Demographics of Central Asia

The nations which make up Central Asia are five of the former Soviet republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, which have a total population of about 76 million.

[26][27] A 2020 study analyzed genetic data from 7 early medieval Türk skeletal remains from Eastern Turkic Khaganate burial sites in Mongolia.

The authors also observed that the Western Steppe Herder ancestry in the Türks was largely inherited from male ancestors, which also corresponds with the marked increase of paternal haplogroups such as R and J during the Türkic period in Mongolia.

[32] Mongolians and Kazakhs derive most of their ancestry from Ancient Northeast Asians (60–94%), with a variable amount of West Eurasian admixture (6–40%) from a Bronze Age Western Steppe Herder source.

[33] Similarly, the Kyrgyz people derive a significant part of their ancestry from East Asian-related populations (c. 59.3–69.8%), as well as from Iranian-related sources.

[36][37] Ancestry related to one of the earliest inhabitants, particularly the Ancient North Eurasians, is still found in low amounts among modern-day Central Asians.