The Roma people are the largest transnational ethnic minority in Europe and can be considered the last human migration of South Asian origin into the continent. They departed Northwest India approximately 1,000 years ago, reaching the Balkan Peninsula around the 12th century and Romania in the 14th century. Here, we generated whole-genome sequencing data of Roma (Romani/Rroma) and non-Roma (European/Romanian) individuals from Romania. We performed a genome-wide scan of selection comparing the Roma, their local host population (Romanians), and a Northwestern Indian population to identify the selective pressures faced by the Roma when they settled in Europe.

The Roma people are the largest transnational ethnic minority in Europe and can be considered the last human migration of South Asian origin into the continent. They departed Northwest India approximately 1,000 years ago, reaching the Balkan Peninsula around the 12th century and Romania in the 14th century. Here, we generated whole-genome sequencing data of Roma (Romani/Rroma) and non-Roma (European/Romanian) individuals from Romania. We performed a genome-wide scan of selection comparing the Roma, their local host population (Romanians), and a Northwestern Indian population to identify the selective pressures faced by the Roma when they settled in Europe.

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