diff --git a/doc/api.md b/doc/api.md
index 97cbc43516..d691d1c8bc 100644
--- a/doc/api.md
+++ b/doc/api.md
@@ -202,6 +202,11 @@ If you want to remove more than one event you can use ```removeEventListeners```
 api.removeEventListeners(["incomingMessage", "outgoingMessageListener"]);
 ```
 
+You can get the number of participants in the conference with the following code:
+```
+var numberOfParticipants = api.getNumberOfParticipant();
+```
+
 You can remove the embedded Jitsi Meet Conference with the following code:
 ```
 api.dispose()
diff --git a/modules/API/external/external_api.js b/modules/API/external/external_api.js
index 2d237070bd..bfd84930f7 100644
--- a/modules/API/external/external_api.js
+++ b/modules/API/external/external_api.js
@@ -85,6 +85,18 @@ function changeEventStatus(postis, event, status) {
     });
 }
 
+/**
+ * Adds given number to the numberOfParticipants property of given APIInstance.
+ * @param {JitsiMeetExternalAPI} APIInstance the instance of the
+ * JitsiMeetExternalAPI
+ * @param {int} number - the number of participants to be added to
+ * numberOfParticipants property (this parameter can be negative number if the
+ * numberOfParticipants should be decreased).
+ */
+function changeParticipantNumber(APIInstance, number) {
+    APIInstance.numberOfParticipants += number;
+}
+
 /**
  * Constructs new API instance. Creates iframe element that loads
  * Jitsi Meet.
@@ -161,6 +173,9 @@ function JitsiMeetExternalAPI(domain, room_name, width, height, parentNode,
 
     this.eventHandlers = {};
 
+    this.numberOfParticipants = 1;
+    this._setupListeners();
+
     id++;
 }
 
@@ -346,6 +361,25 @@ JitsiMeetExternalAPI.prototype.removeEventListeners = function(events) {
         this.removeEventListener(events[i]);
 };
 
+/**
+ * Returns the number of participants in the conference.
+ * NOTE: the local participant is included.
+ * @returns {int} the number of participants in the conference.
+ */
+JitsiMeetExternalAPI.prototype.getNumberOfParticipant = function() {
+    return this.numberOfParticipants;
+};
+
+/**
+ * Setups listeners that are used internally for JitsiMeetExternalAPI.
+ */
+JitsiMeetExternalAPI.prototype._setupListeners = function() {
+    this.postis.listen("participant-joined",
+        changeParticipantNumber.bind(null, this, 1));
+    this.postis.listen("participant-left",
+        changeParticipantNumber.bind(null, this, -1));
+};
+
 /**
  * Removes the listeners and removes the Jitsi Meet frame.
  */