Do Bengalis have East Asian ancestry?

Yes, at a meaningful minority share. Analyses of the 1000 Genomes Bengali sample and later cohorts find an East or Southeast Asian related component of roughly a tenth to a fifth. It traces to mainland Southeast Asia and arrived with Austroasiatic speaking groups, with a later Tibeto-Burman contribution from the northeastern hills. It is stronger in eastern districts than in the west.

How much Steppe ancestry do Bengalis have?

Little. Bengal is at the far eastern end of the South Asian cline, and the Steppe pastoralist ancestry that arrived in the northwest after 2000 BC thins with distance. Published models put the Bengali Steppe-related share between the low single digits and around a tenth, well below Punjab or the Hindu Kush.

Are there ancient genomes from Bengal?

No. As of this writing no ancient genome from Bangladesh or West Bengal has been published. The closest ancient references are from the Swat valley, Rakhigarhi, Roopkund and mainland Southeast Asia, so Ancient Matches for a Bengali genome report shared segments with individuals from those regions, not from Bengal itself.

Are Bangladeshis and West Bengalis genetically different?

Not as populations. Both draw from the same regional ancestry, and religion does not track any genetic boundary. There is a gradient: the East or Southeast Asian related component is highest in the east near the hills and lowest in the west toward Bihar and Odisha, and West Bengal shades toward the ordinary ANI-ASI profile. Local endogamy adds structure on top of that.

Why does my ancestry test give Bengalis a "Southeast Asian" percentage?

Because the East Asian related layer in Bengal really is Southeast Asian in origin, and consumer references have no Bengal-specific ancient source. Depending on the panel, the same ancestry may be labelled Southeast Asian, Chinese, Burmese or Tibetan. A formal model with a named source and a standard error tells you the share; the label is a convention.

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bengali

September 2, 2026

By Andi Thomaj

8 min read

Bengali DNA: Ancient Origins of Bangladesh and West Bengal

What genomes say about Bengali ancestry: a strong AASI share, a Southeast Asian layer from Austroasiatic and Tibeto-Burman speakers, and the gaps in the data.

bengali south-asia ancient-dna qpadm population-genetics

The South Asian base
The East and Southeast Asian layer
A dated timeline for Bengal
Regional variation
What the Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA add
Limitations
Frequently asked questions about Bengali DNA

Do Bengalis have East Asian ancestry?
How much Steppe ancestry do Bengalis have?
Are there ancient genomes from Bengal?
Are Bangladeshis and West Bengalis genetically different?
Why does my ancestry test give Bengalis a "Southeast Asian" percentage?
How to model Bengali ancestry with qpAdm and Global25
Sources and further reading

Punjabi DNA: Ancient Origins from the Indus to the Swat Valley

Punjabi ancestry through ancient DNA: the Indus Periphery and Rakhigarhi genomes, AASI, the Steppe MLBA layer, the Swat Iron Age references and qpAdm.

8 min read

Pashtun DNA: Ancient Origins from the Indus to the Swat Valley

What ancient genomes say about Pashtun ancestry: Iranian farmer, AASI and Steppe streams, the Swat valley references, and the legends DNA cannot confirm.

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