Editing Uyghurs (section)

==Population==
[[File:Uyghur-hunter-Kashgar.jpg|thumb|Uyghur hunter in Kashgar]]
The Uyghur population within China generally remains centered in Xinjiang region with some smaller subpopulations elsewhere in the country, such as in [[Taoyuan County]] where an estimated 5,000–10,000 live.<ref>{{cite book |author=Ingvar Svanberg |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UuEyAAAAIAAJ&q=Uighurs+are+the+largest+Turkic-speaking+Muslim+people+of+China.+Most+of+them+live+within+the+Xinjiang+Uighur+Autonomous+Region.+An+isolated+group+of+Uighurs+lives,+however,+in+Taoyuan+and+Changde+xian+of+the+Hunan+province. |title=The Altaic-speakers of China: numbers and distribution |publisher=Centre for Mult[i]ethnic Research, Uppsala University, Faculty of Arts |year=1988 |isbn=91-86624-20-2 |page=7 |access-date=28 June 2010}}</ref><ref name="zhiyu">{{cite book |author=Chih-yu Shih, Zhiyu Shi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8ePxMW066j8C&q=jian+uyghur+hunan&pg=PA133 |title=Negotiating ethnicity in China: citizenship as a response to the state |publisher=Psychology Press |year=2002 |isbn=0-415-28372-8 |page=137 |access-date=28 June 2010}}</ref>

The size of the Uyghur population, particularly in China, has been the subject of dispute. Chinese authorities place the Uyghur population within the Xinjiang region to be just over 12 million, comprising approximately half of the total regional population.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.xjtj.gov.cn/sjcx/tjnj_3415/2016xjtjnj/rkjy/201707/t20170714_539451.html/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121184615/http://www.xjtj.gov.cn/sjcx/tjnj_3415/2016xjtjnj/rkjy/201707/t20170714_539451.html/|archive-date=21 November 2018|url-status=dead|script-title=zh:3–8 主要年份分民族人口数  |trans-title=3–8 Population by ethnic group in major years}}</ref> As early as 2003, however, some Uyghur groups wrote that their population was being vastly undercounted by Chinese authorities, claiming that their population actually exceeded 20 million.<ref name="gladney">{{cite web |last1=Gladney |first1=Dru C. |title=China's Minorities: the Case of Xinjiang and the Uyghur People |url=https://ap.ohchr.org/documents/E/SUBCOM/other/E-CN_4-SUB_2-AC_5-2003-WG_16.pdf |website=Sub-Commission on Promotion and Protection of Human Rights Working Group on Minorities: Ninth session |publisher=United Nations Commission on Human Rights |access-date=5 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705210900/https://ap.ohchr.org/documents/E/SUBCOM/other/E-CN_4-SUB_2-AC_5-2003-WG_16.pdf |archive-date=5 July 2020 |page=9 |date=5 May 2003 |quote="Some Uyghur groups claim that there are upwards of 20 million Uyghur in China, and nearly 50 million Muslims, with little evidence to support those figures."}}</ref> Population disputes have continued into the present, with some activists and groups such as the [[World Uyghur Congress]] and [[Uyghur American Association]] claiming that the Uyghur population ranges between 20 and 30 million.<ref>{{cite web |last1=van der Made |first1=Jan |date=7 December 2016 |title=Uighurs slam Chinese 'occupation' at Paris congress |url=http://www.rfi.fr/en/asia-pacific/20160712-5th-world-uighur-congress-china-occupation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229110247/http://www.rfi.fr/en/asia-pacific/20160712-5th-world-uighur-congress-china-occupation |archive-date=29 December 2019 |access-date=5 July 2020 |website=[[Radio France Internationale]] |quote="Currently some 20 million Uighurs live in the western Chinese Xinjiang region."}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=About Uyghurs |url=https://uyghuramerican.org/about-uyghurs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200619044634/https://uyghuramerican.org/about-uyghurs |archive-date=19 June 2020 |access-date=5 July 2020 |website=[[Uyghur American Association]] |quote="According to the latest Chinese census, there are about 12 million Uyghurs.  However, Uyghur sources indicate that Uyghur population in East Turkistan is about 20 – 30 million."}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mijit |first1=Fatima |last2=Ablimit |first2=Tangnur |last3=Abduxkur |first3=Guzalnur |last4=Abliz |first4=Guzalnur |date=November 2015 |title=Distribution of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes detected by routine pap smear in uyghur-muslim women from Karasay Township Hotan (Xinjiang, China) |journal=[[Journal of Medical Virology]] |volume=87 |issue=11 |pages=1960–1965 |doi=10.1002/jmv.24240 |pmc=5033003 |pmid=26081269 |quote="The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, located in western China, has a population of 20 million Uyghur (the main ethnic group)." }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=EAST TURKISTAN |url=https://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/east-turkestan-2/#:~:text=However%2C%20the%20composition%20of%20the,of%20Uyghurs%20around%2020%20million. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200519013346/https://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/east-turkestan-2/#:~:text=However%2C%20the%20composition%20of%20the,of%20Uyghurs%20around%2020%20million. |archive-date=19 May 2020 |access-date=5 July 2020 |website=[[World Uyghur Congress]] | date=29 September 2016 |quote=Uyghur sources put the real population of Uyghurs around 20 million."}}</ref> Some have even claimed that the real number of Uyghurs is actually 35 million.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zuberi |first1=Hena |title=Uyghurs in China: We Buried the Quran in Our Backyards |url=https://muslimmatters.org/2015/06/18/uyghurs-china-buried-quran-backyards/ |website=Muslim Matters |access-date=5 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518215227/https://muslimmatters.org/2015/06/18/uyghurs-china-buried-quran-backyards/ |archive-date=18 May 2020 |date=18 June 2015 |quote=""There are 35 million of us," he says, some in exile, others in the land of what is known to the world as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. This number is hotly contested and rejected by the Chinese government's official census."}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hudayar |first1=Salim |title=Contemporary Colonialism: the Uyghurs Versus China |url=https://intercontinentalcry.org/contemporary-colonialism-uyghurs-versus-china/ |website=Intercontinental Cry |access-date=5 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530152350/https://intercontinentalcry.org/contemporary-colonialism-uyghurs-versus-china/ |archive-date=30 May 2020 |date=13 February 2017 |quote='According to some Uyghur activists, the Uyghurs number around 35 million, however official Chinese statistics put them around 12 million, a far cry from what the indigenous Uyghurs claim.' 'Analyzing historical data from Russian, Turkish, Chinese, and Uyghur sources, Turkish historian Professor Dr. Mehmet Saray expressed in his book ''Doğu Türkistan Türkleri Tarihi'' [''The History of Eastern Turkistan's Turks''] that the Uyghurs numbered roughly 24 million within East Turkistan as of 2010.' |url-status=live }}</ref> Scholars, however, have generally rejected these claims, with Professor [[Dru C. Gladney]] writing in the 2004 book ''[[Xinjiang: China's Muslim Borderland]]'' that there is "scant evidence" to support Uyghur claims that their population within China exceeds 20 million.<ref name="SFStarr">{{cite book |last1=Gladney |first1=Dru C. |editor1-last=Starr |editor1-first=S. Frederick |title=Xinjiang: China's Muslim borderland |date=2004 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0765613189 |page=113 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XuvqBgAAQBAJ&q=%22uyghur%22+%22population%22+%2220+million%22&pg=PA113 |access-date=5 July 2020 |chapter=The Chinese Program of Development and Control, 1978-2001 |quote=Some Uyghur groups go so far as to claim, albeit with scant evidence, that China's population today includes upwards of 20 million Uyghurs...}}</ref>

===Population in Xinjiang===
{{Sticky table start}}
{{sticky header}}
{| class="wikitable sortable sort-under sticky-header-multi sticky-table-row1 sticky-table-col1"
|-
! rowspan="2" style="width:65px"| Area || colspan="2" | [[1953 Chinese census|1953 Census]] || colspan="2" | [[1964 Chinese census|1964 Census]] || colspan="2" | [[1982 Chinese census|1982 Census]] || colspan="2" | [[1990 Chinese census|1990 Census]] || colspan="2" | [[2000 Chinese census|2000 Census]] || colspan="2" | [[2010 Chinese census|2010 Census]] || rowspan="2" | <abbr title="Reference">Ref.</abbr>
|-
! Total || <abbr title="Percentage in the area">PCT.</abbr> || Total || <abbr title="Percentage in the area">PCT.</abbr> || Total || <abbr title="Percentage in the area">PCT.</abbr> || Total || <abbr title="Percentage in the area">PCT.</abbr> || Total || <abbr title="Percentage in the area">PCT.</abbr> || Total || <abbr title="Percentage in the area">PCT.</abbr>
|-
| [[Ürümqi]] || 28,786 || 19.11% || 56,345 || 9.99% || 121,561 || 10.97% ||  ||  || 266,342 || 12.79% || 387,878 || 12.46% || <ref>{{cite book |editor=乌鲁木齐市党史地方志编纂委员会 [Party's History and Annals Codification Committee of Ürümqi City] |title=乌鲁木齐市志 第一卷 |trans-title=Annals of Ürümqi City, Volume 1 |language=zh |location=[[Ürümqi]] |publisher=Xinjiang People's Publishing House |date=1994 |isbn=7-228-03205-5 |pages=231–232 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Karamay]] || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:#D3D3D3;" | Not applicable ||  ||  || 23,730 || 14.54% || 30,895 || 15.09% || 37,245 || 13.78% || 44,866 || 11.47% || <ref>{{cite book |editor=克拉玛依市地方志编纂委员会 [Annals Codification Committee of Karamay] |title=克拉玛依市志 |trans-title=Karamay Annals <!--official trans title on the book cover--> |language=zh |location=[[Ürümqi]] |publisher=Xinjiang People's Publishing House |date=1998 |isbn=7-228-04592-0 |page=87 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Turpan]] || 139,391 || 89.93% || 170,512 || 75.61% || 294,039 || 71.14% || 351,523 || 74.13% || 385,546 || 70.01% || 429,527 || 68.96% || <ref>{{cite book |editor=吐鲁番地区地方志编纂委员会 [Annals Codification Committee of Turpan Prefecture] |title=吐鲁番地区志 |trans-title=Annals of Turpan Prefecture |language=zh |location=[[Ürümqi]] |publisher=Xinjiang People's Publishing House |date=2004 |isbn=7-228-09218-X |pages=132–133 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Hami]] || 33,312 || 41.12% || 42,435 || 22.95% || 75,557 || 20.01% || 84,790 || 20.70% || 90,624 || 18.42% || 101,713 || 17.77% || <ref>{{cite book |editor=哈密地区地方志编纂委员会 [Annals Codification Committee of Hami Prefecture] |title=哈密地区志 |trans-title=Annals of Hami Prefecture |language=zh |location=[[Ürümqi]] |publisher=[[Xinjiang University]] Publishing House |date=1997 |isbn=7-5631-0926-9 |page=158 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture|Changji]] || 18,784 || 7.67% || 23,794 || 5.29% || 44,944 || 3.93% || 52,394 || 4.12% || 58,984 || 3.92% || 63,606 || 4.45% || <ref>{{cite book |editor=昌吉回族自治州地方志编纂委员会 [Annals Codification Committee of Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture] |title=昌吉回族自治州志 上册 |trans-title=Annals of Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Volume 1 |language=zh |location=[[Ürümqi]] |publisher=Xinjiang People's Publishing House |date=2002 |isbn=7-228-07672-9 |pages=198–200 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture|Bortala]] || 8,723 || 21.54% || 18,432 || 15.53% || 38,428 || 13.39% ||  ||  || 53,145 || 12.53% || 59,106 || 13.32% || <ref>{{cite book |editor=博尔塔拉蒙古自治州地方志编纂委员会 [Annals Codification Committee of Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture] |title=博尔塔拉蒙古自治州志 |trans-title=Annals of Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture |language=zh |location=[[Ürümqi]] |publisher=[[Xinjiang University]] Publishing House |date=1999 |isbn=7-5631-1018-6 |pages=137–138 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture|Bayingolin]] || 121,212 || 75.79% || 153,737 || 46.07% || 264,592 || 35.03% || 310,384 || 36.99% || 345,595 || 32.70% || 406,942 || 31.83% || <ref>{{cite book |editor=巴音郭楞蒙古自治州地方志编纂委员会 [Annals Codification Committee of Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture] |title=巴音郭楞蒙古自治州志 上册 |trans-title=Annals of Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Volume 1 |language=zh |location=[[Beijing]] |publisher=Contemporary China Publishing House |date=1994 |isbn=7-80092-260-X |pages=241–242 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture|Kizilsu]] || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:#D3D3D3;" | Not applicable || 122,148 || 68.42% || 196,500 || 66.31% || 241,859 || 64.36 || 281,306 || 63.98% || 339,926 || 64.68% || <ref>{{cite book |editor=克孜勒苏柯尔克孜自治州史志办公室 [Annals Codification Committee of Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture] |title=克孜勒苏柯尔克孜自治州志 上册 |trans-title=Annals of Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture, Volume 1 |language=zh |location=[[Ürümqi]] |publisher=Xinjiang People's Publishing House |date=2004 |isbn=7-228-08891-3 |pages=261–263 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture|Ili]] ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  || 568,109 || 23.99% || 667,202 || 26.87% ||
|-
| [[Aksu Prefecture|Aksu]] || 697,604 || 98.17% || 778,920 || 80.44% || 1,158,659 || 76.23% || 1,342,138 || 79.07% || 1,540,633 || 71.93% || 1,799,512 || 75.90% || <ref>{{cite book |editor=阿克苏地区地方志编纂委员会 [Annals Codification Committee of Aksu Prefecture] |title=阿克苏地区志 卷一 |trans-title=Annals of Aksu Prefecture, Volume 1 |language=zh |location=[[Ürümqi]] |publisher=Xinjiang People's Publishing House |date=2008 |isbn=978-7-228-10775-9 |pages=289–291 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Kashgar Prefecture|Kashgar]] || 1,567,069 || 96.99% || 1,671,336 || 93.63% || 2,093,152 || 87.92% || 2,606,775 || 91.32% || 3,042,942 || 89.35% || 3,606,779 || 90.64% || <ref>{{cite book |editor=喀什地区地方志编纂委员会 [Annals Codification Committee of Kashgar Prefecture] |title=喀什地区志 上册 |trans-title=Annals of Kashgar Prefecture, Volume 1 |language=zh |location=[[Ürümqi]] |publisher=Xinjiang People's Publishing House |date=2004 |isbn=7-228-08818-2 |pages=203–204 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Hotan Prefecture|Hotan]] || 717,277 || 99.20% || 774,286 || 96.52% || 1,124,331 || 96.58% || 1,356,251 || 96.84% || 1,621,215 || 96.43% || 1,938,316 || 96.22% || <ref>{{cite book |editor=和田地区地方志编纂委员会 [Annals Codification Committee of Hotan Prefecture] |title=和田地区志 上册 |trans-title=Annals of Hotan Prefecture, Volume 1 |language=zh |location=[[Ürümqi]] |publisher=Xinjiang People's Publishing House |date=2011 |isbn=978-7-228-13255-3 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Tacheng Prefecture|Tacheng]] ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  || 36,437 || 6.16% || 36,804 || 4.12% || 38,476 || 3.16% || <ref>{{cite book |editor=塔城地区地方志编纂委员会 [Annals Codification Committee of Tacheng Prefecture] |title=塔城地区志 |trans-title=Annals of Tacheng Prefecture |language=zh |location=[[Ürümqi]] |publisher=Xinjiang People's Publishing House |date=1997 |isbn=7-228-03947-5 |pages=154 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Altay Prefecture|Altay]] || 3,622 || 3.73% || 6,471 || 3.09% || 10,255 || 2.19% || 10,688 || 2.09% || 10,068 || 1.79% || 8,703 || 1.44% || <ref>{{cite book |editor=阿勒泰地区地方志编纂委员会 [Annals Codification Committee of Altay Prefecture] |title=阿勒泰地区志 |trans-title=Annals of Altay Prefecture |language=zh |location=[[Ürümqi]] |publisher=Xinjiang People's Publishing House |date=2004 |isbn=7-228-08710-0 |page=158 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Shihezi]] || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:#D3D3D3;" | Not applicable || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:#D3D3D3;" | Not applicable ||  ||  ||  ||  || 7,064 || 1.20% || 7,574 || 1.99% ||
|-
| [[Aral, Xinjiang|Aral]] || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:#D3D3D3;" | Not applicable || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:#D3D3D3;" | Not applicable || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:#D3D3D3;" | Not applicable || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:#D3D3D3;" | Not applicable || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:#D3D3D3;" | Not applicable || 9,481 || 5.78% ||
|-
| [[Tumxuk]] || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:#D3D3D3;" | Not applicable || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:#D3D3D3;" | Not applicable || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:#D3D3D3;" | Not applicable || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:#D3D3D3;" | Not applicable || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:#D3D3D3;" | Not applicable || 91,472 || 67.39% ||
|-
| [[Wujiaqu]] || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:#D3D3D3;" | Not applicable || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:#D3D3D3;" | Not applicable || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:#D3D3D3;" | Not applicable || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:#D3D3D3;" | Not applicable || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;background-color:#D3D3D3;" | Not applicable || 223 || 0.23% ||
|-style="text-align: center;"
| '''<abbr title="Reference">Ref.</abbr>''' || colspan="2" |  || colspan="2" |  || colspan="2" |  || colspan="2" |  || colspan="2" |<ref>{{cite book |editor=新疆维吾尔自治区人口普查办公室 [Office for the Population Census of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region] |title=新疆维吾尔自治区2000年人口普查资料 |trans-title=Tabulation on the 2000 Population Census of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region |language=zh |location=[[Ürümqi]] |publisher=Xinjiang People's Publishing House |date=2002 |isbn=7-228-07554-4 |pages=46–50 }}</ref>  || colspan="2" |<ref>{{cite book |editor=新疆维吾尔自治区人民政府人口普查领导小组办公室 [Office for the Population Census of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region] |title=新疆维吾尔自治区2010年人口普查资料 |trans-title=Tabulation on the 2010 Population Census of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region |language=zh |location=[[Beijing]] |publisher=China Statistics Press |date=2012 |isbn=978-7-5037-6516-2 |pages=38–39 }}</ref>  || –
|}
{{Sticky table end}}

===Genetics===
[[File:Genetic_admixture_of_modern_Turkic-speaking_populations_(with_population_names).png|thumb|Ancestral composition of modern-day [[Turkic languages|Turkic-speaking]] populations, including Uyghurs, using three components: blue, [[Ancient Northeast Asian]]; green, West Eurasian‐related ancestry, primarily [[Andronovo culture|Andronovo]] and [[Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex|BMAC]]-like groups; and yellow, associated with Neolithic [[Ancient Northern East Asian|Yellow River farmers]].]]
A study of [[Human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup|mitochondrial DNA]] (2004) (therefore the [[Matrilineality|matrilineal genetic contribution]]) found the frequency of Western Eurasian-specific [[haplogroup]] in Uyghurs to be 42.6% and East Asian haplogroup to be 57.4%.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Yao YG, Kong QP, Wang CY, Zhu CL, Zhang YP |title=Different matrilineal contributions to genetic structure of ethnic groups in the silk road region in China |journal=Mol Biol Evol |date=Dec 2004 |volume=21 |issue=12 |pages=2265–80 |pmid=15317881 |doi=10.1093/molbev/msh238 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite journal |last1=Xu |first1=Shuhua |last2=Jin |first2=Li |title=A Genome-wide Analysis of Admixture in Uyghurs and a High-Density Admixture Map for Disease-Gene Discovery |journal=American Journal of Human Genetics |date=12 September 2008 |volume=83 |issue=3 |pages=322–336 |doi=10.1016/j.ajhg.2008.08.001 |pmid=18760393 |pmc=2556439 }}</ref> [[Uyghurs in Kazakhstan]] on the other hand were shown to have 55% European/Western Eurasian maternal mtDNA.<ref name="auto"/>

A study based on [[Y haplogroup|paternal DNA]] (2005) shows West Eurasian haplogroups (J and R) in Uyghurs make up 65% to 70% and East Asian haplogroups (C, N, D and O) 30% to 35%.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Xue |first1=Yali |last2=Zerjal |first2=Tatiana |last3=Bao |first3=Weidong |last4=Zhu |first4=Suling |last5=Shu |first5=Qunfang |last6=Xu |first6=Jiujin |last7=Du |first7=Ruofu |last8=Fu |first8=Songbin |last9=Li |first9=Pu |last10=Hurles |first10=Matthew E. |last11=Yang |first11=Huanming |last12=Tyler-Smith |first12=Chris |title=Male Demography in East Asia: A North–South Contrast in Human Population Expansion Times |journal=Genetics |date=April 2006 |volume=172 |issue=4 |pages=2431–2439 |doi=10.1534/genetics.105.054270 |pmid=16489223 |pmc=1456369 }}</ref>

One study by Xu et al. (2008), using samples from Hetian ([[Hotan]]) only, found Uyghurs have about an average of 60% European or [[Western Asia|West Asian]] (Western Eurasian) ancestry and about 40% [[East Asia]]n or [[Siberia]]n ancestry (Eastern Eurasian). From the same area, it is found that the proportion of Uyghur individuals with European/West Asian ancestry ranges individually from 40.3% to 84.3% while their East Asian/Siberian ancestry ranges individually from 15.7% to 59.7%.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Analysis of genomic admixture in Uyghur and its implication in mapping strategy |vauthors=Xu S, Huang W, Qian J, Jin L |journal=American Journal of Human Genetics|date=April 2008 |volume= 82|issue=4|pages=883–94 |doi=10.1016/j.ajhg.2008.01.017|pmid=18355773 |pmc=2427216}}</ref> Further study by the same team showed an average of slightly greater European/West Asian component at 52% (ranging individually from 44.9% to 63.1%) in the Uyghur population in southern Xinjiang but only 47% (ranging individually from 30% to 55%) in the northern Uyghur population.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Shuhua Xu |author2=Li Jin |name-list-style=amp | title = A Genome-wide Analysis of Admixture in Uyghurs and a High-Density Admixture Map for Disease-Gene Discovery|journal=Am J Hum Genet | date=September 2008 | volume = 83 | issue = 3 | pages = 322–36 |doi=10.1016/j.ajhg.2008.08.001 |pmc=2556439 | pmid=18760393 }}</ref>

A different study by Li et al. (2009) used a larger sample of individuals from a wider area and found a higher East Asian component of about 70% on average, while the European/West Asian component was about 30%. Overall, Uyghur show relative more similarity to "Western East Asians" than to "Eastern East Asians". The authors also cite anthropologic studies which also estimate about 30% "Western proportions", which are in agreement with their genetic results.<ref name="cite journal|pmc=2790568">{{cite journal|pmc=2790568|title=Genetic Landscape of Eurasia and "Admixture" in Uyghurs|year=2009|volume=85|issue=6|pmid=20004770|last1=Li|first1=H|last2=Cho|first2=K|last3=Kidd|first3=JR|last4=Kidd|first4=KK|pages=934–7; author reply 937–9|doi=10.1016/j.ajhg.2009.10.024|journal=American Journal of Human Genetics}}</ref>[[File:Genetic_distances_Eurasian_West_Asian_East_Asian.png|thumb|Genetic distance between different Eurasian populations and frequency of West- and East-Eurasian components.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Li |first1=Hui |last2=Cho |first2=Kelly |last3=Kidd |first3=J. |last4=Kidd |first4=K. |date=2009 |title=Genetic landscape of Eurasia and "admixture" in Uyghurs. |journal=American Journal of Human Genetics |volume=85 |issue=6 |pages=934–937 |doi=10.1016/j.ajhg.2009.10.024|pmid=20004770 |pmc=2790568 |s2cid=37591388 }}</ref>]]

A study (2013) based on [[autosomal DNA]] shows that average Uyghurs are closest to other Turkic people in Central Asia and China as well as various Chinese populations. The analysis of the diversity of [[Cytochrome b|cytochrome B]] further suggests Uyghurs are closer to [[Han Chinese|Chinese]] and Siberian populations than to various [[Caucasoid]] groups in West Asia or Europe. However, there is significant genetic distance between the Xinjiang's southern Uyghurs and Chinese population, but not between the northern Uyghurs and Chinese.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ablimit|first1=Abdurahman|last2=Qin|first2=Wenbei|last3=Shan|first3=Wenjuan|last4=Wu|first4=Weiwei|last5=Ling|first5=Fengjun|last6=Ling|first6=Kaitelynn H.|last7=Zhao|first7=Changjie|last8=Zhang|first8=Fuchun|last9=Ma|first9=Zhenghai|date=9 October 2013|title=Genetic diversities of cytochrome B in Xinjiang Uyghur unveiled its origin and migration history|journal=BMC Genetics|volume=14|issue=1|page=100|doi=10.1186/1471-2156-14-100|issn=1471-2156|pmc=3852047|pmid=24103151|quote=Xinjiang Uyghurs are more genetically related to Chinese population in genetics than to Caucasians. Moreover, there was genetic diversity between Uyghurs from the southern and northern regions. |doi-access=free }}</ref>

A Study (2016) of Uyghur males living in southern Xinjiang used high-resolution 26 Y-STR loci system high-resolution to infer the genetic relationships between the Uyghur population and European and Asian populations. The results showed the Uyghur population of southern Xinjiang exhibited a genetic admixture of Eastern Asian and European populations but with slightly closer relationship with European populations than to Eastern Asian populations.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Analysis of genetic admixture in Uyghur using the 26 Y-STR loci system|date=4 February 2016|journal=Scientific Reports|volume=6|issue=1|pages=19998|doi=10.1038/srep19998|pmid=26842947|pmc=4740765| last1=Bian | first1=Yingnan | last2=Zhang | first2=Suhua | last3=Zhou | first3=Wei | last4=Zhao | first4=Qi | last5=Siqintuya | last6=Zhu | first6=Ruxin | last7=Wang | first7=Zheng | last8=Gao | first8=Yuzhen | last9=Hong | first9=Jie | last10=Lu | first10=Daru | last11=Li | first11=Chengtao | bibcode=2016NatSR...619998B }}</ref>

An extensive genome study in 2017 analyzed 951 samples of Uyghurs from 14 geographical subpopulations in Xinjiang and observed a southwest and northeast differentiation in the population, partially caused by the [[Tianshan Mountains]] which form a natural barrier, with gene flows from the east and west. The study identifies four major ancestral components that may have arisen from two earlier admixed groups: one that migrated from the west harboring a West-Eurasian component associated with European ancestry (25–37%) and a South Asian ancestry component (12–20%) and one from the east, harboring a Siberian ancestry component (15–17%) and an East Asian ancestry component (29–47%). In total, Uyghurs on average are 33.3% West Eurasian, 32.9% East Asian, 17.9% South Asian, and 16% Siberian. Western parts of Xinjiang are more West Eurasian components than East Eurasian. It suggests at least two major waves of admixture, one ~3,750 years ago coinciding with the age range of the mummies with European feature found in Xinjiang, and another occurring around 750 years ago.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Genetic History of Xinjiang's Uyghurs Suggests Bronze Age Multiple-Way Contacts in Eurasia |author1=Qidi Feng |author2=Yan Lu |author3=Xumin Ni |author4=Kai Yuan |author5=Yajun Yang |author6=Xiong Yang |author7=Chang Liu |author8=Haiyi Lou |author9=Zhilin Ning |author10=Yuchen Wang |author11=Dongsheng Lu |author12=Chao Zhang |author13=Ying Zhou |author14=Meng Shi |author15=Lei Tian |author16=Xiaoji Wang |author17=Xi Zhang |author18=Jing Li |author19=Asifullah Khan |author20=Yaqun Guan |author21=Kun Tang |author22=Sijia Wang |author23=Shuhua Xu |display-authors=3 |journal=Molecular Biology and Evolution|volume =34| issue= 10|date= October 2017|pages =2572–2582|doi=10.1093/molbev/msx177 |pmid= 28595347 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

A 2018 study of 206 Uyghur samples from Xinjiang, using the ancestry-informative SNP (AISNP) analysis, found that the average genetic ancestry of Uyghurs is 63.7% East Asian-related and 36.3% European-related.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=He|first1=Guanglin|last2=Wang|first2=Zheng|last3=Wang|first3=Mengge|last4=Luo|first4=Tao|last5=Liu|first5=Jing|last6=Zhou|first6=You|last7=Gao|first7=Bo|last8=Hou|first8=Yiping|date=November 2018|title=Forensic ancestry analysis in two Chinese minority populations using massively parallel sequencing of 165 ancestry-informative SNPs|url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29869338/|journal=Electrophoresis|volume=39|issue=21|pages=2732–2742|doi=10.1002/elps.201800019|issn=1522-2683|pmid=29869338| s2cid=46935911 |quote=Comprehensive population comparisons and admixture estimates demonstrated a predominantly higher European-related ancestry (36.30%) in Uyghurs than Huis (3.66%).}}</ref>