They were not a single unified culture or political entity, but they show a coherent pattern of genetic similarity that indicates shared ancestry and limited interbreeding with other populations during this period.

The WHG population is genetically most closely related to an even older European population called the Villabruna cluster, which includes individuals from Italy and the broader Mediterranean region dating to roughly 14,000 years ago.

Before the WHG, earlier Paleolithic Europeans — called Ancient European Hunter-Gatherers — were largely replaced during the Last Glacial Maximum; the WHG represent the population that re-expanded across Europe as the ice retreated.

Other ancient individuals assigned to the Western Hunter-Gatherer group include individuals found at sites in Spain (the La Braña site in León, dating to approximately 7,000 years ago), Hungary, Luxembourg, and other European locations.