Haplogroup E1b1a (Y-DNA) - Distribution

Distribution

E-V38 reaches frequencies of over 80% in many parts of West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa as well as Southern Africa. This haplogroup's frequency and diversity are highest in the West Africa region. Within Africa, E-V38 displays a west-to-east as well as a south-to-north clinal distribution. In other words, the frequency of the haplogroup decreases as one moves from western and southern Africa toward the eastern and northern parts of the continent.

Populations on the northern fringes of West Africa, central Eastern Africa and Madagascar have tested at more moderate frequencies.

E-V38 is found at low to moderate frequencies in North Africa, and northern East Africa. The some of the lineages found in these areas are possibly due to the Bantu expansion or other migrations. The E-M2 marker that appeared in North African samples may stem from recent acquisitions. However, the discovery in 2011 of the E-V38 marker that predates E-M2 has led Trombetta et al. to suggest that E-V38 may have originated in East Africa (please refer to the Origins section for the details).

Outside of Africa, E-V38 has been found at low frequencies. In Eurasia, the clade has primarily been found in West Asia. There have also been reported a few isolated incidents of E-V38 in Southern European populations in Croatia, Malta, Spain and Portugal. There have also been isolated incidences in Austria and Germany.

The Trans-Atlantic slave trade brought a significant number of men from West and Central Africa to the Americas. Consequently, the haplogroup is often observed in the United States in men who self-identify as African Americans. It has also been observed in a number of populations in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.