Estimate your body fat percentage using the U.S. Navy circumference method, and see which category it falls into.
| Category | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Essential fat | 2 – 5% | 10 – 13% |
| Athletes | 6 – 13% | 14 – 20% |
| Fitness | 14 – 17% | 21 – 24% |
| Average | 18 – 24% | 25 – 31% |
| Obese | 25%+ | 32%+ |
This uses the U.S. Navy circumference method, which estimates body fat from a few tape-measure readings. It's a convenient field method, but less precise than lab techniques like DEXA scans or hydrostatic weighing.
Body fat percentage is the proportion of your total body weight that's made up of fat, as opposed to muscle, bone, organs, and water. Two people with the same weight and height can have very different body compositions — which is a big part of why body fat percentage is often considered a more meaningful health indicator than weight or BMI alone.
Developed for the U.S. Navy as a quick, equipment-free way to estimate body composition, this method uses circumference measurements — neck and waist for men, with the addition of hips for women — combined with height. The math behind it is based on statistical relationships between these measurements and body fat established in population studies, not a direct measurement of fat itself.
Use a flexible tape measure and keep it snug but not compressing the skin. Measure your waist at the narrowest point (or at the navel if there's no clear narrowing), your neck just below the larynx, and — for women — your hips at the widest point. Measuring at the same time of day, ideally in the morning before eating, helps keep readings consistent if you're tracking changes over time.
This is a useful estimate for tracking general trends, but circumference-based methods can be less accurate for people who are very lean, very muscular, or carry fat in unusual distributions. If precision matters for a medical or athletic purpose, a DEXA scan or other clinical method is worth considering instead.