I’ve updated the autosomal testing growth graph with current and historical numbers provided by the good folks at GEDmatch. Feel free to use the graph in presentations to genealogical societies, with acknowledgment.
GEDmatch, in case you’re not yet familiar, is a website that lets you compare your DNA test results across companies. If you tested at 23andMe and a cousin tested at Family Tree DNA, you can both transfer your raw data files to GEDmatch to see how much DNA you share. If your testing company does not have a chromosome browser (e.g., AncestryDNA and MyHeritage), you can use the one at GEDmatch to see as exactly where in your genomes you match your relatives. You can also find new DNA relatives there and use GEDmatch’s analysis tools, several of which are not available elsewhere. Best of all, the basic tools at GEDmatch are free! They take donations and offer some premium (called “Tier 1”) tools to their subscribers.
You have to pay for Tier 1 on Gedmatch
While I highly recommend the Tier 1 tools, you don’t need them to see and contact your matches at GEDmatch.
I’ll be curious to see if this change in policy at AncestryDNA makes a change in the sales of kits. On the Ancestry forum there are mostly negative comments and many people say they will not be buying kits from them anymore.
It doubt it will have a noticeable effect. People say they’ll boycott Ancestry every time they make a change, but as you can see from the chart I maintain, their database is larger than all of the other companies combined and is also growing faster than the others.
https://thednageek.com/autosomal-testing-growth-graph-now-with-gedmatch/