Swedish DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Sweden · Northern Europe
Sweden stretches along the western shore of the Baltic, facing Finland and the Baltic states, and that eastern outlook shows in its numbers. In our model, the Swedish average is 49.2% steppe-related, 32.8% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 15.5% Western hunter-gatherer and 2.4% Eastern hunter-gatherer. The small Eastern hunter-gatherer share does not appear in our Norwegian or Danish averages, and the farmer share is a little lower than in Norway (34.2%). The closest ancient group is a Viking Age population from the island of Saaremaa in Estonia with a mixed Norse and Finnic profile (distance 0.0100), followed by Late Iron Age people of the Wielbark culture in Poland, often linked with the Goths, and Viking Age Swedes and Danes. After a second Swedish sample from Falun in Dalarna, the nearest modern averages are Norwegians (0.0156), Germans from Mecklenburg on the southern Baltic coast, and Danes.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 49.2%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 32.8%, Western hunter-gatherers 15.5%
- Closest population outside Sweden in our data: Norwegian, distance 0.0156
- Closest ancient group in our data: Estonia Early Medieval Viking Age Saaremaa (Mixed Norse-Finnic Profile), distance 0.0100
Where does Swedish DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Swedish individuals sampled in Sweden 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 Swedish average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Swedish average comes out as 49.2% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 32.8% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 15.5% Western hunter-gatherers. 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 (32.8%) 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 0.044), 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.
Nordsee – North Sea Germanic Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Swedish
Genetically, the Swedish average sits nearest to Swedish (Dalarna Falun) at 0.009, Norwegian at 0.016 and Norwegian (Bergen) at 0.016. On our scale, a distance of 0.009 counts as very close. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Norwegian (0.016), Norwegian (Bergen) (0.016) and German (Mecklenburg) (0.016). Even the tenth closest, Faroese, is only 0.022 away: Swedish belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
Most of the closest populations that have their own atlas page (4 of 5) are also from Northern Europe, as geography would predict.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish (Dalarna Falun) | 0.0087 | Very close |
| 2 | Norwegian | 0.0156 | Very close |
| 3 | Norwegian (Bergen) | 0.0161 | Very close |
| 4 | German (Mecklenburg) | 0.0163 | Very close |
| 5 | Danish | 0.0165 | Very close |
| 6 | Norwegian (Nordland) | 0.0169 | Very close |
| 7 | Icelandic | 0.0188 | Very close |
| 8 | German (Hamburg) | 0.0201 | Very close |
| 9 | Frisian | 0.0207 | Very close |
| 10 | Faroese | 0.0223 | 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 Swedish
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Swedish, Estonia Early Medieval Viking Age Saaremaa (Mixed Norse-Finnic Profile) (Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD) comes first, at 0.010, with Poland LIA Wielbark Kowalewko 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 | Estonia Early Medieval Viking Age Saaremaa (Mixed Norse-Finnic Profile) | Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD | 0.0100 |
| 2 | Poland LIA Wielbark Kowalewko | Late Iron Age | 0.0105 |
| 3 | Denmark Early Medieval Viking Age Zealand (Norse Profile) | Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD | 0.0119 |
| 4 | Sweden Viking | Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD | 0.0119 |
| 5 | Norway North Early Medieval | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0126 |
| 6 | Poland LIA Wielbark Maslomecz | Late Iron Age | 0.0136 |
| 7 | Norway Central Early Medieval | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0140 |
| 8 | Poland LIA Wielbark Weklice | Late Iron Age | 0.0141 |
| 9 | Denmark Early Medieval Viking Age Funen (Norse Profile) | Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD | 0.0144 |
| 10 | Sweden IA Oland | Iron Age | 0.0145 |
Ancient DNA from Sweden
Our ancient DNA database holds 559 individuals excavated in present-day Sweden, dated from about 7,880 BC to 1739 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are I2a (100), I1a (66) and R1b (44), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U5 (75), H1 (57) and J1 (52). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Swedish population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Sweden
- Equal in death: Ancient genomic analysis of children's early Christian burials (2026)
- Ancestry, admixture, and pathogens in contemporaneous Neolithic farmers and foragers on the Island of Gotland (2026)
- Ancestry, admixture, and pathogens in contemporaneous Neolithic farmers and foragers on the Island of Gotland (2026)
- Ancestry, admixture, and pathogens in contemporaneous Neolithic farmers and foragers on the Island of Gotland (2025)
- Beyond the Binary? A Multi-Method Approach to Sexing Children at the Viking Age Site of Ihre, Gotland (2025)
- Repeated plague infections across six generations of Neolithic Farmers (2024)
- Genomic Insights into the Population History of the Resande or Swedish Travelers (2023)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 559 from Sweden.
Compare yourself with Swedish
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Swedish average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Swedish 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 Swedish. 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 Swedish average. Your own DNA has its own story: Nordsee – North Sea Germanic 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 North Sea Germanic ancestry: ancient regional core (native British/Dutch/Danish Iron Age, Roman Britain, Anglo-Saxon migration, Viking Age, Frisian Saxon, Anglo-Norman) versus non-regional outside admixture...
More populations from Northern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Swedish?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Swedish average is about 49.2% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 32.8% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 15.5% 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 Swedish?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Swedish (Dalarna Falun)), the closest modern populations to the Swedish average are Norwegian, Norwegian (Bergen) and German (Mecklenburg). The closest ancient matches are Estonia Early Medieval Viking Age Saaremaa (Mixed Norse-Finnic Profile), Poland LIA Wielbark Kowalewko and Denmark Early Medieval Viking Age Zealand (Norse Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Swedish?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Swedish 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 Swedish ancestry?
For the Swedish average, the regional report to choose is Nordsee – North Sea Germanic 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.