Body Fat Percentage Chart

The two basic types of body fat are- storage and essential. The fat which gets accumulated or stored in loose connective tissues is the storage fat. These tissues help in protecting internal organs of the body and are also responsible for storing energy in the form of fat. The normal storage fat percentage is 15% in women and 12% in men. Essential fat is stored in the lungs, heart, liver, bone marrow, kidney, muscles, spleen and the central nervous system. This fat is required by the body for metabolism. The normal essential fat percentage is 10-15% in women and 2-5% in men. These levels of fat should be maintained by everyone to ensure proper body functioning.

A body fat chart gives the total amount of fat which should be present in a person's body. There are different percentage charts for men, women, children and athletes as they all have different fat requirements at different stages in their lives. There are different methods of calculating body fat percentage like, bio-electric impedance and infrared interactance. A person can also use the body fat index calculator to calculate body fat percentage.

Female Body Fat Chart

Age	Very Less	Healthy Range	Overweight	Obese
20-30 yrs	less than 21%	21-33%	33-39%	more than 39%
31-40 yrs	less than 21%	21-33%	33-39%	more than 39%
41-50 yrs	less than 23%	23-35%	35-40%	more than 40%
51-60 yrs	less than 23%	23-35%	35-40%	more than 40%
61-70 yrs	less than 24%	24-36%	36-42%	more than 42%
71-80 yrs	less than 24%	24-36%	36-42%	more than 42%

Male Body Fat Chart

Age	Very Less	Healthy Range	Overweight	Obese
20-30 yrs	less than 8%	8-19%	19-25%	more than 25%
31-40 yrs	less than 8%	8-19%	19-25%	more than 25%
41-50 yrs	less than 11%	11-22%	22-27%	more than 27%
51-60 yrs	less than 11%	11-22%	22-27%	more than 27%
61-70 yrs	less than 13%	13-25%	25-30%	more than 30%
71-80 yrs	less than 13%	13-25%	25-30%	more than 30%

Body Fat Chart for Athletes

Type of Sport	Female Athletes	Male Athletes
Volleyball	16-25%	11-14%
Tennis	16-24%	12-16%
Raquetball	15-22%	8-13%
Basketball	20-27%	6-12%
Rowing	12-18%	6-14%
Sprinters	12-20%	8-10%
Gymnastics	10-16%	5-12%
Baseball	12-18%	12-15%
Cycling	15-20%	5-15%
Field/Ice Hockey	12-18%	8-15%
Sprinting	12-20%	8-10%
Long/High Jump	10-18%	7-12%
Shot Putt	20-28%	16-20%
Body Building	10-15%	5-8%
Skiing	16-22%	7-12%
Triathlon	10-15%	5-12%

Body Fat Chart for Young Boys

Age	Very Less	Healthy Range	Overweight	Obese
7 yrs	less than 13%	13-20%	20-25%	more than 25%
8 yrs	less than 13%	13-21%	21-26%	more than 26%
9 yrs	less than 13%	13-22%	22-26%	more than 26%
10 yrs	less than 13%	13-23%	23-27%	more than 27%
11 yrs	less than 13%	13-23%	23-27%	more than 27%
12 yrs	less than 13%	13-23%	23-27%	more than 27%
13 yrs	less than 12%	12-22%	22-26%	more than 26%
14 yrs	less than 12%	12-21%	21-25%	more than 25%
15 yrs	less than 11%	11-21%	21-24%	more than 24%
16 yrs	less than 10%	10-20%	20-24%	more than 24%
17 yrs	less than 10%	10-20%	20-24%	more than 24%
18 yrs	less than 10%	10-20%	20-24%	more than 24%
19 yrs	less than 9%	9-20%	20-24%	more than 24%

Body Fat Chart for Young Girls

Age	Very Less	Healthy Range	Overweight	Obese
7 yrs	less than 15%	15-25%	25-29%	more than 29%
8 yrs	less than 15%	15-26%	26-30%	more than 30%
9 yrs	less than 16%	16-27%	27-31%	more than 31%
10 yrs	less than 16%	16-28%	28-32%	more than 32%
11 yrs	less than 16%	16-29%	29-33%	more than 33%
12 yrs	less than 16%	16-29%	29-33%	more than 33%
13 yrs	less than 16%	16-29%	29-33%	more than 33%
14 yrs	less than 16%	16-30%	30-34%	more than 34%
15 yrs	less than 16%	16-30%	30-34%	more than 34%
16 yrs	less than 16%	16-30%	30-34%	more than 34%
17 yrs	less than 16%	16-30%	30-35%	more than 35%
18 yrs	less than 17%	17-31%	31-36%	more than 36%
19 yrs	less than 19%	19-32%	32-37%	more than 37%

It is apparent now, that women require more fat than men. This is because women need fat to help them with their hormonal activities and also for the child-bearing process. That is the reason why adult women have a body fat percentage 10% more than adult men in the same age group. Athletes have high levels of physical activities therefore they require a certain amount of fat for energy conversion.

Obesity or being overweight can lead to various heart diseases and disorders. It is therefore important to keep a check on body fat by referring to the chart periodically.