A focused population profile of Yoruba people from Nigeria, their West African background, closest modern genetic matches, ancestry model, and World Genetics G25 heatmap.
Yoruba people are a major West African population centered in southwestern Nigeria, with communities also in Benin, Togo, and diaspora populations across the Atlantic world. Important Yoruba-speaking regions include Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Kwara, and surrounding areas.
Yoruba is a Niger-Congo language with a major literary, religious, and cultural tradition. Yoruba diaspora influence is also visible in the Caribbean, Brazil, Cuba, and other parts of the Americas through Atlantic history.
As a genetic reference, Yoruba Nigeria should be read as a West African profile. It is useful for comparison with Esan, Igbo, Akan Ghana, Kassena Ghana, Frafra Nankam, Mossi, Bambara, Dogon, and other West African references.
In the World Genetics modern G25 table, Yoruba Nigeria is closest to Esan, Akan Ghana, Kassena Ghana, Frafra Nankam, Igbo, Mossi, Bambara Mali, and Dogon. The profile sits in a West African cluster, especially near Nigerian, Ghanaian, and wider inland West African references.
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The ancestry breakdown models deeper components, while closest matches show modern similarity. Yoruba Nigeria results are best interpreted as West African, with strongest links to nearby Nigerian and Ghanaian references in the current dataset.
The heatmap should emphasize southwestern Nigeria, southern Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, and neighboring West African reference zones.
Igbo appears among the closest matches to Yoruba Nigeria, though Esan and several Ghanaian references are also very close.
Yes. The closest matches are West African references such as Esan, Akan Ghana, Kassena Ghana, Frafra Nankam, Igbo, Mossi, Bambara, and Dogon.
Akan Ghana, Kassena Ghana, and Frafra Nankam are West African references and sit near Yoruba Nigeria in G25 space.
