How many steps a day should I walk?

Q: How many steps a day should I walk?

7,000–10,000 steps captures nearly all of the health benefit; beyond that the curve flattens.

7,000–10,000 steps captures nearly all of the health benefit; beyond that the curve flattens.

Evidence Moderate Reviewed 17 Sep 2026 Sources 2

These numbers come from large observational studies, which show a link with lower mortality but cannot fully prove cause and effect.

The 10,000 figure is usually traced to a 1960s Japanese pedometer marketed as the “10,000 steps meter”, not to research. It happens to sit near where the benefit levels off.

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Sources 2

Paluch, A.E. et al. (2022). Daily steps and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts. Lancet Public Health 7(3). Risk plateaued around 6,000–8,000 steps in older adults, 8,000–10,000 in younger.
Lee, I.M. et al. (2019). Association of Step Volume and Intensity With All-Cause Mortality in Older Women. JAMA Intern Med 179(8). Benefit levelled off at about 7,500 steps.