Britannica Sources used in this answer

How many chromosomes are in a human sperm cell?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

A human sperm cell contains 23 chromosomes.12

While most human body cells contain 46 chromosomes, sperm cells are haploid gametes produced through meiosis, a specialized form of cell division that reduces the chromosome number by half. This ensures that when a sperm cell fertilizes an ovum—which also contains 23 chromosomes—the resulting zygote restores the full diploid count of 46 chromosomes.312