Turkish DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Turkey · West Asia
Turkey sits on one of the great crossroads of human history, and its genetic profile reflects that. This page uses the Central Anatolian average. In our model the largest share, 37.8%, comes from Anatolian Neolithic farmers, the early farming population whose descendants later carried agriculture into Europe. Ancestry related to Iranian Neolithic farmers (16.2%) and Caucasus hunter-gatherers (15.6%) reflects long contacts with the Caucasus and the Iranian plateau, a pattern already visible in Bronze Age Anatolians, and steppe-related ancestry adds 15.0%. The 7.6% East Asian component fits the medieval arrival of Turkic-speaking groups from Central Asia, which added to a population that stayed largely rooted in earlier Anatolian ancestry. The closest ancient group in our data is a Late Medieval population from Capalibag in Anatolia (distance 0.0221), and the nearest modern averages are Turkish regional samples from Konya and Yozgat, followed by Azeri samples from Kars in eastern Turkey and from Azerbaijan.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 37.8%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 16.2%, Caucasus hunter-gatherers 15.6%
- Closest modern population in our data: Turkish (Konya), distance 0.0091
- Closest ancient group in our data: Turkey Anatolia Late Medieval Capalibag (Turkish Profile), distance 0.0221
Turkish 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 Turkish individuals sampled in Turkey, listed in the G25 sheet as "Turkish_Central". Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Turkish average
The ancient make-up of the Turkish average is led by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (37.8%), followed by Iranian Neolithic farmers (16.2%) and Caucasus hunter-gatherers (15.6%). The Anatolian Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC. The Iranian Neolithic farmers share (16.2%) reflects the early farmers and herders of the Zagros mountains in Iran.
The model fits well (fit distance 0.024), so these proportions are a reasonable summary. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Anadolu – Anatolian Crossroads Report
Closest modern populations to Turkish
Genetically, the Turkish average sits nearest to Turkish (Konya) at 0.009, Turkish (Yozgat) at 0.011 and Azeri (Turkey Kars) at 0.021. 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 Azeri (Turkey Kars) (0.021), Azeri (Azerbaijan Qazax) (0.022) and Azeri (Georgia) (0.023). By the tenth closest (Azerbaijani (Republic Agjabedi)) the distance grows to 0.030, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Turkish (Konya) | 0.0091 | Very close |
| 2 | Turkish (Yozgat) | 0.0114 | Very close |
| 3 | Azeri (Turkey Kars) | 0.0209 | Very close |
| 4 | Azeri (Azerbaijan Qazax) | 0.0224 | Very close |
| 5 | Azeri (Georgia) | 0.0234 | Very close |
| 6 | Karapapakh (Turkey Kars) | 0.0284 | Close |
| 7 | Azerbaijani | 0.0290 | Close |
| 8 | Karapapakh (Turkey Ardahan) | 0.0291 | Close |
| 9 | Azerbaijani (Iran EastAz) | 0.0298 | Close |
| 10 | Azerbaijani (Republic Agjabedi) | 0.0301 | 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 Turkish
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Turkish average is Turkey Anatolia Late Medieval Capalibag (Turkish Profile) (Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD), at 0.022, followed by Turkey Anatolia Late Medieval-Early Modern Capalibag (Turkish Profile) and Krasnodar Early Medieval Khazar Khaganate Anapa. 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 | Turkey Anatolia Late Medieval Capalibag (Turkish Profile) | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0221 |
| 2 | Turkey Anatolia Late Medieval-Early Modern Capalibag (Turkish Profile) | Late Medieval to Early Modern, c. 1300-1800 AD | 0.0381 |
| 3 | Krasnodar Early Medieval Khazar Khaganate Anapa | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0545 |
| 4 | Krasnodar High Medieval Anapa | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0550 |
| 5 | Armenia Hellenistic Aghitu (Orontid) | Hellenistic era, c. 330-30 BC | 0.0557 |
| 6 | Lithuania IA Flat Burials Marvele (Ciscaucasian Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0561 |
| 7 | Armenia Areni C | Copper Age (Chalcolithic) | 0.0568 |
| 8 | Iran Medieval Ganj Dareh | Medieval, c. 500-1500 AD | 0.0583 |
| 9 | Armenia Achaemenid-Hellenistic Karmir Blur (Orontid) | Hellenistic era, c. 330-30 BC | 0.0587 |
| 10 | Armenia Lchashen MBA | Middle Bronze Age | 0.0592 |
Ancient DNA from Turkey
Our ancient DNA database holds 709 individuals excavated in present-day Turkey, dated from about 13,461 BC to 1573 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are J2a (68), G2a (60) and T1a (23), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are K1 (93), N1 (43) and T2 (43). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Turkish population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Turkey
- Out-of-Anatolia: Cultural and genetic interactions during the Neolithic expansion in the Aegean (2025)
- Female lineages and changing kinship patterns in Neolithic Çatalhöyük (2025)
- Identification of Haplogroups and Molecular Markers in Skeletal Samples Excavated from the Ancient City of Resuloglu (Ugurludag, Çorum) (2025)
- Inequality at the Dawn of the Bronze Age: The Case of Basur Höyük, a ‘Royal’ Cemetery at the Margins of the Mesopotamian World (2025)
- The cranium from the Octagon in Ephesos (2025)
- The genetic structure of the Turkish population reveals high levels of variation and admixture (2021)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 709 from Turkey.
Compare yourself with Turkish
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Turkish average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Turkish 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 Turkish individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Turkish. 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 Turkish average. Your own DNA has its own story: Anadolu – Anatolian Crossroads 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 the peoples of Anatolia: six era models from Neolithic Barcın and the Hittite Bronze Age through Byzantine Anatolia, with the signature Medieval Turkic Arrival % (the Seljuk-era Central Asian layer, the closest measurable...
More populations from West Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Turkish?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Turkish average is about 37.8% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 16.2% Iranian Neolithic farmers and 15.6% Caucasus hunter-gatherers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Turkish?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Turkish (Konya)), the closest modern populations to the Turkish average are Azeri (Turkey Kars), Azeri (Azerbaijan Qazax) and Azeri (Georgia). The closest ancient matches are Turkey Anatolia Late Medieval Capalibag (Turkish Profile), Turkey Anatolia Late Medieval-Early Modern Capalibag (Turkish Profile) and Krasnodar Early Medieval Khazar Khaganate Anapa.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Turkish?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Turkish 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 Turkish ancestry?
For the Turkish average, the regional report to choose is Anadolu – Anatolian Crossroads 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.