Genetic distinctions between Iberian Romas and other European Roma people found 

A new study from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona has concluded that the Roma people from the Iberian Peninsula are genetically different from other European Roma people despite their common origin. 

The research team, led by David Comas Martínez and Giacomo Francesco Ena, conducted the most comprehensive genome-wide analysis to date, consisting of 110 volunteers of Iberian Roma heritage and around 30 other Roma people from other parts of Europe. The results show that the Iberian Romas migrated to Europe in one single wave from India, ruling out Jewish or North African origin.  

When comparing Roma people in Europe, Iberian Roma show a greater proportion of southwestern European ancestry (the region where they live), and a smaller proportion of southeastern European and South Asian ancestry (their place of origin).  

These findings imply that Iberian Roma have intermixed more with non-Roma people in the Iberian Peninsula than Roma elsewhere in Europe have. "These differences may be related to cultural traditions and legislative pressures that have affected Roma groups differently," Comas states.  

Although Roma people are thus more genetically mixed, they still tend to marry within their own local Roma communities. This means that while their ancestors more commonly married with people from the rest of the population in the past, today they mostly form families within their own regional groups. This is a pattern not observed among non-Roma populations in the peninsula. 

The researchers also describe a recent increase in intermixing, which began about five generations ago in the case of the Iberian Roma people, compared to ten generations ago among Roma in the rest of Europe. This more current genomic analysis suggests that migration and intermixing were ongoing during the 18th and 19th centuries across Europe and more widespread than previously thought. "This is an endogamous community, but not a closed one," says Comas.  

Indian roots 

Research from UPF confirms that all Roma groups in Europe share a common origin in India. Their genetic makeup is made up of about one-third South Asian ancestry and two-thirds West Eurasian ancestry. This supports earlier studies pointing to northern India as their place of origin.  

The study also found no signs of Jewish or North African ancestry in the Roma population. Because of this, researchers rule out theories suggesting a Jewish background or influence from North Africa. According to Comas, the Roma people left India in a single migration around a thousand years ago, first settling in the Balkans. From there, they gradually spread across Europe, reaching the Iberian Peninsula roughly 600 years ago.  

Today there are thought to be between 10 and 15 million Roma living in Europe. One of the largest Roma communities is in the Iberian Peninsula, where about a million people identify as Roma. The earliest documented record of their presence in Spain dates back to 1425 in Zaragoza. However, based on genetic evidence, researchers believe they actually arrived some decades earlier, around 625 to 650 years ago.