Discover YourGenetic Kin
Find out which world populations share the closest genetic bond with you — ranked by FST distance, the gold standard in population genetics.
Your 5 Closest Genetic Populations
These populations share the smallest genetic distance with you — your genetic nearest neighbours across the world
Ror (Haryana)
South Asia
Sikh Jat
South Asia
Hindu Jat
South Asia
Pathan
Central Asia
Brahmin UP
South Asia
Note: These are illustrative sample results. Your personalized report will show your actual closest populations based on your unique DNA profile, compared against hundreds of modern and ancient reference populations worldwide.
Full Population Ranking
All populations ranked from closest to farthest — your complete genetic neighbourhood
Showing 15 of 15 sample populations. Your actual report includes hundreds more.
What is FST Genetic Distance?
FST (fixation index) is a measure of genetic differentiation between populations, first introduced by Sewall Wright. It compares allele frequencies across hundreds of thousands of genetic markers to quantify how similar or different two populations are.
Genetically identical populations — maximum similarity
Very closely related populations — shared recent ancestry
Moderately differentiated — regional populations
Highly differentiated — continental level differences
Think of it like this
Imagine your DNA as a fingerprint made of thousands of tiny markers. FST measures how many of those markers differ between you and another population.
Populations that have lived near each other and intermarried for centuries will have very similar fingerprints — and low FST values.
Your closest populations are like genetic neighbours — they may not be your exact ethnic group, but they share the most genetic history with you.
Unlike ancestry percentages, FST distance is model-free — it doesn't assume any particular ancestry composition and reflects your raw genomic similarity to each reference population.
How Your Report is Generated
A rigorous, multi-step process from your DNA sample to your personalized population ranking
DNA Extraction
Your saliva sample is processed to extract high-quality genomic DNA for analysis.
SNP Genotyping
Hundreds of thousands of genetic variants (SNPs) across your genome are identified.
FST Computation
Pairwise FST distances are calculated between your sample and each reference population using genome-wide SNP data.
Ranking & Report
Populations are ranked from closest to farthest, with statistical confidence measures included.
Understanding Population Labels
Reference populations come from published genomic datasets. The suffix tells you which dataset a population is from.
Human Origins
The Human Origins dataset — a large collection of modern population genomes assembled by the Patterson lab. Covers populations from Africa, Europe, Central Asia, and South Asia.
Ancient Genome
Ancient genome reference data including archaeological populations. Allows comparison with historical populations from thousands of years ago.
David Reich Lab
The David Reich lab's deep coverage dataset — higher resolution genotyping that enables more precise population comparisons, especially for South Asian populations.
Population Name Format
Population names follow the format PopulationName.Dataset. For example, Ror_Haryana_49.HO refers to 49 individuals from the Ror population of Haryana in the Human Origins dataset. The underscore separates the population name from regional or sub-group identifiers.
Scientific Methodology
Our FST analysis is built on peer-reviewed population genetics methods
Genome-Wide Autosomal SNPs
We use hundreds of thousands of autosomal SNPs (variants on chromosomes 1–22) to compute FST. Autosomal markers capture ancestry from all your ancestors, not just the paternal or maternal line.
Hudson FST Estimator
We use the Hudson estimator of FST, which is less biased for small or unequal sample sizes compared to the classic Weir-Cockerham estimator. This provides more reliable estimates especially for rare or regional populations.
Standard Error via Block Jackknife
Standard errors are computed using a block jackknife procedure, which accounts for linkage disequilibrium between nearby SNPs. This gives you an honest confidence interval around each distance estimate.
Z-Score Significance
The Z-score (est / SE) indicates whether the FST distance is significantly different from zero. Populations with Z < 2 may not be statistically distinguishable from you — meaning you could plausibly be from that population.
By the Numbers
Important Note
FST measures overall genomic similarity going back thousands of years, not recent individual admixture. Your closest populations reflect shared population history, not necessarily your specific ethnic background from the past few generations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about your Genetic Distance report
Find Your Genetic Neighbours
Discover your closest populations from hundreds of worldwide references — backed by rigorous population genetics.