Udmurt DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Russia · Eastern Europe
Udmurts live in Udmurtia, between the Kama and Vyatka rivers west of the Urals, and speak a Permic language, closely related to Komi within the Uralic family. In our model, the Udmurt average is 35.4% steppe-related, 24.0% Eastern hunter-gatherer, 18.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 18.0% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) and 4.3% East Asian. Compared with the Mari to the west, Udmurts carry about twice as much steppe-related ancestry (35.4% against 16.8%) and less Eastern hunter-gatherer ancestry, while the Siberian-related share is about the same. The nearest modern average is the Besermyan (distance 0.0219), a small Udmurt-speaking group of northern Udmurtia, followed by Bashkirs from Ianaul and Tatars from Ufa, a sign of long contact with Turkic-speaking neighbours. The closest ancient groups come from Bashkortostan, in the Kama and Belaya basins: Late Medieval Chiyalik (0.0257), Iron Age Pyany Bor and early medieval Nevolino people, all at moderate distances.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 35.4%, Eastern hunter-gatherers 24.0%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 18.2%
- Closest modern population in our data: Besermyan, distance 0.0219
- Closest ancient group in our data: Russia Bashkortostan Late Medieval Chiyalik Nizhne-Khozyatovo, distance 0.0257
Udmurt 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 Udmurt individuals sampled in Russia. Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Udmurt average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Udmurt average comes out as 35.4% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 24.0% Eastern hunter-gatherers and 18.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmers. 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 Eastern hunter-gatherers share (24.0%) reflects the hunter-gatherers of the forest and steppe zone of eastern Europe and Russia.
Smaller traces of East Asian (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 0.042), 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.
Closest modern populations to Udmurt
Genetically, the Udmurt average sits nearest to Besermyan at 0.022, Bashkir (Ianaul) at 0.040 and Tatar (Ufa) at 0.044. On our scale, a distance of 0.022 counts as very close. By the tenth closest (Tatar) the distance grows to 0.059, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Besermyan | 0.0219 | Very close |
| 2 | Bashkir (Ianaul) | 0.0403 | Close |
| 3 | Tatar (Ufa) | 0.0437 | Close |
| 4 | Bashkir (Ilishevsky) | 0.0461 | Close |
| 5 | Bashkir (Karaidelsky) | 0.0462 | Close |
| 6 | Chuvash | 0.0490 | Close |
| 7 | Saami (Sweden) | 0.0520 | Moderate |
| 8 | Saami (Finland) | 0.0576 | Moderate |
| 9 | Saami (Norway) | 0.0585 | Moderate |
| 10 | Tatar | 0.0588 | 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 Udmurt
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Udmurt average is Russia Bashkortostan Late Medieval Chiyalik Nizhne-Khozyatovo (Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD), at 0.026, followed by Russia Bashkortostan IA Pyany Bor Kamyshly-Tamak and Russia Bashkortostan IA-Early Medieval Nevolino Bartym. 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 | Russia Bashkortostan Late Medieval Chiyalik Nizhne-Khozyatovo | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0257 |
| 2 | Russia Bashkortostan IA Pyany Bor Kamyshly-Tamak | Iron Age | 0.0335 |
| 3 | Russia Bashkortostan IA-Early Medieval Nevolino Bartym | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0339 |
| 4 | Russia Bashkortostan IA Pyany Bor Kipchakovo | Iron Age | 0.0366 |
| 5 | Norway North Early Medieval Viking Age (Saami Profile) | Viking Age, c. 800-1050 AD | 0.0411 |
| 6 | Russia Udmurtia IA Pyany Bor Cheganda | Iron Age | 0.0412 |
| 7 | Russia Tatarstan Early-High Medieval Volga Bulgar Tankeyevka | Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD | 0.0415 |
| 8 | Russia Udmurtia IA Mazunino Dubrovsky | Iron Age | 0.0420 |
| 9 | Russia Udmurtia Early Medieval Polom Varni | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0445 |
| 10 | Russia Tatarstan IA Mazunino Turaevo | Iron Age | 0.0446 |
Ancient DNA from Russia
Our ancient DNA database holds 2,938 individuals excavated in present-day Russia, dated from about 208,050 BC to 1918 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1a (370), R1b (317) and N1a (235), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U5 (367), U4 (226) and U2 (150). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Udmurt population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Russia
- The Yeniseian and Andronovo Substrates in the Gene Pools of the Indigenous Southern Siberian Populations Analyzed by Q and R1a Y-Haplogroups (2026)
- Ancient genomics study reveals low HLA diversity in eastern hunter-gatherers (2026)
- Comparison of Illumina NovaSeq 6000, GeneMind SURFSeq 5000, Salus Evo, and MGI DNBSEQ-G400 for Ancient DNA Whole-Genome Sequencing (2026)
- Biochip for Determination of 92 Human Y-Chromosome Haplogroups by SNP Markers and Frequency Distribution of These Haplogroups in Slavic Population of European Russia (2026)
- Modern descendants of Kyordyughen warrior (Yakutia, 4200 years before present) in populations of Far East (2026)
- Genetic history of Rus' (2025)
- Paratyphoid Fever and Relapsing Fever in 1812 Napoleon’s Devastated Army (2025)
- Pre-Slavic and Slavic Interaction at Eastern Periphery of Slavic Expansion in Northeastern Europe (Y-Gene Pools of Volga-Oka Region) (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 2,938 from Russia.
Compare yourself with Udmurt
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Udmurt average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Udmurt 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 Udmurt. 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 Udmurt average. For your own DNA, Advanced Ancestry Report (16€) gives a full ancestry breakdown with no regional focus, in a personal PDF report.
Comprehensive DNA analysis comparing your genetics to over 2,000 modern reference populations.
More populations from Eastern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Udmurt?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Udmurt average is about 35.4% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 24.0% Eastern hunter-gatherers and 18.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Udmurt?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Udmurt average are Besermyan, Bashkir (Ianaul) and Tatar (Ufa). The closest ancient matches are Russia Bashkortostan Late Medieval Chiyalik Nizhne-Khozyatovo, Russia Bashkortostan IA Pyany Bor Kamyshly-Tamak and Russia Bashkortostan IA-Early Medieval Nevolino Bartym.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Udmurt?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Udmurt 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 Udmurt ancestry?
None of our regional reports is built for Udmurt ancestry, so the full Advanced Ancestry Report (no regional focus) is the better choice. The DNA Mega-Analysis adds Neanderthal %, traits and closest ancient populations. The free Report Finder checks every report against your own DNA first.
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.