Body fat percentage is a important measurement in the health of an individual. It is, simply, the percentage of ones body in one number, along with the gender, gives better indication of ones body weight that is from fat.
If you say someone has 10% body fat, you know that the individual, if he is a man, has muscular definition on his body. If this number is for a women, you know this woman would be extremely low on body fat (women naturally have a higher body fat than men). For men, 6% body fat
is very low, although bodybuilders may temporarily go down to around 3% body fat. For women, essential fats are around 10-12%, and athletic women will carry between 14 and 20% body fat.
Body fat distribution is useful for the medical professional as well. Intra-abdominal body fat, for example, is known to correlate with a higher level of heart disease.
You can measure your body fat with a body fat percentage scale. These scales are available for the consumer market and are a convenient way to keep track of the percentage of your weight from body fat.