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My niece did a DNA test on 23andme which returned a surprisingly low shared percentage to me of 1.21%. For niece/nephew 23andme says the range should be 17-34%. We are of Ashkenazi heritage so we expect to share DNA with lots of people due to endogamy, which could account for non-zero sharing even if we aren't actually closely related genetically.

Are there reasonable explanations for this unexpectedly low shared percentage other than concluding we aren't genetically uncle/niece? For example could the occasional DNA test be flawed?

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  • Unlikely to be flawed - do you have any other comparators with your niece as a way forward?
    – stevecleary
    Commented Aug 10 at 14:21

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Other than not genetically being uncle/niece:

  1. The testing company mixed up one of the tests with someone else.

That's about the only reason, which does happen, but not often.

The tests are rarely flawed, and testing companies can detect that when they are processed.

If you are sure you are genetically uncle/niece, you should contact 23andMe support and get them to check that you/they are comparing the two correct people.

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