The Pazyryk people and their relationship to modern populations is a question that ancient DNA research has begun to address.

The Pazyryk were part of the broader world of Eurasian steppe nomads — related to, but distinct from, the Scythians of the western steppe, the Saka of Central Asia, and the various nomadic groups of the Mongolian steppe.

Their genetic relationships to modern populations — to the current indigenous peoples of the Altai region, to other modern Central Asian and Siberian populations, to European populations that may descend partly from steppe ancestry — are questions that ancient DNA can in principle address.

Studies of ancient DNA from steppe nomad populations have established that the Iron Age steppe nomads were genetically diverse and that they contributed significantly to the gene pools of both modern Central Asian and modern European populations.