Sotho DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Lesotho and South Africa · Sub-Saharan Africa
The Basotho live in Lesotho, the mountain kingdom entirely surrounded by South Africa, and in neighbouring parts of South Africa. Their nation was forged in the 1820s and 1830s by Moshoeshoe I, who gathered people uprooted by regional wars on the mountain of Thaba Bosiu. Sesotho belongs to the Sotho-Tswana group of Bantu languages, distinct from the Nguni languages of the Zulu and Xhosa. In our model, the Lesotho average is 61.9% West African, 15.3% Southern African forager (San), 11.9% Nilotic East African, 9.7% Western rainforest forager (BiAka) and 1.2% Mbuti. The San share is the highest of our Bantu-speaking pages, just above the Xhosa (15.2%). Language does not decide the neighbours here: after a southeastern Bantu sample (0.0077) and a San-labelled one, the Xhosa (0.016) sit closer than the Sotho-Tswana-speaking Tswana (0.0214). On the ancient side, Mfongosi (0.0351) and Newcastle (0.044), two KwaZulu-Natal sites dated to about 1550 AD, come first.
- Largest ancient components in our model: West African 61.9%, Southern African foragers (San) 15.3%, Nilotic East African 11.9%
- Closest modern population in our data: Bantu (S.E.), distance 0.0077
- Closest ancient group in our data: South Africa Mfongosi 400BP, distance 0.0351
Sotho is one of the 335 modern populations in our population genetics atlas. The numbers on this page describe the average Global25 (G25) genome of the Sotho individuals sampled in Lesotho and South Africa, listed in the G25 sheet as "Sotho_Lesotho". Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Sotho average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Sotho average comes out as 61.9% West African, 15.3% Southern African foragers (San) and 11.9% Nilotic East African. The West African component reflects ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The Southern African foragers (San) share (15.3%) reflects the deeply rooted ancestry of the Khoe-San peoples of southern Africa. With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
Smaller traces of Central African rainforest foragers (Mbuti) (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. 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.
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Sotho
Genetically, the Sotho average sits nearest to Bantu (S.E.) at 0.008, Duma (San) at 0.014 and Xhosa at 0.016. On our scale, a distance of 0.008 counts as very close. By the tenth closest (Herero (Namibia)) the distance grows to 0.058, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bantu (S.E.) | 0.0077 | Very close |
| 2 | Duma (San) | 0.0135 | Very close |
| 3 | Xhosa | 0.0160 | Very close |
| 4 | Tswana | 0.0214 | Very close |
| 5 | Zulu | 0.0272 | Close |
| 6 | Sotho (South Africa) | 0.0292 | Close |
| 7 | Damara | 0.0348 | Close |
| 8 | South African (Bantu) | 0.0363 | Close |
| 9 | Pedi | 0.0374 | Close |
| 10 | Herero (Namibia) | 0.0578 | 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 Sotho
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Sotho average is South Africa Mfongosi 400BP (c. 1550 AD), at 0.035, followed by South Africa Newcastle 400BP and South Africa Champagne Castle 400BP. 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 | South Africa Mfongosi 400BP | c. 1550 AD | 0.0351 |
| 2 | South Africa Newcastle 400BP | c. 1550 AD | 0.0440 |
| 3 | South Africa Champagne Castle 400BP | c. 1550 AD | 0.0448 |
| 4 | South Africa Eland Cave 400BP | c. 1550 AD | 0.0521 |
| 5 | Botswana Taukome 1100BP | c. 850 AD | 0.0604 |
| 6 | Botswana Xaro 1400BP | c. 550 AD | 0.0638 |
| 7 | Botswana Xaro 1400BP | c. 550 AD | 0.0646 |
| 8 | Tanzania Early Modern Lindi Swahili (Bantu Zone P Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0760 |
| 9 | COG NgongoMbata 220BP | c. 1750 AD | 0.0840 |
| 10 | Tanzania Pemba 600BP | c. 1350 AD | 0.0847 |
Ancient DNA from South Africa
Our ancient DNA database holds 55 individuals excavated in present-day South Africa, dated from about 8,335 BC to 1810 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are A1b (19) and E1b (1), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are L0 (14) and L3 (3). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Sotho population.
Ancient sample data compiled by Nomad on the GenArchivist forum.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups in ancient samples from South Africa
Ancient DNA studies on South Africa
- Homo sapiens-specific evolution unveiled by ancient southern African genomes (2025)
- The Indian Ocean slave trade and colonial expansion resulted in strong sex-biased admixture in South Africa (2025)
- Wide-scale geographical analysis of genetic ancestry in the South African Coloured population (2025)
- 9,000 years of genetic continuity in southernmost Africa demonstrated at Oakhurst rockshelter (2024)
- 9,000 years of genetic continuity in southernmost Africa demonstrated at Oakhurst rockshelter (2024)
- Patterns of African and Asian admixture in the Afrikaner population of South Africa (2020)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 55 from South Africa.
Compare yourself with Sotho
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Sotho average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Sotho 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 Sotho. 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.
Thanks: to Nomad (GenArchivist) for the population and ancient sample collection this atlas is built on, and to Davidski (Eurogenes) for Global25.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the Sotho 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 Sotho?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Sotho average is about 61.9% West African, 15.3% Southern African foragers (San) and 11.9% Nilotic East African. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Sotho?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Sotho average are Bantu (S.E.), Duma (San) and Xhosa. The closest ancient matches are South Africa Mfongosi 400BP, South Africa Newcastle 400BP and South Africa Champagne Castle 400BP.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Sotho?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Sotho 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 Sotho ancestry?
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Sotho 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.