Percentage Ethnicity Calculator
Estimate the inherited ethnicity of a child based on parental DNA percentages.
Parent 1 (Biological)
Parent 2 (Biological)
Note: Parent percentages should sum to 100%. Please check your inputs.
Expected Child Ethnicity Breakdown
European:
0%
African:
0%
Asian:
0%
Indigenous American:
0%
Other/Unassigned:
0%
*Actual results may vary due to random genetic recombination.
How the Ethnicity Percentage Calculator Works
This calculator uses the basic principle of Mendelian inheritance to estimate the ethnic breakdown of offspring. Every person receives exactly 50% of their DNA from their biological mother and 50% from their biological father. However, the specific segments of DNA passed down are randomized through a process called recombination.
The Formula for Genetic Inheritance
While the actual inheritance is complex, the statistical expectation for each ethnic category is calculated using this formula:
Child Ethnicity % = (Parent A Ethnicity % + Parent B Ethnicity %) / 2
Why Real DNA Results Might Differ
If you take a DNA test from services like AncestryDNA or 23andMe, you might notice your percentages don't perfectly match the mathematical average of your parents. This happens for several reasons:
- Recombination: While you get 50% of your father's total DNA, you might get 26% of his Irish heritage and only 24% of his German heritage, even if he is 50/50.
- Statistical Noise: Different testing companies use different reference populations and algorithms, which can lead to slight variations in reporting.
- Generational Gaps: Sometimes an ethnicity that appears in a grandparent doesn't get passed to the grandchild at all because that specific segment was "washed out" during recombination.
Example Calculation
If Parent 1 is 100% European and Parent 2 is 50% African and 50% Asian, the expected breakdown for the child would be:
- European: (100 + 0) / 2 = 50%
- African: (0 + 50) / 2 = 25%
- Asian: (0 + 50) / 2 = 25%