Anthropometric indicators of body fatness and subcutaneous fat distribution were studied in a urban sample of children and adolescents 7 to 19 years and in a rural sample of adults 18 to 74 years of age. The samples were random and comprised 4308 children from the city of Zagreb and 4373 adults from the coastal and insular area of Croatia. The empirical percentile distributions of stature, weight, BMI, triceps and subscapular skinfolds, and cross-sectional upper arm measures were compared to the corresponding distributions for white U.S. adults in the NHANES surveys. The growth trend of Croatian children as well as the adult stature are comparable with the U.S. references. Significant differences in children's weight result in higher BMI of the Croatians which remains throughout the adulthood. Weight and BMI track about the 75th U.S. percentile and the prevalence of overweight defined by the NHANES II criteria amounts 42% in adults. Since high BMI implies excess body fatness the results cause concern. However, the triceps skinfold thickness and the upper arm fat index are significantly lower in Croatians and indicate their lower peripheral body fatness. According to the subscapular skinfold values the Croatians have also less subcutaneous fat deposited centrally. Therefore, the excess body weight appears to be mostly due to their stronger body build. Their elbow breadth and upper arm muscle area as the indicators of frame size and body muscularity are both systematically larger compared to the U.S. reference. Thus, the high prevalence of overweight detected in Croatian population is the problem that merits attention but the findings suggest that the U.S. references overestimate the proportion of the population that is over-fat and may not be adequate for screening excess body fatness in this population.