The fat percentage tells you how much of your total body weight is fat.
Fat percentage is one of the most important figures that anyone interested in their health should monitor regularly. It is a better indicator of overweight than the body mass index alone.
The recommended fat percentage ranges from 21-36% for women and 8-25% for men. There are no official fat percentage limits, but values within these limits are generally considered healthy.
A good fat percentage is easiest to achieve with a smart diet and plenty of exercise. Background factors such as age and gender have a significant impact on fat percentage.
Women typically have a higher percentage of fat than men. In athletes, the percentage can be significantly lower than in normal people.
The percentage of fat increases with age. The older you are, the higher your natural fat percentage will be. The limits are therefore not directly applicable to older people.
Defining a good fat percentage is not as straightforward as many other measures of well-being.
It has not been possible to define clear internationally accepted limits for fat percentage in the same way as for body mass index, for example. This is due to differences in the results obtained by different methods of measurement and the fact that experts have not yet reached a consensus on universal thresholds.
Several different techniques can be used to measure fat percentage.
Bioimpedance measurement
Bioimpedance measurement, on which Bodymaja’s body composition measurement is also based, is the most commonly used method of measuring fat percentage today.
In bioimpedance measurement, a weak electric current is passed through the body. Adipose tissue conducts electricity less well than water-containing muscle tissue, and the device uses this information to give an accurate fat percentage.
Home scales also use the bioimpedance method to measure fat percentage, although the accuracy of home scales is not as good as that of professional InBody measuring devices.
Underwater weighing
Underwater weighing is based on measuring body volume and determining body density by weighing under water. Since the density of adipose tissue differs from that of lean tissue, the total body density allows the calculation of the proportions of adipose and lean tissue in the total body mass.
Submersible weighing is accurate, but the equipment needed is practically only available for professional use.
Skinfold measurement
Skinfold measurement is a traditional method of measuring the thickness of skin folds in different parts of the body using measuring forceps. This method does not require technical equipment, but it is also inaccurate and the comparability of the results is poor.
Skinfold measurement works best in slim or normal-sized people. It is not at all suitable for the very largest subjects, as thick folds may not fit inside the measuring forceps.
DXA measurement
DXA measurement is a precise method to determine not only the amount of fat tissue but also its location in the body. X-ray measurements can only be performed in hospitals and research facilities.
This is how the fat percentage of an adult person is calculated:
Fat percentage = (1.20 x body mass index) + (0.23 x age) – (10.8 x sex) – 5.4
For gender, please enter 1 if it is a man and 0 if it is a woman.
This is how the fat percentage of children and adolescents is calculated:
Fat percentage = (1.51 x body mass index) + (0.70 x age) – (3.6 x sex) – 5.4
Please mark the gender 1 if it is a boy and 0 if it is a girl.
Fat percentage of women by age
| Age | Underweight | Ideal weight | Overweight | Significant obesity |
| 20-39 | < 21 % | 21-33 % | 33-39 % | > 39 % |
| 40-59 | < 23 % | 23-35 % | 35-40 % | > 40 % |
| over 60 | < 24 % | 24-36 % | 36-42 % | > 42 % |
Fat percentage of men by age
| Age | Underweight | Ideal weight | Overweight | Significant obesity |
| 20-39 | < 8 % | 8-19 % | 19-25 % | > 25 % |
| 40-59 | < 11 % | 11-22 % | 22-28 % | > 28 % |
| over 60 | < 13 % | 13-25 % | 25-30 % | > 30 % |
(Source, based on WHO guidelines)
The fat percentage of a professional athlete or a very active sportsperson may differ significantly from the above tables. Male athletes may have a fat percentage as low as 3-5% and female athletes only 7-10%.
Fat percentage is a better indicator of overweight than BMI, but it alone does not tell the whole story.
The variety of measurement methods and the different operating principles of the equipment have a significant impact on the reliability of the fat percentage measurement and the comparability of the results.
The best way to monitor your body fat percentage is to take a regular body composition measurement, always using the same device. That way you can monitor your progress reliably and repeatedly. The most comparable results are obtained when you take a body composition measurement regularly and always under the same conditions. Fat percentage should be measured during fasting and at the same time of day.
Another challenge of the fat percentage is its fundamental uninformative nature. The percentage tells you nothing about where fat is stored in the body. It is therefore not worth over-interpreting fat percentage alone. Research shows that the location of fat in the body plays a major role in the development of health risks.
Visceral fat, or visceral fat, is the most dangerous. In addition to the fat percentage alone, it would also be useful to determine what proportion of the fat is visceral fat, i.e. the dangerous fat in and around the viscera.
Losing weight too quickly is not an effective way to improve fat percentage. A good fat percentage is easiest to achieve with a sedentary lifestyle and proper nutrition.
Active muscle training has the clearest effect on the muscle-to-fat ratio.
An average of 2-3 total muscle training sessions per week is a good amount to keep your metabolism awake and burn fat. In addition to muscle training, you should also include resistance training 2-3 times a week.
Lifestyles that aim to improve fat percentage do not include quick diets or miracle diets. It is important to lose weight so that the pounds come off fat, not muscle. This can be done with a moderate half kilo or kilo per week.
