Yoruba DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Nigeria · Sub-Saharan Africa
The Yoruba are one of the largest peoples of West Africa, living mainly in southwestern Nigeria and in neighbouring Benin and Togo. Their language belongs to the Niger-Congo family, and their history is tied to the ancient city of Ile-Ife and the Oyo empire; Yoruba culture also crossed the Atlantic and shaped traditions in Brazil and Cuba. On this page the numbers work differently: the Yoruba average is the West African reference of our model, so it comes out at 100.0% West African by construction, and that figure says nothing about Yoruba history. The closest modern average is the Esan of Edo State in Nigeria (0.006), followed by the Kassena, Frafra and Mossi of Ghana and Burkina Faso, the Akan, and only then the Igbo (0.0203). Ancient genomes from West Africa are still rare, so the closest ancient group comes from far away: 19th-century Africans, many freed from slave ships, buried in Rupert's Valley on Saint Helena (0.0497).
- Reference population for the West African component in our model (100.0% by construction)
- Closest modern population in our data: Esan, distance 0.0060
- Closest ancient group in our data: Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile), distance 0.0497
Where does Yoruba DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Yoruba individuals sampled in Nigeria and compare them with deep ancestral reference populations, with other modern groups and with ancient genomes. It is one of 335 populations in our atlas.
Ancient make-up of the Yoruba average
Yoruba is itself one of the reference populations of this model: the Yoruba average is what the model uses for the West African component, so it comes out as 100.0% West African by construction. That figure says nothing about how old, how mixed or how uniform Yoruba ancestry is; it only shows where the model's yardstick for this part of the world comes from.
The informative part of this page is the comparison below: which modern populations and which ancient genomes sit closest to the Yoruba average.
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Yoruba
Genetically, the Yoruba average sits nearest to Esan at 0.006, Esan (Nigeria) at 0.009 and Kassena (Ghana) at 0.013. On our scale, a distance of 0.006 counts as very close. Even the tenth closest, Jola (Gambia), is only 0.028 away: Yoruba belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Esan | 0.0060 | Very close |
| 2 | Esan (Nigeria) | 0.0094 | Very close |
| 3 | Kassena (Ghana) | 0.0128 | Very close |
| 4 | Akan | 0.0131 | Very close |
| 5 | Frafra (Nankam) | 0.0131 | Very close |
| 6 | Mossi | 0.0153 | Very close |
| 7 | Igbo | 0.0203 | Very close |
| 8 | Bambara | 0.0222 | Very close |
| 9 | Dogon | 0.0267 | Close |
| 10 | Jola (Gambia) | 0.0275 | 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 Yoruba
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Yoruba average is Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile) (Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD), at 0.050. Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (Central/Southern African Bantu Profile) and Democratic Republic of the Congo Kindoki 230BP 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 | Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0497 |
| 2 | Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (Central/Southern African Bantu Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0629 |
| 3 | Democratic Republic of the Congo Kindoki 230BP | c. 1700 AD | 0.0676 |
| 4 | COG Kindoki 230BP | c. 1700 AD | 0.0678 |
| 5 | Democratic Republic of the Congo Ngongo Mbata 220BP | c. 1750 AD | 0.0709 |
| 6 | COG NgongoMbata 220BP | c. 1750 AD | 0.0757 |
| 7 | Tanzania Pemba 600BP | c. 1350 AD | 0.0876 |
| 8 | Tanzania Early Modern Lindi Swahili (Bantu Zone P Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0929 |
| 9 | Italy Sicily High Medieval Segesta Muslim (Chari River Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0940 |
| 10 | South Africa Newcastle 400BP | c. 1550 AD | 0.0984 |
Compare yourself with Yoruba
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Yoruba average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Yoruba 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 Yoruba individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Yoruba. 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.
Thanks: to Nomad (GenArchivist) for the population and ancient sample collection this atlas is built on, and to Davidski (Eurogenes) for Global25.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the Yoruba 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 Yoruba?
Yoruba is itself one of the reference populations of our make-up model: the Yoruba average is what the model uses for the West African component, so its make-up is West African by construction. The closest modern and ancient populations on this page describe it better than that figure.
Which populations are genetically closest to Yoruba?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Yoruba average are Esan, Esan (Nigeria) and Kassena (Ghana). 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 Yoruba?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Yoruba 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 Yoruba ancestry?
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Yoruba 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.