While it is difficult to determine exactly how many Natives lived in North America before Columbus, estimates range from a low of 2.1 million to 7 million people to a high of 18 million.

10 million+ Estimated number of Native Americans living in land that is now the United States when European explorers first arrived in the 15th century
Less than 300,000 Estimated number of Native Americans living in the United States around 1900
5.2 million identified as American Indian or Alaska Native in the 2010 census

"I don't feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them, if that's what you're asking. Our so-called stealing of this country from them was just a matter of survival. There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves. John Wayne