Body Fat Percentage
Body fat percentage is the share of total body mass that is fat, measured here by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). DXA, bioelectrical-impedance scales and skinfold calipers are not directly interchangeable and can differ by several percentage points, so a value from a scale or caliper should not be read straight against these percentiles. The data describe US adults, and Americans tend to carry more body fat than European or Asian populations at the same age and BMI, so being 'average' here does not necessarily mean healthy.
These percentiles are a FitnessNorms derivation from NHANES 1999-2004 DXA scans for 13,091 US adults aged 20 and over, all race and Hispanic-origin groups, using the measured DXA values and the values NCHS imputed for participants who could not be scanned; see the methodology. The NHANES scans used Hologic scanners with the Schoeller calibration; results from another DXA brand or calibration are not directly comparable. Read more on Wikipedia
Data source: FitnessNorms derivation from NHANES 1999-2004 DXA About this study
Reference population: US adults aged 20 and over in NHANES 1999-2004 with measured or NCHS-imputed DXA data, all race and Hispanic-origin groups
Body Fat Percentage Norms Chart by Age and Sex (%)
| Age | Sex | Percentile | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5th | 25th | 50th | 75th | 95th | ||
| 20-24 | Male | 14.3 | 19.0 | 23.8 | 29.5 | 37.7 |
| Female | 24.8 | 31.5 | 36.4 | 42.0 | 49.5 | |
| 25-29 | Male | 16.1 | 22.2 | 26.4 | 30.4 | 37.6 |
| Female | 25.1 | 32.7 | 37.8 | 42.4 | 48.7 | |
| 30-34 | Male | 16.4 | 21.6 | 26.6 | 30.1 | 36.6 |
| Female | 25.8 | 33.0 | 38.5 | 43.5 | 49.9 | |
| 35-39 | Male | 17.5 | 22.9 | 26.7 | 31.0 | 37.5 |
| Female | 27.2 | 33.9 | 39.1 | 43.7 | 50.5 | |
| 40-44 | Male | 18.9 | 24.8 | 27.9 | 31.8 | 37.2 |
| Female | 27.0 | 34.9 | 39.8 | 43.6 | 50.0 | |
| 45-49 | Male | 19.3 | 24.7 | 27.8 | 31.5 | 37.2 |
| Female | 27.8 | 35.9 | 40.8 | 45.3 | 50.5 | |
| 50-54 | Male | 19.5 | 25.8 | 29.4 | 32.7 | 38.2 |
| Female | 30.1 | 37.2 | 41.4 | 45.3 | 50.4 | |
| 55-59 | Male | 20.6 | 26.7 | 30.0 | 33.2 | 38.3 |
| Female | 31.8 | 38.4 | 43.2 | 46.7 | 52.3 | |
| 60-64 | Male | 21.8 | 26.7 | 30.2 | 34.3 | 39.0 |
| Female | 33.4 | 38.8 | 42.8 | 46.6 | 50.6 | |
| 65-69 | Male | 22.4 | 27.6 | 31.0 | 34.8 | 40.0 |
| Female | 32.6 | 39.5 | 43.2 | 46.4 | 51.4 | |
| 70-74 | Male | 21.7 | 27.3 | 30.9 | 34.5 | 40.8 |
| Female | 31.3 | 38.8 | 42.9 | 46.4 | 50.9 | |
| 75-79 | Male | 23.5 | 27.8 | 31.2 | 34.7 | 39.1 |
| Female | 31.1 | 39.2 | 42.8 | 45.6 | 50.1 | |
| 80-84 | Male | 22.9 | 27.5 | 31.1 | 33.9 | 39.1 |
| Female | 29.5 | 37.0 | 41.4 | 44.9 | 49.2 | |
| 85+ | Male | 21.0 | 26.9 | 30.3 | 34.0 | 38.3 |
| Female | 30.4 | 37.0 | 40.7 | 43.9 | 48.6 | |
What to expect by age group
Among US adults aged 30-34, the middle 50% measure 21.6 to 30.1% body fat for men and 33.0 to 43.5% for women. Median body fat rises from 23.8% for men and 36.4% for women at 20-24 to 31.2% for men at 75-79 and 43.2% for women at 55-59 and 65-69. Female median body fat is 10.3 to 13.2 percentage points higher than male in every age bracket. These percentiles describe the measured US population, not health targets.
| Age | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| 20-24 | 19.0 to 29.5 | 31.5 to 42.0 |
| 25-29 | 22.2 to 30.4 | 32.7 to 42.4 |
| 30-34 | 21.6 to 30.1 | 33.0 to 43.5 |
| 35-39 | 22.9 to 31.0 | 33.9 to 43.7 |
| 40-44 | 24.8 to 31.8 | 34.9 to 43.6 |
| 45-49 | 24.7 to 31.5 | 35.9 to 45.3 |
| 50-54 | 25.8 to 32.7 | 37.2 to 45.3 |
| 55-59 | 26.7 to 33.2 | 38.4 to 46.7 |
| 60-64 | 26.7 to 34.3 | 38.8 to 46.6 |
| 65-69 | 27.6 to 34.8 | 39.5 to 46.4 |
| 70-74 | 27.3 to 34.5 | 38.8 to 46.4 |
| 75-79 | 27.8 to 34.7 | 39.2 to 45.6 |
| 80-84 | 27.5 to 33.9 | 37.0 to 44.9 |
| 85+ | 26.9 to 34.0 | 37.0 to 43.9 |
Detailed Breakdowns
Select an age group and sex below for detailed percentile charts and distribution labels.
Frequently Asked Questions
What body fat percentage is typical?
Typical depends on sex and age. Among US adults aged 30-34, the DXA-measured median is 26.6% for men and 38.5% for women, and the middle 50% spans 21.6 to 30.1% for men and 33.0 to 43.5% for women. These figures describe where US adults fall, not a health target.
How is body fat percentage measured?
Methods include DXA scans, bioelectrical impedance scales, skinfold calipers and hydrostatic weighing. They are not interchangeable: values from different methods can differ by several percentage points. These percentiles are DXA measurements.
How large is the difference between men and women?
In this dataset, female median body fat is 10.3 to 13.2 percentage points higher than male median body fat in every age bracket from 20-24 to 85+.
Why do these percentiles seem high?
Two reasons. The population is US, which has one of the highest obesity rates globally; Americans carry 5 to 10 percentage points more body fat than Swiss or other European populations at the same age and BMI, so a value at the US 50th percentile would likely fall well above the median in most European or East Asian countries. The method also matters: these are DXA measurements, and DXA, bioelectrical-impedance scales and skinfold calipers are not directly interchangeable.
How do these values relate to Kelly et al. 2009?
Kelly et al. 2009 fitted separate reference curves for non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black and Mexican American adults from the same NHANES scans. This page pools all US adults, as the site's other NHANES measures do, so its values differ from any one of Kelly's curves. The method behind it reproduces the National Center for Health Statistics' own published percentiles for the same survey years; see the methodology.