What is the ideal body fat percentage for men and women?

Most body fat percentage calculations distinguish between men and women, with different results tables based on gender.

Jackson-Pollock Formula Tables for Men and Women

This table applies to the 4-site and 7-site methods.

Men				Women
Classification	From (%)	To (%)		Classification	From (%)	To (%)
Very Thin	0.0%	4.4%		Very Thin	0.0%	2.2%
Thin	4.5%	12.3%		Thin	12.3%	19.2%
Normal	12.4%	23.1%		Normal	19.3%	28.9%
Overweight	23.2%	30.9%		Overweight	29.0%	35.9%
Obesity	31.0%	+		Obesity	36.0%	+

SEEDO Formula Body Fat Percentage Table

Age	Women %	Men %
15 – 20	18 – 22	15 – 18
21 – 25	21 – 23	16 – 20
26 – 30	22 – 24	19 – 21
31 – 35	24 – 26	20 – 21
36 – 45	25 – 27	21 – 23
46 – 50	28 – 30	22 – 23
51 – 60	29 – 31	23 – 24
> 60	29 – 31	24 – 25

Lohman Formula Body Fat Percentage Table

Sex	Very Low	Low High	Optimal	Moderate	High	Very High
Men	> 6%	6 - 12%	12 - 20%	20 - 25%	25 - 32%	> 32%
Women	> 12%	12 - 15%	15 - 25%	25 - 30%	30 - 35%	>35.5%

Lohman TG. Advances in body composition assessment. Champaing: Human Kinetics Publishers; 1992. P. 1-5, 25-37, 65-78.