Body Fat Percentage Calculator (for Women and Men)

Use this metric Body Fat Percentage Calculator to find out what your body fat percentage is. Enter your weight in kg, height in cm, age, and choose man or woman to get your result.

The calculator can help you to find your ideal body fat percentage based on your body mass index. Scroll down to see pictures of increasing body fat percentage for a man and a woman.

You can lower your body fat percentage by maintaining a calorie deficit. To work out how much of a deficit you need, use calcount’s Calorie Calculator. Learn more about what your body fat percentage means:

Body Fat Percentage is a Measure of Health

This Body Fat Percentage Calculator outputs a simple result: your body fat percentage. The percentage of your body made from fat is a health and fitness indicator, because it measures the proportion of your bone, lean muscle, internal organ tissue, and skin to fat. Fat, more properly called adipose tissue, is composed of specialised cells which can store large amounts of unused energy from food. Fat is a store of energy and the main component of excess body weight. Too much fat can cause obesity and its associated poor health outcomes. Too little fat can weaken the immune system and prevent normal body function.

Body Fat Percentage for Health

How’s it Calculated?

It’s a simple concept. To calculate your body fat percentage, divide the weight of your fat by your total body weight, then multiply by 100. The trick is finding out how much your fat weighs. Since you cannot take the fat out of your body, weigh it on a scale, then put it back, every method (there are several) of calculating body fat percentage is an estimate. Our calculator uses the BMI method, but you can read the Methods section below to explore other ways. For most people, our calculator provides the best and most convenient result.

Body Fat Percentage for Women and Men: Examples

One of the best ways to gauge your body fat percentage (BFP) is to look at examples of what a person looks like as they go through the process of gaining or losing fat. Seeing noticeable appearance changes through fat loss in a person gives us an insight to their health condition and aesthetic trajectory. In the series of picture below, we follow a woman and a man as they progress from 9 percent body fat to 50 percent body fat. It might be useful to compare your own appearance to get an insight to what you might look like with a different body fat percentage.

The man and woman in these pictures went through a scientifically-controlled process of steady weight gain, from underweight to morbidly obese. Their body fat percentage calculator results were recorded throughout, so we can see what increasing fat proportions do to the appearance of an average person.

Female Body Fat Percentage

The images and descriptions below show body fat percentages for women, from very low to very high. Females naturally have a higher body fat percentage than men, so their body composition is classed as underweight when their body fat percentage falls below 19%.

15% Body Fat Percentage usually means Underweight Woman

underweight woman

If you are a woman and your body fat percentage is about 15% (12-19%), you are probably underweight. Anything below 12%, for example 10 percent body fat, indicates severe underweight and probable malnourishment. This reasoning does not apply to professional body builders and other athletes who may have a much higher proportion of muscle relative to fat. From the image, you can tell that the woman is beyond lean, with sharp angles and noticeable skeletal features.

20% to 30% Body Fat usually indicates a Normal Weight Woman

normal weight woman

The healthy body fat percentage for a woman is between 20 and 30 percent. The image shows the woman at either ends of this range. She has eye-pleasing body proportions with a good covering of sub-cutaneous fat. Her adipose tissue is providing a good store of energy whilst supporting healthy metabolic function and balance.

A Woman with 31% to 36% Body Fat may be Overweight

overweight woman

Women with between 31 to 36 percent body fat may be classed as Overweight. The image shows the woman carrying more body fat than she may be comfortable with. Her torso and shoulders have become more rounded and muscle shape is less visible.

Obese Woman, 37-42% Body Fat Percentage

obese woman

The obesity level for women starts at 37% body fat percentage. We can see from these two images that a few percentage points (37%-42%) makes a big difference in body appearance in this range. The woman’s body has become significantly thicker and rounder as adipose tissue volume expands. Statistics show that this body fat percentage level is correlated with negative health outcomes and reports of strain in daily life (e.g. climbing stairs may be more strenuous than before).

Obese Class 2 Woman has 43-49% Body Fat

Body fat percentage woman 49%

The second level of obesity for women sits between 43 and 49% body fat. The pictures show that the woman has accumulated significant and distinct fat pads on her limbs. Her hips and torso have expanded. The increased body fat percentage has probably required a significant increase in heart and lung function as the organs work harder to maintain the additional body tissue.

Obese Class 3 Woman

obese 3 woman

A woman with a body fat percentage above 49% is considered to be Class 3 obese. If your body fat percentage calculator result is above 49%, most health professionals would probably advise you to visit a doctor to discuss weight loss options.

Male Body Fat Percentage

Here, you see images and descriptions for men’s body fat percentage. Like the woman above, this man’s body fat percentage calculator results were recorded as he progressed from underweight to obese. With a higher muscle-to-fat ratio than women, males are classified as being underweight when their body fat percentage falls below 9%.

Less than 9% Body Fat equals Underweight Man

underweight man

Unless the man with less than 9% body fat is a bodybuilder or athlete, he is probably underweight. From the picture, we can see that the man is extraordinarily thin, with his skeleton structure distinctly visible.

Normal Weight for a Man includes 9-18% Body Fat Percentage

normal weight man

For men, body fat percentage between 9% and 18% is considered normal. If your body fat percentage calculator result in this range, you probably have the ideal (or close to it) amount of body fat. The man in the picture looks healthy at both the 9% and 18% level. We can see that as his body composition changes with increasing fat his abdomen thickens. The face shape changes as fat softens the angles of his jawline and cheekbones.

An Overweight Man has between 19 and 25% Body Fat

Body fat percentage man 25%

The level between Normal Weight and Obesity is termed Overweight, and usually means that a man has 19% to 25% body fat. We can see that the man in the picture has rounded out all over, with noticeably larger limbs and a widening waist.

Obese Man starts at 26% Body Fat

obese man

Obesity in men starts from 26% body fat. There is a big difference in appearance between 26% and 32% body fat, as can be seen in the picture. The man’s abdomen is much larger, and fat has become increasingly visible on the legs and arms.

33-39% Body Fat means Obese Class 2 Man

obese 2 man

From 33% to 39% body fat, men are considered to be in the second Obesity category. The man’s lower section is clearly broader than his shoulder width, giving him a distinctive shape characteristic of the obese.

Obese Class 3 Man has 40% or more body fat

Body fat percentage man 40%

The third class of obesity in men starts at 40%. We can see from the picture that the man has been drastically transformed in appearance from the time he had a lower body fat percentage.

Average Body Fat Percentage

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, at least 67% of adults in Australia are classified as either overweight or obese. This means that the average body fat percentage is not less than 20%. If your body fat percentage calculator result is in the 10-20% range, congratulations! You have a lower than average body fat percentage!

How to Calculate Body Fat Percentage

There are at least ten different techniques used to measure body fat percentage, and none of them are perfectly accurate. This body fat percentage calculator uses the method which is most conducive for an online audience of millions. It is really hard to get a perfectly accurate result, because fat happens to be intimately connected to just about every type of body tissue imaginable. You just cannot easily say (without opening things up and looking inside) where the fat stops and the other tissue starts. The best way is to find a person’s body density then calculate for relative densities of different body tissues.

However, the challenges has not stopped scientists from trying. The ten main methods for calculating body fat percentage are:

  1. Underwater Weighing (a.k.a. Hydrostatic Weighing), where body density is estimated by water displacement.
  2. Whole-body Air Displacement Plethysmography, a way to measure body density with a machine rather than having to submerge a person in water.
  3. Near-infrared Interactance, a light is shone onto a limb to see how the beam is reflected and absorbed.
  4. Dual energy X-ray Absorptiometry (a.k.a DXA, or DEXA) uses x-rays to compare body tissues.
  5. Body Average Density Measurement, a formula is used to estimate body density, based on volume and mass.
  6. Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis sends an electric current through the body to measure relative conductivity and thus body composition.
  7. Skinfold Test (a.k.a. Pinch Test) is where body parts are gripped by a pair of callipers to see how much subcutaneous fat rests under the skin.
  8. Ultrasound is used to detect how thick subcutaneous fat is.
  9. Height and Circumference formulas, where neck, waist, and hip measurements are compared to height.
  10. From BMI. This is the method our calcount Body Fat Percentage Calculator uses. A formula is applied to BMI to arrive at an accurate estimate of body fat percentage. Since this method relies on BMI, it is subject to the same limitations BMI has. See our BMI Calculator to read them.
Body fat Percentage for Bodybuilders

When Not to use this Body Fat Percentage Calculator

Since this body fat percentage calculator uses the BMI method, the same limitations of Body Mass Index, which we’ve covered here, apply. Bodybuilders, the aged, children, and some ethnic groups are better off using one of the other methods to get a more accurate measure of their body fat percentage. Remember that tools based on formulae like BMI are designed to work across large populations of people and are less useful at the individual level. Your calculated body fat percentage is an indicator which gives you an insight to where your health profile sits on a range, but an individual medical consult will give you a more accurate result.