This chart ranks the ten most abundant chemical elements in the human body by mass. Four elements, oxygen, carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen, make up about 96% of body mass, forming the water, proteins, fats and DNA that sustain life.

About: Most Abundant Elements in the Human Body

Overview of the data behind this chart

AI Insight

The human body is built from remarkably few elements. Oxygen alone accounts for 65% of body mass, largely because the body is roughly 60% water. Carbon (18%), the backbone of all organic molecules, ranks second, followed by hydrogen (10%) and nitrogen (3%). These four elements together comprise about 96% of the body. The remaining mass comes mostly from calcium (1.4%) and phosphorus (1.1%), the mineral components of bones and teeth. Trace elements such as potassium, sulfur, sodium and chlorine each contribute only about 0.15% to 0.25%, yet are essential for nerve signalling, fluid balance and metabolism. The pattern mirrors the chemistry of water and organic life rather than the composition of Earth's crust.

Data source: Composition of the human body (CRC Handbook)

Key Findings

Auto-computed highlights from this dataset

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Oxygen leads with 65 in All Time.

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Average value in All Time: 10 · median: 1.

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Gap in All Time: Oxygen is 433.3× larger than Chlorine.

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Most Abundant Elements in the Human Body

Data Insights Below

Data Insights

Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart

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Data Points

10 categories · 1 year

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Top Value

Oxygen

Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass) · All Time

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Metrics

Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass)

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Period

All Time

Single year snapshot

Category Rankings

Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass) · All Time

#	Category	All Time
🥇	Oxygen	65
🥈	Carbon	18
🥉	Hydrogen	10
4	Nitrogen	3
5	Calcium	1.40
6	Phosphorus	1.10
7	Potassium	0.25
8	Sulfur	0.25
9	Sodium	0.15
10	Chlorine	0.15

Statistical Summary — Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass) · All Time

Maximum

0.15

Minimum

Average

Median

What This Data Shows

Auto-generated trend summaries per category

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Oxygen

Recorded 65 Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass) in All Time.

Source

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Carbon

Recorded 18 Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass) in All Time.

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Hydrogen

Recorded 10 Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass) in All Time.

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Nitrogen

Recorded 3 Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass) in All Time.

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Calcium

Recorded 1.40 Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass) in All Time.

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Phosphorus

Recorded 1.10 Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass) in All Time.

Source

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Potassium

Recorded 0.25 Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass) in All Time.

Source

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Sulfur

Recorded 0.25 Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass) in All Time.

Source

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Sodium

Recorded 0.15 Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass) in All Time.

Source

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Chlorine

Recorded 0.15 Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass) in All Time.

Source

Full Data Table

10 records across 1 year

10 sourced

Category	Metric	All Time
Oxygen	Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass)	65
Carbon	Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass)	18
Hydrogen	Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass)	10
Nitrogen	Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass)	3
Calcium	Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass)	1.40
Phosphorus	Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass)	1.10
Potassium	Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass)	0.25
Sulfur	Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass)	0.25
Sodium	Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass)	0.15
Chlorine	Abundance in the Human Body (% by mass)	0.15