This update has been updated.
It’s been a minute since we’ve had an update to the database growth chart. At RootsTech last week, I was able to get some new numbers to share, particularly from AncestryDNA and 23andMe.
- The AncestryDNA database will be at 30 million DNA kits “any day now.” It is larger than all of the other genealogical DNA databases combined. If you are in an English-speaking country, this is the place to start your DNA journey!
- 23andMe dropped from about 15 million in October 2024 to a little under 14 million due to a “credential stuffing” attack and consequent bankruptcy. 23andMe has since been acquired by a nonprofit public benefit corporation and continues to offer both genealogical, health, and scientific research services. Approximately 11.1 million users participate in relative matching, and about 8.8 million of those are opted into segment matching via the chromosome browser.
- MyHeritage updates their numbers regularly on their “About” page, so it’s easy to keep tabs on their growth. When we consider only kits that are available for genealogical matching, MyHeritage is a close third behind 23andMe, with 9.6 million kits. MyHeritage is probably your best bet if you live in continental Europe.
- FamilyTreeDNA reports that their autosomal DNA database (called Family Finder) is just under 1.8 million. This number includes only the Family Finder database. FamilyTreeDNA also offers Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA kits.
- I’m still waiting on updated numbers from GEDmatch. Based on prior growth rates, I project that they’re at about 2.2 million. I will update the graph (and this post) when I am able.
All of the companies—with the exception of 23andMe, as noted above—are showing remarkably steady growth, so much so that I am able to extrapolate from prior reports to predict the current databases sizes fairly accurately. AncestryDNA outpaced my prediction by about 4%, MyHeritage undershot the mark by about 7%, and FamilyTreeDNA was almost spot on, less than half a percent off from my prediction.
This is good news! Gone are the heady days of 2017–2018, when every company was outperforming its prior sales. However, the market has clearly adjusted to the disruption and has not yet reached a saturation point.
Updates to This Post
- 16 March 2026 — Added the current database size for FamilyTreeDNA and a comment about steady growth.
Thanks, useful to know. Do we know if the numbers for MyHeritage and FTDNA, include uploads from Ancestry?
Yes, the numbers include uploads.
Great charts. AncestryDNA tests (at least in the U.S.) are on sale for $34 (reg price $99) until 18 Mar 2026 at 10am ET. Shipping is $9.95 for the first test and $4.95 for the each additional test sent to the same address. Shipping includes a pre-paid-in-the-US return envelope for the DNA sample.
Sale prices vary, but I’ve never seen a sale lower than $29; this is almost that good. It’s not clear that there will be another $29 sale in the future, so this is a great deal.
Thanks for the heads up!
Is there any information about how much of the AncestryDNA database comes from the U.S. vs. other countries? I’d be curious to know what % of the U.S. population is represented by AncestryDNA.
I haven’t seen that information announced.