Body Fat Percentage

Measured in %

An estimate of what share of your body is fat tissue, with the important caveat that different measurement methods can give noticeably different answers for the same person.

What it is

Body fat percentage estimates how much of your body weight is fat tissue versus everything else — muscle, bone, organs, and water. It's highly method-dependent: a DEXA scan, a bioimpedance scale, and skinfold calipers can each produce a different number for the same person on the same day, and home scales in particular can be affected by hydration and timing. What counts as a typical range also varies by age and by sex, so there's no single number that applies to everyone. It's most informative viewed as a trend using the same method and conditions each time, and considered alongside other measures rather than read in isolation.

Typical range

  • Male14–24 %
  • Female21–31 %

Source · American Council on Exercise (fitness-to-average categories)

Reference ranges vary between laboratories, and what is normal for you depends on your own history. Your own lab’s range is the one printed on your report.

Worth asking your clinician

  • Given the method I used to get this number, how much weight would you put on it?
  • For someone my age and sex, what would you consider a typical range — and how wide is the uncertainty?
  • Would a different body-composition method give you information that's more useful for my situation?