diff --git a/src/Arch.Tests/ArchetypeTest.cs b/src/Arch.Tests/ArchetypeTest.cs
index bfea697b..8cf2bee5 100644
--- a/src/Arch.Tests/ArchetypeTest.cs
+++ b/src/Arch.Tests/ArchetypeTest.cs
@@ -213,6 +213,37 @@ public void Move()
         That(otherArchetype.Get<Rotation>(ref newSlot).Y, Is.EqualTo(10));
     }
 
+    /// <summary>
+    ///     Checks that <see cref="Archetype.Version"/> advances whenever <see cref="Entity"/>s enter or leave,
+    ///     including a same-count remove-then-add swap where <see cref="Archetype.EntityCount"/> ends unchanged.
+    /// </summary>
+    [Test]
+    public void Version()
+    {
+        var archetype = new Archetype(_group, _baseChunkSize, _baseChunkEntityCount);
+
+        var initial = archetype.Version;
+        archetype.Add(new Entity(1, 0), out _, out var firstSlot);
+        var afterFirstAdd = archetype.Version;
+        That(afterFirstAdd, Is.GreaterThan(initial));
+
+        archetype.Add(new Entity(2, 0), out _, out _);
+        var afterSecondAdd = archetype.Version;
+        That(afterSecondAdd, Is.GreaterThan(afterFirstAdd));
+
+        // Same-count swap: remove one and add one. EntityCount returns to 2 but Version must still advance.
+        var countBefore = archetype.EntityCount;
+        archetype.Remove(firstSlot, out _);
+        archetype.Add(new Entity(3, 0), out _, out _);
+        That(archetype.EntityCount, Is.EqualTo(countBefore));
+        That(archetype.Version, Is.GreaterThan(afterSecondAdd));
+
+        // Clearing a non-empty archetype advances the version too.
+        var beforeClear = archetype.Version;
+        archetype.Clear();
+        That(archetype.Version, Is.GreaterThan(beforeClear));
+    }
+
     /// <summary>
     ///     Checks if a copy operation between <see cref="Archetype"/> was successful.
     ///     This is checked by value equality of the items and their correct order.
diff --git a/src/Arch/Core/Archetype.cs b/src/Arch/Core/Archetype.cs
index a06537a3..a81281eb 100644
--- a/src/Arch/Core/Archetype.cs
+++ b/src/Arch/Core/Archetype.cs
@@ -381,10 +381,31 @@ internal Slot CurrentSlot
     /// <summary>
     ///     The number of <see cref="Arch.Core.Entity"/>s in this <see cref="Archetype"/>.
     /// </summary>
+    private int _entityCount;
+
     public int EntityCount
+    {
+        get => _entityCount;
+        internal set
+        {
+            // Version advances on every write to the population, so an unchanged
+            // Version proves the entity set of this archetype is unchanged.
+            // Bumping in the setter makes it impossible for any add, remove, move
+            // or bulk restore path to change the population without advancing it.
+            Version++;
+            _entityCount = value;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    ///     A monotonically increasing version that changes whenever <see cref="Arch.Core.Entity"/>s enter or leave this <see cref="Archetype"/>.
+    ///     If the value is unchanged between two observations, the set of <see cref="Arch.Core.Entity"/>s in this <see cref="Archetype"/> is unchanged.
+    ///     This makes it a cheap structural-change signal for change detection over a query, without materialising or hashing the entities themselves.
+    /// </summary>
+    public long Version
     {
         get;
-        internal set;
+        private set;
     }
 
     /// <summary>