Body Fat Percentage Chart for Men and Women

Look up body fat charts and you will quickly notice that they do not agree. A woman at 30% body fat can be “acceptable” on one chart and “high” on another. That is not a typo. There is no single agreed chart, and fitness categories, population averages and health-risk guidance each answer a different question.

Below you will find the main charts and tables, plus how much your measurement method can move the number. Find your sex and age, pick the chart that matches your question, and treat the result as an estimate.

Measure your body fat:

• Body Fat Calculator (skinfold caliper and US Navy methods)
• US Navy Body Fat Calculator
• Army Body Fat Calculator (waist-to-height, the current Army standard)

Which Body Fat Chart Should You Use?

• ACE fitness categories: essential fat, athletes, fitness, acceptable and obese. Useful for gym goals. These are fitness labels, not diagnoses, and they do not change with age.
• Age-based fitness norms (NASM and PennShape): Low to High bands for each age group. Useful for comparing yourself with people your age.
• US population data (NHANES): what adults actually measure on a DXA scan. Useful for context. An average is not a target.
• Health-risk guidance: ranges linked to BMI limits or clinical risk. These differ between authorities, and none is universal.

Do not mix the charts. A 25-year-old woman at 30% body fat is in the ACE “acceptable” band (25-31%) but in the “High” band of the age-based norms below (over 27.2%). Both statements are correct because the charts measure different things.

1. ACE Body Fat Percentage Categories

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) categories are among the most widely reproduced body fat charts ^[1]. They give one set of ranges for adult men and one for adult women. Women’s ranges are higher because essential fat also supports insulation, hormone regulation and reproductive health.

Category	Women (% body fat)	Men (% body fat)
Essential fat	10-13%	2-5%
Athletes	14-20%	6-13%
Fitness	21-24%	14-17%
Acceptable (average)	25-31%	18-24%
Obese	32% or more	25% or more

Two things to keep in mind. Essential fat is the minimum your body needs to function, not a goal to aim for. And “obese” here is a fitness label, not a medical diagnosis.

2. Body Fat Percentage by Age (Fitness Norms)

The tables below are widely published by NASM ^[2] and trace back to a University of Pennsylvania (PennShape) fact sheet ^[3]. They rank body fat from Low to High within each age group.

These are fitness norms, not medical risk thresholds. NASM labels the two end bands “dangerously low” and “dangerously high”, but a reading in either band is a prompt to look closer, not a diagnosis. As age rises, the ranges move upward.

Men: Body Fat Percentage Chart by Age

Age	Low	Excellent	Good	Fair	Poor	High
20-29	under 8%	8-10.5%	10.6-14.8%	14.9-18.6%	18.7-23.1%	over 23.2%
30-39	under 8%	8-14.5%	14.6-18.2%	18.3-21.3%	21.4-24.9%	over 25%
40-49	under 8%	8-17.4%	17.5-20.6%	20.7-23.4%	23.5-26.6%	over 26.7%
50-59	under 8%	8-19.1%	19.2-22.1%	22.2-24.6%	24.7-27.8%	over 27.9%
60-69	under 8%	8-19.7%	19.8-22.6%	22.7-25.2%	25.3-28.4%	over 28.5%

Women: Body Fat Percentage Chart by Age

Age	Low	Excellent	Good	Fair	Poor	High
20-29	under 14%	14-16.5%	16.6-19.4%	19.5-22.7%	22.8-27.1%	over 27.2%
30-39	under 14%	14-17.4%	17.5-20.8%	20.9-24.6%	24.7-29.1%	over 29.2%
40-49	under 14%	14-19.8%	19.9-23.8%	23.9-27.6%	27.7-31.9%	over 31.9%
50-59	under 14%	14-22.5%	22.6-27%	27.1-30.4%	30.5-34.5%	over 34.6%
60-69	under 14%	14-23.2%	23.3-27.9%	28-31.3%	31.4-35.4%	over 35.5%

3. Average Body Fat by Age (US Population Data)

Population data show where adults actually fall. The tables below come from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2004, which measured body fat with whole-body DXA scans ^[4]. Values are the 5th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th and 95th percentiles of US adults. For example, 25% of men aged 20-39 measured below 21.2% body fat.

Men, age	5th	25th	50th (median)	75th	95th
20-39	15.5%	21.2%	26.1%	30.4%	37.2%
40-59	19.3%	25.2%	28.5%	32.2%	37.7%
60-79	22.0%	27.3%	30.7%	34.4%	39.6%

Women, age	5th	25th	50th (median)	75th	95th
20-39	25.8%	32.5%	37.8%	42.9%	49.8%
40-59	28.5%	36.4%	41.0%	45.1%	50.7%
60-79	32.3%	38.9%	42.8%	46.2%	50.7%

The ACE “acceptable” band (men 18-24%, women 25-31%) sits below the US median at every age shown. That is because ACE describes a fitness-oriented target, while NHANES describes adults as they were measured.

The data are also more than 20 years old, so today’s averages may be higher. An average is a description, not a recommendation.

4. Health-Risk Guidance: Why No Single Number Exists

Researchers have tried to set healthy body fat ranges, and the results do not match.

• BMI-linked ranges: Gallagher and colleagues (2000) linked the healthy BMI limits to predicted body fat in 1,626 adults with BMI up to 35. They called the resulting ranges provisional and said they vary by sex, age and ethnic group ^[5]. A later NHANES analysis found that the body fat percentage matching a BMI of 30 ranged from 27.5% to 32.3% in men and from 39.9% to 44.1% in women, depending on age and ethnicity ^[6].
• Clinical classification: the Obesity Medicine Association classifies DXA body fat of 30% or more in men and 35% or more in women as obesity, with 25-29% (men) and 30-34% (women) as pre-obesity ^[7].
• Newer population study: Harvard Health reports a 2025 US study that defined overweight as at least 25% body fat in men and 36% in women, and obesity as at least 30% and 42% ^[8].

Harvard Health states that there is no agreed-upon normal range for body fat. Where fat sits matters too. Belly fat raises risk even when overall weight looks normal, so a tape measure is a useful companion to any chart.

Harvard cites waist circumference of 40 inches or more in men and 35 inches or more in women as a risk flag, and a waist-to-height ratio of 0.4 to 0.49 as a healthy range ^[8]. You can check yours with the waist-to-height ratio calculator or the waist-to-hip ratio calculator.

5. Commonly Cited “Ideal” Body Fat by Age

These single-value “ideal” figures are usually attributed to Jackson and Pollock ^[9]. They are reproduced widely, but treat them as rough fitness reference points, not health thresholds.

Age	Women	Men
20	17.7%	8.5%
25	18.4%	10.5%
30	19.3%	12.7%
35	21.5%	13.7%
40	22.2%	15.3%
45	22.9%	16.4%
50	25.2%	18.9%
55	26.3%	20.9%

6. Military Body Composition Standards (DoD, Army and USMC)

Military limits are occupational standards, not health charts, and the rules changed in 2026. Under DoW Instruction 1308.03 (effective August 31, 2026), the upper limit for waist-to-height ratio is below 0.55, and a service may set a lower one.

Anyone over their service’s limit is then evaluated by a body fat calculation, and service body fat limits can be no stricter than 18% for men and 26% for women, and no looser than 26% for men and 36% for women ^[10]. The services apply this differently, as the Army and Marine Corps show below.

US Army

The Army no longer uses a body fat percentage to judge soldiers. Army Directive 2026-13 (July 1, 2026) made waist-to-height ratio the only standard: waist at the navel divided by height, which must be below 0.55 (exactly 0.55 does not meet it).

The height and weight tables and the circumference tape test are discontinued, and no other body composition method may be used to challenge the result ^[11]. That means the old AR 600-9 body fat limits (20% for men and 30% for women aged 17-20, for example) no longer decide whether a soldier is within standards. The Army said it would review the standard after a 180-day assessment, so check the current directive before relying on this.

To check your own number, the Army Body Fat Calculator has a waist-to-height mode for the current standard. Its older tape-test mode is labelled retired and will not give you an Army result.

US Marine Corps

Age	Men	Women
17-25	18%	26%
26-35	19%	27%
36-45	20%	28%
46 and over	21%	29%

Since January 1, 2026, Marines are screened by waist-to-height ratio first, with a limit of 0.52 or less for men and women alike. Only a Marine over that limit goes on to a body fat evaluation by multi-site tape test or bioelectrical impedance (BIA), and the Marine Corps says its body fat standards are unchanged ^[12].

Fitness scores can buy some room: Marines with a first-class result who score 285 or higher on both the PFT and CFT are allowed up to 26% body fat (men) or 36% (women), and those who score 250 or higher get an extra percentage point on their limit, within the maximums in the order ^[12]. A Marine who exceeds the limit by both the tape test and BIA is processed for the Body Composition Program. These standards apply to Marines and do not transfer to civilians or other services.

Healthy and Unhealthy Body Fat Percentage

Body fat has two parts. Essential fat is the minimum needed for basic body functions. Storage fat is the energy reserve that builds up in fat tissue. Both matter, and the right amount depends on your age, sex, activity level and health.

• Too much body fat, especially around the waist, is linked to higher risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers.
• Too little body fat can disrupt hormones, menstrual function and bone health. The 2023 International Olympic Committee consensus links these problems to low energy availability (not eating enough for the energy you use) rather than to a single body fat cut-off ^[13]. If your periods stop or you feel run-down, talk to a doctor, whatever your chart says.
• Age and muscle: body fat tends to rise with age, and Harvard Health notes that high fat with low muscle (sarcopenic obesity) can be more dangerous than obesity alone ^[8].

How To Measure Body Fat Percentage

Every method estimates body fat indirectly, and each has its own error. The methods below range from free and approximate to clinical and more precise.

1. BMI (a screening measure)
2. US Navy tape measure method
3. Skinfold calipers
4. Bioelectrical impedance (BIA)
5. Hydrostatic (underwater) weighing
6. DXA scan
7. Air displacement plethysmography (ADP)

1. BMI

Body mass index is weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. It is a screening measure, not a measure of body fat, because it cannot tell muscle from fat. The CDC categories for adults are ^[14]:

• Underweight: below 18.5
• Healthy weight: 18.5 to below 25
• Overweight: 25 to below 30
• Obesity: 30 or higher, split into Class 1 (30 to below 35), Class 2 (35 to below 40) and Class 3 (40 or higher, also called severe obesity)

A muscular athlete can have a BMI in the overweight range with low body fat, while a person with little muscle can have a normal BMI and high body fat. Use the BMI calculator for a quick check, then add a waist measurement or a body fat estimate.

2. US Navy Tape Measure Method

The US Navy circumference method estimates body fat from height and neck and waist measurements (plus hips for women). It is cheap and needs no calipers. The original equations had a standard error of about 3.5 percentage points against hydrostatic weighing ^[15], and a study of 102 sailors found a standard error of about 2.1 (men) to 2.3 (women) points against DXA ^[16]. Accuracy is uneven: a 2022 Marine Corps study found that lean people tend to be overestimated and higher-fat people underestimated, and concluded the method suits classification against standards, not precise body composition measurement ^[17]. Try the US Navy Body Fat Calculator.

Navy formula for men (centimetres)

• Body fat % = 495 / (1.0324 – 0.19077 x log10(waist – neck) + 0.15456 x log10(height)) – 450

Measure height, neck and abdomen (at the navel).

Navy formula for women (centimetres)

• Body fat % = 495 / (1.29579 – 0.35004 x log10(waist + hip – neck) + 0.22100 x log10(height)) – 450

Measure height, neck, waist and hips. Take each measurement at least three times and average them. Clothing, tape tension and a recent meal can change the result, so measure the same way each time.

3. Skinfold Calipers

Calipers pinch the fat just under the skin at set sites, and an equation converts the sum into a body fat estimate. Results depend heavily on the person measuring. Lukaski’s 1987 review put the error of estimating body fat from anthropometry at about 5 percentage points, with reported errors ranging from 3 to 9 ^[18]. Common equations have their own calculators:

• Jackson-Pollock 3-site
• Jackson-Pollock 4-site
• Jackson-Pollock 7-site
• Parrillo 9-site
• Durnin and Womersley 4-site

4. Bioelectrical Impedance (BIA)

BIA devices send a weak electrical current through the body and measure how much it is resisted. Lean tissue holds more water and conducts the current more easily than fat, so the device estimates body composition from that resistance.

Readings change with hydration, recent meals and exercise, so follow the same protocol each time, such as the same time of day and the same conditions.

5. Hydrostatic (Underwater) Weighing

You are weighed on land and again fully submerged, and the difference gives body density. It is a long-standing laboratory method, but it is not a true gold standard.

It assumes the density of lean tissue is the same in everyone, and variation in that assumption alone can cause roughly 2.8 percentage points of error in a similar group of people ^[19]. It also needs a specialised facility and the ability to exhale fully underwater.

6. DXA Scan

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) uses two low-dose X-ray beams to separate bone, lean tissue and fat, and it reports regional as well as total values. Its precision for body fat percentage is estimated at about 1.2 percentage points, and it agrees well with other reference methods ^[19].

It is still an indirect estimate, so repeat scans on the same device if you want to compare results. It is not widely accessible, and you need a clinic or a testing centre.

7. Air Displacement Plethysmography (ADP)

ADP, often called a Bod Pod, works like underwater weighing but measures body volume from air displacement in a sealed chamber, so you stay dry. You wear a swimsuit or tight clothing and a cap. Like hydrostatic weighing it relies on density assumptions and is not a true gold standard ^[19]. It is less widely available and cannot show where fat is stored.

How measurement error changes your chart result

Chart categories are only a few percentage points wide, and measurement error can be larger than that. As an illustration, a woman whose caliper test says 28% body fat could, with an error of about 5 points, truly sit anywhere from roughly 23% to 33%. That range crosses the ACE fitness, acceptable and obese categories. For that reason, compare your results with the same method under the same conditions, and watch the trend rather than a single reading.

How To Use a Body Fat Percentage Chart

• Pick the chart that fits your question: a fitness goal (ACE), a comparison with people your age (the age-based norms), or health risk (section 4).
• Measure the same way every time. Use one method, under the same conditions, and watch the trend. That tells you whether you are losing fat or just weight. A body recomposition calculator can help if you want to lose fat and build muscle together.
• Add a waist measurement. A tape measure shows something a body fat percentage cannot: where the fat is. The waist-to-height ratio calculator is a quick check, and the relative fat mass calculator and fat-free mass index calculator add more context.
• If fat loss is the goal, start with your calories. The weight loss calorie calculator gives you a starting point, and home workouts without equipment work if you do not have a gym.

FAQs

What is a good body fat percentage for men?

It depends on the chart. ACE places men at 14-17% for “fitness” and 18-24% for “acceptable”. In the age-based norms, a 40-year-old man is “Good” at 17.5-20.6%. In US population data, the median man aged 40-59 measured 28.5%. Pair any number with your waist size and fitness level.

What is a good body fat percentage for women?

ACE places women at 21-24% for “fitness” and 25-31% for “acceptable”. In the age-based norms, a 40-year-old woman is “Good” at 19.9-23.8%. In US population data, the median woman aged 40-59 measured 41.0%. Women need more essential fat than men, and very low levels can disrupt hormones and bone health.

Does body fat increase with age?

On average, yes. In NHANES the median for men rose from 26.1% (ages 20-39) to 30.7% (ages 60-79), and for women from 37.8% to 42.8%. Part of the reason is falling muscle mass, and Harvard Health notes that regular strength training can add muscle ^[8].

How accurate is a body fat chart?

The chart is only a reference. The bigger source of error is usually the measurement. Skinfold, Navy and BIA estimates can be off by several percentage points, and charts disagree with each other, so a single number is best read as a range.

How can I measure my body fat at home?

Use a BIA scale or handheld device, skinfold calipers, or a tape measure with the Navy method. All are estimates. DXA and other clinical methods are more precise but not free of error.

What are the risks of having too much or too little body fat?

Too much, especially around the waist, raises the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. Too little can affect hormones, menstrual function and bone health, usually through low energy availability. Neither risk is defined by a single cut-off.

Sources and Last Checked

Figures on this page were checked against the sources below on October 31, 2026. This is general information, not medical advice, and it has not had an individual medical review. Talk with a doctor or registered dietitian about your own results.

1. American Council on Exercise body fat categories, as reproduced by Healthgrades.
2. NASM, Body Fat Percentage Calculator (age-based tables).
3. University of Pennsylvania PennShape, Body Composition Information and FAQ’s Sheet (original source of the age-based tables; the PDF could not be retrieved when this page was checked).
4. Borrud LG, Flegal KM, Looker AC, Everhart JE, Harris TB. Body Composition Data for Individuals 8 Years of Age and Older: U.S. Population, 1999-2004. CDC/NCHS.
5. Gallagher D, Heymsfield SB, Heo M, Jebb SA, Murgatroyd PR, Sakamoto Y. Healthy percentage body fat ranges: an approach for developing guidelines based on body mass index. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000;72(3):694-701.
6. Percentage of body fat cutoffs by sex, age, and race-ethnicity in the US adult population from NHANES 1999-2004. Am J Clin Nutr.
7. Obesity Medicine Association, Clinical Practice Statement on obesity history, physical exam, laboratory, body composition, and energy expenditure (2022).
8. Harvard Health, What is considered a healthy body fat percentage as you age?
9. Jackson AS, Pollock ML. Practical assessment of body composition. Phys Sportsmed. 1985;13(5):76-90.
10. US Department of War (formerly Department of Defense), Instruction 1308.03, Physical Fitness/Body Composition Program, effective August 31, 2026.
11. US Army, Army Directive 2026-13, Army Body Composition Program and Standards (July 1, 2026), and the Army announcement (July 7, 2026).
12. US Marine Corps, MCO 6110.3A (body fat standards); MARADMIN 066/26 (waist-to-height screening from January 1, 2026, and fitness-score allowances); Marine Corps Body Composition Program Standards (waist-to-height limit of 0.52 or less).
13. International Olympic Committee, 2023 consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs).
14. CDC, Adult BMI Categories.
15. National Research Council, Body Composition in the Military Services: Standards and Methods (Navy circumference equations).
16. Comparison of the US Navy circumference equation with DXA, Med Sci Sports Exerc (abstract).
17. Circumference-Based Predictions of Body Fat Revisited: Preliminary Results From a US Marine Corps Body Composition Survey. Front Physiol. 2022.
18. Lukaski HC. Methods for the assessment of human body composition: traditional and new. Am J Clin Nutr. 1987;46(4):537-556.
19. Heyward VH. ASEP Methods Recommendation: Body Composition Assessment. J Exerc Physiol Online.