Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How many human genes were identified through research on the human genome?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Human Genome Project
The Human Genome Project, which operated from 1990 to 2003, provided researchers with basic information about the genetic content of the human organism, opening new avenues of discovery in fields such as cancer research.
Research conducted on the human genome indicates that there are an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 human genes.1
While the Human Genome Project (1990β2003) successfully determined the sequences of the three billion chemical base pairs that constitute human genomic DNA, identifying the exact number of genes remains an estimate within that range.21