Human Body Composition by Mass

What the human body is made of by weight, broken down into its main molecular components rather than chemical elements. Water is by far the largest fraction of a lean adult body, with protein and fat next. Figures are approximate averages f...

About This Dataset

Human Body Composition by Mass
What the human body is made of by weight, broken down into its main molecular components rather than chemical elements. Water is by far the largest fraction of a lean adult body, with protein and fat next. Figures are approximate averages for a lean adult.
✨ AI Insight

Water dominates the body's mass at roughly 60%, more than the combined total of every other component - a single reason dehydration is so quickly dangerous. Protein and fat follow, each around 16% in a lean adult, though fat is the most variable component between individuals and can rise well above this in people with higher body-fat percentages. Minerals, concentrated in the bones and teeth as calcium and phosphate, make up about 6%, while carbohydrates account for barely 1% because the body stores very little sugar at any moment. The breakdown highlights that, chemically, a human is essentially water plus a modest scaffold of protein, fat and mineral - with carbohydrate present only in transit as fuel.

Source:  Composition of the human body (standard references)

Key Findings

Auto-computed highlights from this dataset

🏆
Water leads with 60 in All Time.
📊
Average value in All Time: 20  ·  median: 16.
↔️
Gap in All Time: Water is 60× larger than Carbohydrates.

Human Body Composition by Mass

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Data Insights

Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart

Admin
Data Points
5
5 categories  ·  1 year
Top Value
60
Water
Approximate Share of Body Mass (%) · All Time
Metrics
1
Approximate Share of Body Mass (%)
Period
All Time
Single year snapshot

Category Rankings

Approximate Share of Body Mass (%) · All Time

# Category All Time
🥇 Water 60
🥈 Protein 16
🥉 Fat 16
4 Minerals 6
5 Carbohydrates 1
Statistical Summary — Approximate Share of Body Mass (%) · All Time
60
Maximum
1
Minimum
20
Average
16
Median

What This Data Shows

Auto-generated trend summaries per category

Water
Recorded 60 Approximate Share of Body Mass (%) in All Time.
Protein
Recorded 16 Approximate Share of Body Mass (%) in All Time.
Fat
Recorded 16 Approximate Share of Body Mass (%) in All Time.
Minerals
Recorded 6 Approximate Share of Body Mass (%) in All Time.
Carbohydrates
Recorded 1 Approximate Share of Body Mass (%) in All Time.

Full Data Table

5 records across 1 year

✓ 5 sourced
Category Metric All Time Source
Water Approximate Share of Body Mass (%) 60
Protein Approximate Share of Body Mass (%) 16
Fat Approximate Share of Body Mass (%) 16
Minerals Approximate Share of Body Mass (%) 6
Carbohydrates Approximate Share of Body Mass (%) 1

Data Sources & References

All external sources cited in this dataset

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