diff --git a/HTMLparser.c b/HTMLparser.c
index 541dcb5c..de624f8d 100644
--- a/HTMLparser.c
+++ b/HTMLparser.c
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ htmlNodeInfoPop(htmlParserCtxtPtr ctxt)
 
 #define UPPER (toupper(*ctxt->input->cur))
 
-#define SKIP(val) ctxt->nbChars += (val),ctxt->input->cur += (val),ctxt->input->col+=(val)
+#define SKIP(val) ctxt->input->cur += (val),ctxt->input->col+=(val)
 
 #define NXT(val) ctxt->input->cur[(val)]
 
@@ -330,7 +330,7 @@ htmlNodeInfoPop(htmlParserCtxtPtr ctxt)
     if (*(ctxt->input->cur) == '\n') {					\
 	ctxt->input->line++; ctxt->input->col = 1;			\
     } else ctxt->input->col++;						\
-    ctxt->token = 0; ctxt->input->cur += l; ctxt->nbChars++;		\
+    ctxt->token = 0; ctxt->input->cur += l;				\
   } while (0)
 
 /************
@@ -597,7 +597,6 @@ htmlSkipBlankChars(xmlParserCtxtPtr ctxt) {
 		ctxt->input->line++; ctxt->input->col = 1;
 	    } else ctxt->input->col++;
 	    ctxt->input->cur++;
-	    ctxt->nbChars++;
 	    if (*ctxt->input->cur == 0)
 		xmlParserInputGrow(ctxt->input, INPUT_CHUNK);
 	}
@@ -2495,7 +2494,6 @@ htmlParseName(htmlParserCtxtPtr ctxt) {
 	    count = in - ctxt->input->cur;
 	    ret = xmlDictLookup(ctxt->dict, ctxt->input->cur, count);
 	    ctxt->input->cur = in;
-	    ctxt->nbChars += count;
 	    ctxt->input->col += count;
 	    return(ret);
 	}
@@ -4938,7 +4936,6 @@ htmlInitParserCtxt(htmlParserCtxtPtr ctxt)
     ctxt->vctxt.warning = xmlParserValidityWarning;
     ctxt->record_info = 0;
     ctxt->validate = 0;
-    ctxt->nbChars = 0;
     ctxt->checkIndex = 0;
     ctxt->catalogs = NULL;
     xmlInitNodeInfoSeq(&ctxt->node_seq);
@@ -6581,7 +6578,6 @@ htmlCtxtReset(htmlParserCtxtPtr ctxt)
     ctxt->vctxt.error = xmlParserValidityError;
     ctxt->vctxt.warning = xmlParserValidityWarning;
     ctxt->record_info = 0;
-    ctxt->nbChars = 0;
     ctxt->checkIndex = 0;
     ctxt->inSubset = 0;
     ctxt->errNo = XML_ERR_OK;
diff --git a/include/libxml/parser.h b/include/libxml/parser.h
index 3020b20c..1c86a97c 100644
--- a/include/libxml/parser.h
+++ b/include/libxml/parser.h
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ struct _xmlParserCtxt {
     int                nameMax;       /* Max depth of the parsing stack */
     const xmlChar *   *nameTab;       /* array of nodes */
 
-    long               nbChars;       /* number of xmlChar processed */
+    long               nbChars;       /* unused */
     long            checkIndex;       /* used by progressive parsing lookup */
     int             keepBlanks;       /* ugly but ... */
     int             disableSAX;       /* SAX callbacks are disabled */
diff --git a/parser.c b/parser.c
index c66dbae4..e3d750eb 100644
--- a/parser.c
+++ b/parser.c
@@ -2055,7 +2055,7 @@ static int spacePop(xmlParserCtxtPtr ctxt) {
     ((unsigned char *) s)[ 9 ] == c10 )
 
 #define SKIP(val) do {							\
-    ctxt->nbChars += (val),ctxt->input->cur += (val),ctxt->input->col+=(val);			\
+    ctxt->input->cur += (val),ctxt->input->col+=(val);			\
     if (*ctxt->input->cur == 0)						\
         xmlParserInputGrow(ctxt->input, INPUT_CHUNK);			\
   } while (0)
@@ -2066,7 +2066,6 @@ static int spacePop(xmlParserCtxtPtr ctxt) {
 	if (*(ctxt->input->cur) == '\n') {				\
 	ctxt->input->line++; ctxt->input->col = 1;			\
 	} else ctxt->input->col++;					\
-	ctxt->nbChars++;						\
 	ctxt->input->cur++;						\
     }									\
     if (*ctxt->input->cur == 0)						\
@@ -2119,7 +2118,6 @@ static void xmlGROW (xmlParserCtxtPtr ctxt) {
 #define NEXT1 {								\
 	ctxt->input->col++;						\
 	ctxt->input->cur++;						\
-	ctxt->nbChars++;						\
 	if (*ctxt->input->cur == 0)					\
 	    xmlParserInputGrow(ctxt->input, INPUT_CHUNK);		\
     }
@@ -2332,7 +2330,6 @@ xmlParseCharRef(xmlParserCtxtPtr ctxt) {
 	if (RAW == ';') {
 	    /* on purpose to avoid reentrancy problems with NEXT and SKIP */
 	    ctxt->input->col++;
-	    ctxt->nbChars ++;
 	    ctxt->input->cur++;
 	}
     } else if  ((RAW == '&') && (NXT(1) == '#')) {
@@ -2361,7 +2358,6 @@ xmlParseCharRef(xmlParserCtxtPtr ctxt) {
 	if (RAW == ';') {
 	    /* on purpose to avoid reentrancy problems with NEXT and SKIP */
 	    ctxt->input->col++;
-	    ctxt->nbChars ++;
 	    ctxt->input->cur++;
 	}
     } else {
@@ -3333,7 +3329,6 @@ xmlParseName(xmlParserCtxtPtr ctxt) {
             }
 	    ret = xmlDictLookup(ctxt->dict, ctxt->input->cur, count);
 	    ctxt->input->cur = in;
-	    ctxt->nbChars += count;
 	    ctxt->input->col += count;
 	    if (ret == NULL)
 	        xmlErrMemory(ctxt, NULL);
@@ -3456,7 +3451,6 @@ xmlParseNCName(xmlParserCtxtPtr ctxt) {
             }
 	    ret = xmlDictLookup(ctxt->dict, ctxt->input->cur, count);
 	    ctxt->input->cur = in;
-	    ctxt->nbChars += count;
 	    ctxt->input->col += count;
 	    if (ret == NULL) {
 	        xmlErrMemory(ctxt, NULL);
@@ -14793,7 +14787,6 @@ xmlCtxtReset(xmlParserCtxtPtr ctxt)
     ctxt->vctxt.warning = xmlParserValidityWarning;
 #endif
     ctxt->record_info = 0;
-    ctxt->nbChars = 0;
     ctxt->checkIndex = 0;
     ctxt->inSubset = 0;
     ctxt->errNo = XML_ERR_OK;
diff --git a/parserInternals.c b/parserInternals.c
index d849c08b..b0629ef3 100644
--- a/parserInternals.c
+++ b/parserInternals.c
@@ -519,8 +519,6 @@ xmlNextChar(xmlParserCtxtPtr ctxt)
         } else
             /* 1-byte code */
             ctxt->input->cur++;
-
-        ctxt->nbChars++;
     } else {
         /*
          * Assume it's a fixed length encoding (1) with
@@ -533,7 +531,6 @@ xmlNextChar(xmlParserCtxtPtr ctxt)
         } else
             ctxt->input->col++;
         ctxt->input->cur++;
-        ctxt->nbChars++;
     }
     if (*ctxt->input->cur == 0)
         xmlParserInputGrow(ctxt->input, INPUT_CHUNK);
@@ -677,7 +674,6 @@ xmlCurrentChar(xmlParserCtxtPtr ctxt, int *len) {
 	    }
 	    if (*ctxt->input->cur == 0xD) {
 		if (ctxt->input->cur[1] == 0xA) {
-		    ctxt->nbChars++;
 		    ctxt->input->cur++;
 		}
 		return(0xA);
@@ -693,7 +689,6 @@ xmlCurrentChar(xmlParserCtxtPtr ctxt, int *len) {
     *len = 1;
     if (*ctxt->input->cur == 0xD) {
 	if (ctxt->input->cur[1] == 0xA) {
-	    ctxt->nbChars++;
 	    ctxt->input->cur++;
 	}
 	return(0xA);
@@ -1748,7 +1743,6 @@ xmlInitParserCtxt(xmlParserCtxtPtr ctxt)
         ctxt->options |= XML_PARSE_NOENT;
     }
     ctxt->record_info = 0;
-    ctxt->nbChars = 0;
     ctxt->checkIndex = 0;
     ctxt->inSubset = 0;
     ctxt->errNo = XML_ERR_OK;