Tigrayan DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Ethiopia · Sub-Saharan Africa
Tigray, in the far north of Ethiopia, was the heartland of the kingdom of Aksum, which traded across the Red Sea and adopted Christianity in the 4th century, and its ancient churches and stelae still mark the landscape. Tigrayans speak Tigrinya, a Semitic language shared with much of Eritrea to the north. In our model, the Tigrayan average is 53.3% Natufian, 40.7% Nilotic East African, 3.7% Iranian Neolithic and 2.3% Caucasus hunter-gatherer. That is a little more Near Eastern-related ancestry than among the Amhara (52.3%) and much more than among the Oromo (45.2%); the share rises northward through the highlands and peaks among Eritrean Tigrinya speakers (53.7%). The border barely shows in the neighbours: the closest modern average is Eritrean Tigrinya speakers (0.0089), practically level with an Amhara sample (0.009), then the Afar and the Agaw. In the ancient list, two medieval Nubian groups from Kulubnarti in Sudan come first (0.0342 and 0.0367).
- Largest ancient components in our model: Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) 53.3%, Nilotic East African 40.7%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 3.7%
- Closest modern population in our data: Eritrean (Tigrinya), distance 0.0089
- Closest ancient group in our data: Sudan Nubia Early Medieval Christian Era Kulubnarti R, distance 0.0342
Tigrayan 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 Tigrayan individuals sampled in Ethiopia, listed in the G25 sheet as "Ethiopian_Tigray". Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Tigrayan average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Tigrayan average, 53.3%, goes to Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant), ahead of Nilotic East African (40.7%) and Iranian Neolithic farmers (3.7%). The Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) component reflects the early farmers of the Levant and the Natufian foragers who came before them. The Nilotic East African share (40.7%) reflects ancestry found in East African populations.
Smaller traces of Iranian Neolithic farmers and Caucasus hunter-gatherers (under 5% each) 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 0.043), 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 Tigrayan
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Eritrean (Tigrinya) first for Tigrayan, at 0.009, then Amhara (other sample set) and Amhara. Even the tenth closest, Beja (Hadendowa), is only 0.023 away: Tigrayan belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eritrean (Tigrinya) | 0.0089 | Very close |
| 2 | Amhara (other sample set) | 0.0090 | Very close |
| 3 | Amhara | 0.0139 | Very close |
| 4 | Eritrean | 0.0148 | Very close |
| 5 | Afar | 0.0150 | Very close |
| 6 | Ethiopian (Agaw) | 0.0160 | Very close |
| 7 | Saho (Eritrean) | 0.0170 | Very close |
| 8 | Afar (Ethiopia) | 0.0199 | Very close |
| 9 | Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jewish) | 0.0226 | Very close |
| 10 | Beja (Hadendowa) | 0.0232 | 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 Tigrayan
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Tigrayan average is Sudan Nubia Early Medieval Christian Era Kulubnarti R (Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD), at 0.034, followed by Sudan Nubia Early Medieval Christian Era Kulubnarti S and Kenya Early Pastoral N. 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 | Sudan Nubia Early Medieval Christian Era Kulubnarti R | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0342 |
| 2 | Sudan Nubia Early Medieval Christian Era Kulubnarti S | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0367 |
| 3 | Kenya Early Pastoral N | Neolithic | 0.0425 |
| 4 | Kenya Pastoral N Elmenteitan | Neolithic | 0.0869 |
| 5 | Tanzania Pastoral N | Neolithic | 0.0889 |
| 6 | Kenya Pastoral N Hyrax Hill 2300BP | c. 350 BC | 0.0909 |
| 7 | Kenya Pastoral N | Neolithic | 0.0985 |
| 8 | Tanzania Luxmanda 3000BP | c. 1050 BC | 0.1034 |
| 9 | Kenya Pastoral N Lukenya Hill 3500BP | c. 1550 BC | 0.1109 |
| 10 | Kenya Pastoral N Molo Cave 1500BP | c. 450 AD | 0.1349 |
Ancient DNA from Ethiopia
Our ancient DNA database holds 1 individual excavated in present-day Ethiopia. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are E1b (1), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are L3 (1). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Tigrayan population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
| Haplogroup | Individuals | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| E1b | 1 | I5950 |
Most frequent mtDNA haplogroups
| Haplogroup | Individuals | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| L3 | 1 | I5950 |
Ancient DNA studies on Ethiopia
- Evidence of the interplay of genetics and culture in Ethiopia (2021)
- Structure and ancestry patterns of Ethiopians in genome-wide autosomal DNA (2021)
- West Asian sources of the Eurasian component in Ethiopians: a reassessment (2019)
- Ancient Ethiopian genome reveals extensive Eurasian admixture in Eastern Africa (2015)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 1 from Ethiopia.
Compare yourself with Tigrayan
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Tigrayan average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Tigrayan 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 Tigrayan. 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 Tigrayan 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 Tigrayan?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Tigrayan average is about 53.3% Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant), 40.7% Nilotic East African and 3.7% Iranian Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Tigrayan?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Tigrayan average are Eritrean (Tigrinya), Amhara (other sample set) and Amhara. The closest ancient matches are Sudan Nubia Early Medieval Christian Era Kulubnarti R, Sudan Nubia Early Medieval Christian Era Kulubnarti S and Kenya Early Pastoral N.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Tigrayan?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Tigrayan 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 Tigrayan ancestry?
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Tigrayan 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.