“This Is Fascinating”: The Remarkable Genetic Diversity of the Khoisan People of South Africa

• The Khoisan people are among the oldest human populations, splitting from other humans and maintaining incredible genetic diversity within their own groups
• Khoisan subgroups show more genetic difference among themselves than some Europeans and East Asians do from each other Bantu-speaking
• Black South Africans also carry Khoisan ancestry, proving how deeply intertwined the region’s peoples have been for thousands of years

The Khoisan people of South Africa are among the most genetically unique humans on Earth. They split from other populations around 250,000 years ago and remain diverse even within their own groups.

The Khoisan people are the earliest known inhabitants of Southern Africa. They arrived about 100,000 to 150,000 years ago. According to Reddit user Electronic-Employ928, who posted in a group r/23andme in December 2025, by contrast, Bantu-speaking groups came roughly 2,000 years ago. Europeans and other settlers arrived only 400 years ago.

The Khoisan split from all other humans about 250,000 years ago. This makes them one of the most diverged populations in the world. A Khoisan person is genetically further from a Nigerian or German than many other groups are from each other. The Khoisan are usually divided into two main groups, and both groups reportedly have unique traits.

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South Africa’s rich genetic tapestry

Reddit user Electronic-Employ928 said Coloured South Africans are also very diverse. They descend from Khoisan, European settlers, enslaved Africans, and Asian migrants. Cape Coloureds, Griqua, Namaqualand Coloureds, Cape Malay, and Basters each have their own mix. Khoisan ancestry ranges from 30% to over 70%, while European ancestry also varies, and Asian roots are present in some groups.

Bantu-speaking Black South Africans also have Khoisan ancestry. The genetic makeup of South Africa shows deep history. It reflects migrations, adaptation, and mixing over thousands of years. The Khoisan remain the country’s oldest and most distinct population. The post aimed to educate South Africans about the rainbow nation and where it comes from.

Check out the Reddit post here

Here’s what the internet said

ririyeahhh said:

"People here are really weird. They always do this even though, at the end of the day, KhoiSan and Bantu have been intermixing since the arrival of 'Bantu' speakers. And Coloured people have more 'Bantu' ancestry than Khoisan, on average."

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Ok_Sundae_5899 said:

"I have yet to see a DNA test by a coloured person that is more Khoisan than Bantu or even 30% Khoisan. Tswana, Sotho, and Xhosa people regularly average between 20% and 50% Khoisan."

Jesuscan23 said:

"To also add, Afrikaners are on average around 4-5% non-European, usually a mix of Indian/SE Asian, Khoisan and West/East African. Here's a G25 run of both Afrikaans and Coloureds, these are REAL coordinates from real people that were averaged out."

Jesuscan23 said:

"And here are some genetic distances for both groups. Afrikaans have notably higher distances away from their European groups because of the very divergent non-European admixture, and Coloureds aren't close to anyone lol because of the very divergent ethnicities."

Proud_Muffin4346 said:

"I don’t know why you’re being downvoted. Race is not biological. The Khoi and the San never distinguished themselves from the 'black' population. And most of their descendants would be considered black in today’s world and during Apartheid."

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ririyeahhh said:

"Thank you! I always found it weird that people want to distinguish Khoisan people as being anything other than black. They quite literally look like black people and would be treated so elsewhere. It’s just somebody wanting to put down 'Bantu' speakers as being this foreign, weird, dark-skinned West Africans who have no relation to KhoiSan. And most KhoiSan people are dark; they live in a desert? Most Khoisan people look like the so-called 'Bantu' people in their surrounding areas."

JustAmahn said:

"San have been in Southern Africa the longest and stayed the most isolated, so their features and genetics stayed more distinct. The Khoi/Khoe (like the Nama) split off later when some ancient Khoe-San groups picked up herding after contact with early East African pastoralists. From there, they mixed a lot more with other Southern African groups over thousands of years, especially Bantu-speaking communities.”

3 Other Briefly News stories about the Khoi Sans

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• A Cape Town woman shared a video teaching basic Khoisan phrases, including greetings and common questions, which got over 6,000 likes as she connects with her ancestral roots.
• Travel content creator Siphelele 'Popi' Sibiya shared that she was looking for members of the Khoisan community, sparking reactions.
• A young South African woman showcased her ability to speak the Khoisan language, an ancient tongue known for its unique click sounds, in a viral video.

Source: Briefly News