Yemeni DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Yemen · West Asia
Yemen occupies the mountainous southwestern corner of Arabia, the land of the ancient kingdoms of Saba and Himyar, which grew rich on the incense trade. The Yemeni Arab average used here comes out at 50.9% Natufian, 23.8% Levantine Neolithic farmer, 20.8% Iranian Neolithic farmer, 2.4% West African and 2.1% steppe in our model. Yemen faces the Horn of Africa across the narrow Bab-el-Mandeb strait, and the small African-related share, which this model assigns to its West African reference, fits centuries of contact across the Red Sea; the Saudi average, further north, shows none above the 1% threshold. The closest modern averages are other Yemeni samples from Ibb, Dhale and Dhamar, then Saudis from the Hejaz and from Jizan, the province bordering Yemen. Yemenite Jews, whose community lived in Yemen for many centuries, come further down at 0.0304. Socotra, an island that belongs to Yemen today, supplies the three closest ancient groups, all medieval (0.0289 to 0.0307).
- Largest ancient components in our model: Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) 50.9%, Levantine Neolithic farmers 23.8%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 20.8%
- Closest other population in our data: Saudi Arab (Hejaz), distance 0.0179
- Closest ancient group in our data: Yemen Socotra Early-High Medieval, distance 0.0289
Yemeni 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 Yemeni individuals sampled in Yemen, listed in the G25 sheet as "Yemeni_Arab". Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Yemeni average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Yemeni average comes out as 50.9% Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant), 23.8% Levantine Neolithic farmers and 20.8% Iranian Neolithic farmers. The Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) component reflects the early farmers of the Levant and the Natufian foragers who came before them.
Smaller traces of West African and Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (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 0.041), 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.
Closest modern populations to Yemeni
Genetically, the Yemeni average sits nearest to Yemeni Arab (Ibb) at 0.013, Yemeni Arab (Dhale) at 0.015 and Yemenite (Dhamar) at 0.016. On our scale, a distance of 0.013 counts as very close. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Yemenite (Dhamar) (0.016), Saudi Arab (Hejaz) (0.018) and Yemenite (Ibb) (0.018). By the tenth closest (Yemenite Jewish) 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 | Yemeni Arab (Ibb) | 0.0133 | Very close |
| 2 | Yemeni Arab (Dhale) | 0.0150 | Very close |
| 3 | Yemenite (Dhamar) | 0.0162 | Very close |
| 4 | Saudi Arab (Hejaz) | 0.0179 | Very close |
| 5 | Yemenite (Ibb) | 0.0181 | Very close |
| 6 | Saudi (group B) | 0.0188 | Very close |
| 7 | Yemenite (Al Bayda) | 0.0199 | Very close |
| 8 | Saudi Arab (Jizan) | 0.0202 | Very close |
| 9 | Bedouin (Jordan) | 0.0202 | Very close |
| 10 | Yemenite Jewish | 0.0304 | 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 Yemeni
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Yemeni average is Yemen Socotra Early-High Medieval (Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD), at 0.029. Yemen Socotra High Medieval and Yemen Socotra Early Medieval come 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 | Yemen Socotra Early-High Medieval | Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD | 0.0289 |
| 2 | Yemen Socotra High Medieval | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0301 |
| 3 | Yemen Socotra Early Medieval | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0307 |
| 4 | Yemen Socotra Early-Late Modern | Modern era, c. 1500-1950 AD | 0.0341 |
| 5 | Israel Late Medieval-Early Modern Tell el-Hesi | Late Medieval to Early Modern, c. 1300-1800 AD | 0.0461 |
| 6 | Syria High Medieval Tell Masaikh (Arabian Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0509 |
| 7 | Egypt Late Period Abusir-el Meleq | Late Period Egypt, c. 660-330 BC | 0.0563 |
| 8 | Egypt Early Dynastic-Old Kingdom Neurat | Early Dynastic to Old Kingdom Egypt, c. 3100-2200 BC | 0.0601 |
| 9 | Syria Early Medieval Islamic Era Tell Qarassa | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0627 |
| 10 | Jordan EBA 'Ain Ghazal (Levant EBA South) | Early Bronze Age | 0.0640 |
Ancient DNA from Yemen
Our ancient DNA database holds 39 individuals excavated in present-day Yemen, dated from about 653 AD to 1805 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are J2b (15), I (1) and J (1), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are I5 (7), J1 (6) and R0 (5). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Yemeni population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 39 from Yemen.
Compare yourself with Yemeni
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Yemeni average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Yemeni 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 Yemeni. 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 Yemeni 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 West Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Yemeni?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Yemeni average is about 50.9% Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant), 23.8% Levantine Neolithic farmers and 20.8% 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 Yemeni?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Yemeni Arab (Ibb)), the closest modern populations to the Yemeni average are Yemenite (Dhamar), Saudi Arab (Hejaz) and Yemenite (Ibb). The closest ancient matches are Yemen Socotra Early-High Medieval, Yemen Socotra High Medieval and Yemen Socotra Early Medieval.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Yemeni?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Yemeni 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 Yemeni ancestry?
None of our regional reports is built for Yemeni 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.