What is a Healthy Body Fat Percentage?

Age-Adjusted Body Fat Charts for Men and Women

The measurements need to be accurate to within 0.5cm or 0. 25 inches (centimeters tends to produce the most accurate results) and should be taken as follows:

• Height: taken without shoes
• Neck: taken below the larynx sloping slightly downward at the front
• Waist: for men at navel height, for women at the smallest point
• Hips: (women only) at the largest point

After figuring your body fat percentage, go to these charts to find out your category.

If you look around the Internet, you will see a lot of different recommendations for body fat percentages. As far as I can tell, this is the most authoritative, as it is based on World Health Organization and National Institutes of Health recommendations, and takes age into account. Please do not confuse these numbers with the BMI (Body Mass Index) scores, which are not the same thing.

Age-Adusted Body Fat Percentage Recommendations

	Feet to Inches?

 
 

 
Women
 

Age	Underfat	Healthy Range	Overweight	Obese
20-40 yrs	Under 21%	21-33%	33-39%	Over 39%
41-60 yrs	Under 23%	23-35%	35-40%	Over 40%
61-79 yrs	Under 24%	24-36%	36-42%	Over 42%

Men
 

Age	Underfat	Healthy Range	Overweight	Obese
20-40 yrs	Under 8%	8-19%	19-25%	Over 25%
41-60 yrs	Under 11%	11-22%	22-27%	Over 27%
61-79 yrs	Under 13%	13-25%	25-30%	Over 30%

Source: Gallagher et al. Am J Clin Nut 2000; 72:694-701