• Question: Do you know how many blood cells there are in our bodies?

    Asked by lola to Reka on 10 Nov 2016.
    • Photo: Reka Nagy

      Reka Nagy answered on 10 Nov 2016:

      There are different types of cells in our blood, here’s a breakdown:

      There are between 20 and 30 trillion (that’s an extra 12 zeros!) RED blood cells in an adult human.
      That is a staggeringly large number of cells, and actually makes up 70% of ALL cells in the body. No wonder, since blood carries oxygen to all our organs through these red blood cells.

      There are on average 35 billion white blood cells (that’s 35 with 9 zeros after it) in the body, although the level of these depends on your health – as white blood cells combat infection, their numbers increase when you are sick.

      Finally, there are 1.5 trillion platelets in your blood – these cells are responsible for making sure that you form scabs when you hurt yourself, so they are involved in the blood clotting process.

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