14.7% Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) and 14.0% 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 Sephardic Jewish?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Sephardic Jew (Turkey)), the closest modern populations to the Sephardic Jewish average are Turkish Jew, Bulgarian Jew and Italki Jew. The closest ancient matches are Germany Late Medieval Ashkenazi Jew Erfurt (Western Profile), England High Medieval Tzarfati Jew Norwich and Italy Lazio Roman Empire-Late Antiquity Isola Sacra (East Med/Western Jewish Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Sephardic Jewish?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Sephardic Jewish 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 Sephardic Jewish ancestry?
Am Yisrael – Jewish Diaspora Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Sephardic Jewish 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.