Body density was measured directly in 90 young Indian soldiers from the Gurkha, Rajput and South Indian regiments. Body density was also predicted on the same subjects using skinfold thicknesses as well as other anthropometric measurements. Validity of the regression equations of Pascale, Grossman, Sloan and Frankel (1956), Sloan (1967) and Wilmore and Behnke (1969) was also tested on these Indian soldiers. Lean body mass was estimated directly from another equation of Wilmore and Behnke (1969), where skinfold thicknesses were not involved. The results indicate that all the body density predicting equations underestimate the measured body density, with the equation of Sloan (1967) approximately more closely to the actual value in these ethnic groups. The equation of Wilmore and Behnke (1969) regresses lean body weight from body measurement satisfactorily in all the ethnic groups of this study.