Key Takeaways
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Five thousand. That is how many geographic regions, ethnolinguistic groups and cultural communities 23andMe can now connect you to. We reached that milestone today with the release of 163 new Genetic Groups across North Africa, Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula. When we last marked a milestone in early 2025, that number stood at 4,000.
These new Genetic Groups span some of the most storied landscapes on Earth: the Nile Valley, the oases and highlands of Arabia and the mountains of the Maghreb, the region of northwestern Africa stretching from Morocco to Libya. If your family has roots in any of these places, your Ancestry Composition report may now tell a more detailed version of your story.
What Are Genetic Groups?
Genetic Groups are clusters of people who share more recent DNA with one another than with the broader population, usually because their families lived in the same region or community for many generations. They are part of 23andMe’s Ancestry Composition report.
By analyzing shared DNA patterns among consented 23andMe members and looking at the information about their families that they choose to share, our scientists can identify genetic signatures more specific than a single label like “North African” can capture. 23andMe Premium members can also explore any Distant Genetic Group connections they may have to these regions.
Which Communities Are Part of This Update?
This update includes Genetic Groups for communities across Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, the Gulf states, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. Each group reflects a community’s history, and a few show how migration, faith and geography have shaped DNA in this region.
Coptic Communities Along the Nile
Coptic communities trace one of the longest continuous histories in Egypt. The Coptic Christian church traces its roots to the first century CE and still uses Coptic as its liturgical language. Coptic was the final stage of the ancient Egyptian language that gradually gave way to Arabic in everyday life after the Arab conquest of Egypt.
New Genetic Groups now distinguish Coptic communities up and down the Nile, from Upper Egypt to the Faiyum Oasis. Alongside them are other communities from the Nile Delta, plus a group for Egyptian Nubian peoples who have long lived along the Nile in southern Egypt and northern Sudan.
From the Gulf Coast to the Yemeni Highlands
On the Arabian Peninsula, the new Genetic Groups trace communities from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea. Members can now see connections to communities from Bahrain or the Najd, the vast plateau of central Saudi Arabia, or from the Hijaz, home to Mecca and Medina, which have drawn pilgrims and settlers for centuries.
Farther south, Genetic Groups in the Yemeni Highlands trace to terraced mountain slopes where coffee was first cultivated commercially before merchants shipped it to the world through the port of Mocha.
Amazigh Peoples of the Maghreb
Many of the new North African Genetic Groups connect to Amazigh peoples, one of the indigenous peoples of North Africa. Members can now see connections to people from Kabylia, a mountainous region of northern Algeria, the Rif mountains along Morocco’s Mediterranean coast and the Nafusa Mountains of northwestern Libya.
How Did 23andMe Reach 5,000 Ancestry Regions?
23andMe reached 5,000 ancestry regions by steadily adding Genetic Groups as more members chose to participate and tell us about their family story. Since passing 4,000, recent updates have added new Genetic Groups across Oceania, the Philippines and Southeast Asia and Madagascar. This update brings that same level of detail to North Africa, Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula.
People of Western Asian and North African descent remain underrepresented in genetic research and this update is one step toward reflecting these communities more fully. None of it would be possible without the 23andMe members who share their family stories and consent to take part in research.
Already a 23andMe member? Sign in to see if you have connections to these new Genetic Groups in your Ancestry Composition report. New to 23andMe? Explore how 23andMe can help you discover your roots.
With this update there are now:
- 33 Genetic Groups in Algeria
- 24 Genetic Groups in Egypt
- 5 Genetic Groups in Libya
- 40 Genetic Groups in Morocco
- 15 Genetic Groups in Saudi Arabia
- 13 Genetic Groups in Tunisia
- 6 Genetic Groups in Yemen
- 17 Genetic Groups for Jewish communities in the region
- 10 additional Genetic Groups throughout the region
