A typical adult human skeleton has 206 bones. This is the standard anatomical count used in textbooks and general medical references, although the exact number can vary slightly between individuals because of accessory bones and differences in how fused bones are counted.
The skeleton is divided into two main sections. The axial skeleton contains 80 bones in the head, neck, and trunk, including the skull, vertebral column, ribs, sternum, and associated bones. The appendicular skeleton contains 126 bones in the limbs and the shoulder and pelvic girdles. Together, these sections total 206 bones.
Babies are born with about 270 bones. During childhood and adolescence, several separate bones fuse—for example, parts of the skull and the sacrum—so the adult total is lower. The number 206 therefore describes a typical mature skeleton, not every human at every age. Extra sutural bones in the skull, additional sesamoid bones, or anatomical variations can produce a different individual count.