Quantitative changes in cell number during development of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus were determined using semithin serial sections of tissue obtained from 28 rats on postnatal day 0, 5, 8, 10, 20, 30, 90 or 165. Our results show three phases of postnatal development in the rat dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus: phase 1 from birth until eye opening, which occurs around the 12th day in these litters; phase 2 from eye opening through stabilization of neuron number on the 30th postnatal day, and phase 3 from that event until adulthood. During the first period increases in neuron number and in glial cell number are found accompanying a nearly seven-fold increase in dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus volume. Phase 2 includes a high incidence of neuronal cell death and a continuous increase in the number of glial cells. The third phase is characterized by a stabilization in the number of neurons, although the glial cell number continues to increase. Neuronal density decreases exponentially throughout the postnatal life of the rat, while the density of glial cells remains relatively stable over the period of study. The postnatal phenomenon of an initial increase in neuron number followed by a period of neuron death may be related to modulating and plastic functions which occur in the rat dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus before a stable neuronal population is achieved on the 30th postnatal day.