  The particle-number fluctuations originated from collective excitations are
investigated for a three-dimensional, repulsively interacting Bose-Einstein
condensate (BEC) confined in a harmonic trap. The contribution due to the
quantum depletion of the condensate is calculated and the explicit expression
of the coefficient in the formulas denoting the particle-number fluctuations is
given. The results show that the particle-number fluctuations of the condensate
follow the law $<\delta N_0^2> \sim N^{22/15}$ and the fluctuations vanish when
temperature approaches to the BEC critical temperature.
