Ancestry's consumer DNA tests will be available in more than 200 markets by the end of 2023.
In a move that will more than double its market reach, Ancestry announced Wednesday that it will immediately start selling its signature DNA test kits in 54 new markets across five continents. The Utah-based company, which already boasts the world’s largest consumer DNA database, is expanding in to countries like South Africa, Argentina, Spain and Japan. (For a full list, see below)
That means consumers in 89 countries and territories will now be able to spit into a test tube to unlock fun facts about their genetic ethnicity and traits. The company expects to launch DNA tests in an additional 50 markets in the coming months and sell DNA tests in more 200 countries and territories by the end of next year.
For the 22 million customers who have already had their genetic data analyzed and uploaded to Ancestry, more testing means more data and more opportunities to discover relatives they never knew they had.
For Deborah Liu, Ancestry’s President and CEO, Wednesday’s announcement is a significant step in realizing her vision to create a genealogy powerhouse that appeals to a diverse global customer base. Liu came to Ancestry from Facebook in early 2021, shortly after Blackstone completed its $4.7 billion acquisition of the site. What she found was a brand that was largely oriented to people of Western European origin. “It wasn't a product that was universally appealing yet,” Liu tells Forbes.
That “product” is called AncestryDNA, an in-home test kit that typically costs around $100 in the U.S. Under Liu, the company has rolled out new technology that enables users to tell which parent they inherited their ethnicities from. But the core appeal of DNA tests remains the ability to discover your ethnic makeup, ancestral roots, personal traits and data on how your genes might impact your health. That data is then used to help match users to new relatives.
Ancestry also claims to have the world’s largest collection of online family history records, with 3.8 million subscribers paying up to $60 a month to access a database of 30 billion records. That enables users to build out family trees and trace their roots back for generations. As Liu notes, “there are a lot of interesting things you can only do when you've reached a certain scale.”
But first, Ancestry has had to navigate a thicket of regulations and privacy concerns as it steps into new markets. In recent years, there has been an increased awareness around the power of DNA to do everything from predicting disease to catching criminals. That’s caught the eye of governments worldwide, as well as hackers trying to get their hands on a treasure trove of personal data. (The company states it does not voluntarily share consumer data with law enforcement or other third parties, without your consent.)
On an aggregate level, though, Liu has no doubts about the value of amassing a bigger global footprint. “We can actually discover through DNA what commonalities people have and innovate against that,” says Liu, who adds that the company will launch various search and ad campaigns to build brand awareness in new markets. “Our goal here is to build ancestry for all, to build opportunities and community around what binds us together. There’s more to come.”
Here are the new markets announced today as part of the launch:
● Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saba, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Saint Eustatius, Saint Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, US Virgin Islands
● Pacific Islands: Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands
● South America: Argentina, Guyana
● Europe: Portugal, Latvia, Iceland, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Monaco, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Serbia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro
● Asia: Philippines, Singapore, Japan
● Africa: South Africa
