This paper gives an overview of the current state of science on numerical and experimental assessment of the exposure of the human body to radio frequency electromagnetic fields. Differences of near- and far-field exposure conditions are discussed with respect to the requirements on the correct representation of the human body and on the numerical or experimental technique. The general requirements for the application of these techniques on the assessment of human exposure are defined, and a combined numerical and experimental approach is proposed that allows the evaluation of the worst-case absorption considering the variability of exposure situations and anatomical properties with known uncertainty.