How Many Steps a Day Do You Really Need?
Ten thousand steps a day is the target on almost every fitness tracker. But the number started as a marketing slogan. Here’s what large studies say about how many steps actually benefit your health.
Daily Life Buzz Editorial 5 min readExplainer
General information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, ask your doctor what is right for you.
In this article5 sections
Fitness trackers and phones count every step we take, and many celebrate when we reach 10,000. For some people, that number has become the definition of a healthy day.
So where did it come from, and is it the right goal?
Where 10,000 steps came from
In the mid-1960s, around the time of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, a Japanese company sold a pedometer called the manpo-kei. In Japanese, man means 10,000, po means steps and kei means meter. It was a catchy name, and the number stuck.
It wasn’t based on research. Ten thousand was simply a round, memorable figure. Only in recent years have large studies tested how many steps actually make a difference to health.
What the research shows
Fewer than you might think
In 2019, researchers led by I-Min Lee at Harvard published a study of about 16,000 women in the US, whose average age was 72. They wore step counters for a week and were followed for about four years.
Women who took about 4,400 steps a day were significantly less likely to die during the study than those who took about 2,700. The benefit grew with more steps, then levelled off at about 7,500 steps a day.
It depends on your age
In 2022, an international team led by Amanda Paluch combined data from 15 studies covering nearly 50,000 adults on four continents. They found:
- Adults aged 60 and over: the risk of early death fell as steps increased, then levelled off at about 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day.
- Adults under 60: the benefit levelled off at about 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day.
In both groups, the most active quarter of people had a 40 to 53% lower risk of dying during the studies than the least active quarter.
A larger 2025 review in The Lancet Public Health came to a similar conclusion. Compared with 2,000 steps a day, around 7,000 steps was linked to a much lower risk of early death, heart disease, dementia and depression.
The biggest gains come from moving from very few steps to some steps.
Does speed matter?
Studies have looked at walking pace too, with less clear results. Some suggest brisker walking adds benefits beyond step count, but the total number of steps seems to matter most. A pace of about 100 steps a minute is generally considered moderate-intensity walking for adults, the kind that makes you breathe a little faster.
Steps and the official guidelines
Steps are a handy measure, but health guidelines are based on time and effort. The World Health Organization recommends that adults do:
- At least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, such as brisk walking, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, such as running.
- Muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week, such as lifting weights, resistance bands or bodyweight exercises.
- Less sitting. Replacing sitting with any activity, even light activity, has health benefits.
Walking counts towards the first goal, but it doesn’t do much for muscle strength. Swimming and cycling are also good exercise, but a step counter won’t record them.
How to walk more
Most people take far fewer than 7,000 steps on a normal day, especially if they work at a desk. Small changes add up:
- Walk part of your journey, such as getting off the bus a stop early.
- Take the stairs instead of the lift for a few floors.
- Walk during phone calls.
- Take a short walk after meals. It can also help your blood sugar.
- Add steps gradually, for example by 500 to 1,000 a day each week.
- Build it into a habit. Linking a walk to something you already do helps it stick. See how habits form.
If you have a health condition or haven’t been active for a long time, check with a doctor before making big changes to your exercise.
Frequently asked questions
Should I still aim for 10,000 steps?
If you already reach it, there’s no reason to stop. But you don’t need to hit 10,000 to benefit. For most people, steadily increasing from where they are now matters more than any single number.
Do steps on a treadmill count?
Yes. Your body doesn’t know the difference. Walking outside has extra benefits, such as daylight and fresh air, but treadmill steps are just as useful for fitness.
How accurate are step counters?
Most phones and fitness bands are reasonably accurate for normal walking, though they can miss steps if the phone is in a bag, and count extra steps from arm movements. Use them to track trends rather than exact numbers.
Sources
- Lee, I. M., Shiroma, E. J., Kamada, M., Bassett, D. R., Matthews, C. E. and Buring, J. E. (2019). Association of step volume and intensity with all-cause mortality in older women. JAMA Internal Medicine, 179(8), 1105–1112.
- Paluch, A. E. and others (2022). Daily steps and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts. The Lancet Public Health, 7(3), e219–e228.
- Ding, D. and others (2025). Daily steps and health outcomes in adults: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis. The Lancet Public Health.
- World Health Organization (2020): Guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour
- Tudor-Locke, C. and others (2011). How many steps/day are enough? For adults. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 8, 79.
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