Slovenian DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Slovenia · Southern Europe
Slovenia sits where the Alps, the Adriatic and the Pannonian plain meet. Part of it belonged to Carantania, an early medieval Slavic principality centred in today's Austrian Carinthia, and it later spent centuries in the Habsburg lands, alongside Austria. Slovene is a South Slavic language with a remarkable number of dialects for its size. In our model, the Slovenian average is 43.7% steppe-related, 43.0% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 11.1% Western hunter-gatherer and 2.3% Eastern hunter-gatherer, with more hunter-gatherer ancestry than the Serbian average (6.9%) and close to Croatia. After a second Slovene sample (distance 0.0078), the nearest averages are Croats (0.0086 and 0.0107) and Hungarians (0.0144), while Austrians, despite the long shared history, come at 0.0205. The closest ancient groups have a Central European Slavic profile: early medieval people from Avar-period Austria (0.0137) and Viking Age individuals with the same profile from the Danish island of Langeland, a reminder of Slavic contacts around the Baltic.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 43.7%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 43.0%, Western hunter-gatherers 11.1%
- Closest population outside Slovenia in our data: Croat, distance 0.0086
- Closest ancient group in our data: Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile), distance 0.0137
Where does Slovenian DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Slovenian individuals sampled in Slovenia 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 Slovenian average
The ancient make-up of the Slovenian average is led by Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (43.7%), followed by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (43.0%) and Western hunter-gatherers (11.1%). 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 (43.0%) reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC.
Smaller traces of Eastern hunter-gatherers (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 loose (fit distance 0.045), 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.
Balkan Frontier – Serbian, Croatian & Balkan Slavic Report
Closest modern populations to Slovenian
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Slovenian average is Slovene, at a distance of 0.008 (very close). Next come Croat at 0.009 and Croatian at 0.011. Even the tenth closest, Ukrainian (Zakarpattia), is only 0.021 away: Slovenian belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slovene | 0.0078 | Very close |
| 2 | Croat | 0.0086 | Very close |
| 3 | Croatian | 0.0107 | Very close |
| 4 | Hungarian | 0.0144 | Very close |
| 5 | Croat (Dalmatia) | 0.0161 | Very close |
| 6 | Croat (Kajkavian Northern Croatia) | 0.0180 | Very close |
| 7 | Serb (Bosnia) | 0.0204 | Very close |
| 8 | Bosniak | 0.0205 | Very close |
| 9 | Austrian | 0.0205 | Very close |
| 10 | Ukrainian (Zakarpattia) | 0.0208 | 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 Slovenian
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Slovenian, Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile) (Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD) comes first, at 0.014, with Denmark Early Medieval Viking Age Langeland (Central Euro Slavic Profile) 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 | Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0137 |
| 2 | Denmark Early Medieval Viking Age Langeland (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD | 0.0148 |
| 3 | Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0166 |
| 4 | Hungary Early-High Medieval Conqueror-Early Arpadian Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD | 0.0168 |
| 5 | Serbia Early Modern Sirmium (Slavic Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0176 |
| 6 | Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Early (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0178 |
| 7 | Czechia Early Medieval Early Slav Libiva (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0197 |
| 8 | Montenegro High Medieval Doclea (South Slavic Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0198 |
| 9 | Croatia Early Medieval Old Croat Velim (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0206 |
| 10 | Hungary Late Antiquity Roman (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0214 |
Ancient DNA from Slovenia
Our ancient DNA database holds 400 individuals excavated in present-day Slovenia, dated from about 1,346 BC to 1050 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1b (72), I2a (25) and E1b (23), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are H2 (65), J1 (35) and U5 (31). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Slovenian population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Slovenia
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 400 from Slovenia.
Compare yourself with Slovenian
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Slovenian average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Slovenian 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 Slovenian. 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 Slovenian average. Your own DNA has its own story: Balkan Frontier – Serbian, Croatian & Balkan Slavic 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 Balkan ancestry: ancient regional core (Illyrian, Thracian, Dacian, Paeonian, Scordisci Celtic, Proto-Slavic, Roman-provincial Dalmatia/Moesia/Macedonia, Sarmatian) versus non-regional outside admixture, across...
More populations from Southern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Slovenian?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Slovenian average is about 43.7% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 43.0% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 11.1% 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 Slovenian?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Slovenian average are Slovene, Croat and Croatian. The closest ancient matches are Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile), Denmark Early Medieval Viking Age Langeland (Central Euro Slavic Profile) and Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (Central Euro Slavic Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Slovenian?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Slovenian 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 Slovenian ancestry?
For the Slovenian average, the regional report to choose is Balkan Frontier – Serbian, Croatian & Balkan Slavic 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.