For general fitness, most adults should aim for 7,000 to 10,000 steps per day. However, the number of steps a person walks on average will depend on a person’s age, current fitness level, and health goals.

Walking is an effective form of low impact exercise that can help people improve or maintain their physical fitness.

In this article, we look in more detail at how many steps people should take each day for:

  • general health
  • weight loss
  • physical strength

We also look at the requirements for different age groups and sexes and explain how to take more steps each day.

Footprints in snow.
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Walking is a form of low impact, moderate-intensity exercise that has a range of health benefits and few risks.

A 2025 systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis concluded that while 10,000 steps per day is a good aim for people who more physically active, there are still health benefits associated with taking 7,000 steps per day. For some people, taking 7,000 steps per day might be a more achievable goal than 10,000 steps per day.

A 2018 study noted that, for most people, taking 10,000 steps per day is equivalent to about 8 kilometers or 5 miles.

According to a 2017 study, most people in the United States only take 4,774 steps per day,which equates to about 2 miles.

As doctors generally consider fewer than 5,000 steps per day to be sedentary, this means that many people in the U.S. are not getting as many steps as they should to benefit their health.

According to the Arthritis Foundation, walking can improve:

Walking can also help improve or prevent certain health conditions, such as obesity, osteoporosis, and age-related memory loss.

The benefits of walking appear to increase with step count.A 2022 meta-analysis of 15 studies found that taking more steps a day is associated with a progressively lower risk of all-cause mortality. Walking at a faster pace for 30 to 60 minutes also showed a noticeable reduction in the risk of death.

The number of steps to take for weight loss can vary depending on an individual’s current weight, food intake, and target weight. However, 10,000 steps is a good goal for most people.

Some evidence suggests that exercise intensity is also important for weight loss.

According to a 2021 study that investigated how physical activity affected weight loss in 26,935 people over six months, activity levels above approximately 7,500 steps per day are significantly associated with greater weight loss compared with the minimum value of 516 steps per day.

If a person wishes to use walking as a way to improve their strength, flexibility, or stamina, they may also benefit from more intense forms of walking.

For example, walking uphill activates more muscles than walking on a flat surface. People who get many of their 10,000 steps walking up hills will, therefore, get a more thorough workout.

Other ways to get more cardiovascular benefits from walking and boost muscle strength include:

  • climbing stairs
  • stepping up and down on a stool
  • walking briskly for sustained periods
  • focusing on objects in the distance, which can increase walking speed by up to 23%
  • wearing weighted wrist or ankle straps
  • Nordic walking, which involves the use of poles to work out the upper and lower body

According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, brisk walking speed is about 2.5 to 4 miles per hour (mph). To increase walking speed, people can try keeping pace with up-tempo music. For example, taking steps in time with the beat of popular chart hits can help people walk at a rate of 3.5 to 5 mph.

People can aim for more than 10,000 steps per day if they want to improve their fitness further.

There is no conclusive evidence that sex assigned at birth affects the number of steps that a person should take. Therefore, 10,000 steps per day is a suitable goal regardless of a person’s sex and gender.

Brisk walking is also a safe exercise during pregnancy. Global guidelines recommend that most pregnant people should aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. However, individual recommendations may vary depending on a person’s overall health.

Most adults require a similar level of physical activity for optimum health. However, children, adolescents, and older adults have different needs:

3 to 5 years

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that children who are 3 to 5 years old remain physically active throughout the day. It is unclear how many steps this translates into, but for most children, it means engaging in active play every day.

6 to 17 years

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans state that children and adolescents who are 6 to 17 years old should get at least 60 minutes of aerobic and strengthening exercise per day. A 2012 study estimated that this is equivalent to 11,290 to 12,512 steps.

Therefore, 12,000 steps may be a helpful goal for people in this age group. However, at least 1 hour of this activity would need to be of moderate to vigorous intensity to meet the recommendations in the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.

Older adults

As mentioned above, a 2022 meta-analysis of 15 studies investigated the daily step count on all-cause mortality in adults who are 18 years old and over.

In this study, the more steps people took, the lower the mortality rate. For adults ages 60 and older, the risk of premature death leveled off at about 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day. This finding suggests that a goal of roughly 7,000 steps may be sufficient for older adults to see significant benefits from walking.

However, the authors note that this study was observational so it cannot prove cause and effect. Also, most of the participants were white volunteers from high-income countries. As a result, the findings may not be widely applicable.

Getting more steps can be a challenge, particularly for people who need more time or face other barriers that prevent them from walking more frequently.

However, there are plenty of ways to include more steps in everyday life, such as:

  • taking the stairs instead of using elevators or escalators
  • going for walks during lunch breaks, while meeting with friends, or while talking on the phone
  • using restrooms or meeting rooms that are further away within an office building
  • taking breaks from working, watching TV, or reading to do something active
  • trying new ways to get more steps, such as dancing or hiking
  • parking further away than usual from stores or other destinations
  • getting off public transport a stop early and walking the rest of the way
  • walking to or from work, if possible

Some research shows that monitoring step count leads to both short- and long-term increases in daily steps. As a result, some may benefit from using a pedometer, smartwatch, or app that can track steps via a smartphone.

It is important to warm up before exercise and cool down afterward to prevent injuries. If walking causes pain, a person should stop as soon as possible. If the pain is severe, recurrent, or persistent, they should speak with a doctor.

»FIND CARE:

Generally speaking, walking fewer than 5,000 steps per day is considered sedentary. The United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) notes that sedentary lifestyles are linked to various health issues, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer.

Yes, walking 10,000 steps a day can aid with weight loss, as it exceeds the 7,500-step threshold associated with weight loss.

For most people, 10,000 steps is the equivalent of about 8 kilometers, which is just under 5 miles. However, this may vary slightly depending on a person’s stride length.

Research from 2025 suggests that most adults should aim for about 7,000 to 10,000 steps per day. People with specific goals, such as weight loss or muscle strengthening, may benefit from increasing the intensity of walking.

The benefits of walking appear to increase in line with physical activity. Older children and teenagers can aim for close to 12,000 steps, while those who are older or unable to walk for long can still benefit from lower step counts.