Wolof DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Senegal and Gambia · Sub-Saharan Africa
The Wolof are the largest people of Senegal, and their language, from the Atlantic branch of the Niger-Congo family, is the everyday lingua franca of Senegal. Between the 14th and 16th centuries, the Jolof Empire united much of the region before splitting into kingdoms such as Kayor, Baol and Walo. In our model, the Wolof average is 87.0% West African, 6.5% Nilotic East African, 5.4% North African hunter-gatherer (Iberomaurusian) and 1.1% Western rainforest forager, with a very close fit (0.0066). Next to the Gambian Mandinka, the Wolof show slightly more of the Iberomaurusian share (5.4% against 4.4%) and no Southern African forager share above 1%, small differences between two very close populations. Like the Mandinka, they sit closest to the Serer (0.0059), followed here by Mande speakers, the Senegalese Mandinka and the Mandenka, and by the Soninke. The ancient record offers only a distant stand-in, the 19th-century Rupert's Valley burials on Saint Helena (0.0447).
- Largest ancient components in our model: West African 87.0%, Nilotic East African 6.5%, North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian) 5.4%
- Closest modern population in our data: Serer (Gambia), distance 0.0059
- Closest ancient group in our data: Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile), distance 0.0447
This page sums up what the DNA of the Wolof sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Senegal and Gambia, listed in the G25 sheet as "Wolof_Gambia", and it is one of 335 populations in our atlas. An average describes the group as a whole, not any single person in it.
Ancient make-up of the Wolof average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Wolof average, 87.0%, goes to West African, ahead of Nilotic East African (6.5%) and North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian) (5.4%). The West African component reflects ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
Smaller traces of Western rainforest foragers (BiAka) (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 model fits well (fit distance 0.007), so these proportions are a reasonable summary. 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 Wolof
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Serer (Gambia) first for Wolof, at 0.006, then Mandinka (Senegal) and Mandenka. Even the tenth closest, Senegal (Bedik), is only 0.014 away: Wolof belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serer (Gambia) | 0.0059 | Very close |
| 2 | Mandinka (Senegal) | 0.0077 | Very close |
| 3 | Mandenka | 0.0079 | Very close |
| 4 | Soninke (Gambia) | 0.0096 | Very close |
| 5 | Gambian | 0.0108 | Very close |
| 6 | Fulani (Gambia A) | 0.0122 | Very close |
| 7 | Bedik | 0.0127 | Very close |
| 8 | Malinke (Mali) | 0.0135 | Very close |
| 9 | Manjak (Gambia) | 0.0139 | Very close |
| 10 | Senegal (Bedik) | 0.0144 | 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 Wolof
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Wolof, Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile) (Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD) comes first, at 0.045, with Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (Central/Southern African Bantu Profile) next. 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 | Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0447 |
| 2 | Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (Central/Southern African Bantu Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0560 |
| 3 | Democratic Republic of the Congo Kindoki 230BP | c. 1700 AD | 0.0619 |
| 4 | COG Kindoki 230BP | c. 1700 AD | 0.0625 |
| 5 | Italy Sicily High Medieval Segesta Muslim (Chari River Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0649 |
| 6 | Democratic Republic of the Congo Ngongo Mbata 220BP | c. 1750 AD | 0.0668 |
| 7 | COG NgongoMbata 220BP | c. 1750 AD | 0.0695 |
| 8 | Tanzania Pemba 600BP | c. 1350 AD | 0.0762 |
| 9 | Tanzania Early Modern Lindi Swahili (Bantu Zone P Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0813 |
| 10 | Abkhazia Late Modern Tkhina (Chari River Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0835 |
Compare yourself with Wolof
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Wolof average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Wolof 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 Wolof. 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 Wolof 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 Wolof?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Wolof average is about 87.0% West African, 6.5% Nilotic East African and 5.4% North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Wolof?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Wolof average are Serer (Gambia), Mandinka (Senegal) and Mandenka. The closest ancient matches are Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile), Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (Central/Southern African Bantu Profile) and Democratic Republic of the Congo Kindoki 230BP.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Wolof?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Wolof 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 Wolof ancestry?
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Wolof 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.