How many steps a day do you need? What the research says

Ask most people how many steps a day they should be doing and they'll say 10,000. It's the default goal on watches, phones and office step challenges. But that number didn't come from a study. As Dr Nicholas Koemel of Monash University put it, the target "came from a 1960s Japanese pedometer campaign rather than from evidence".

So what does the evidence say? Quite a lot, as it happens, and the answer is more encouraging than 10,000.

What the biggest review of step studies found

In July 2025, a team led by the University of Sydney published a systematic review and meta-analysis in The Lancet Public Health. They brought together 57 studies from 35 groups of adults, all of which measured steps with a device rather than relying on people's memories.

Compared with 2,000 steps a day, around 7,000 steps a day was associated with:

• a 47% lower risk of dying from any cause during the studies
• a 38% lower risk of dementia
• a 22% lower risk of depressive symptoms
• a 14% lower risk of type 2 diabetes

For some outcomes, including deaths from any cause, heart and circulatory disease and falls, the benefit climbed steeply at first and then began to level off at around 5,000 to 7,000 steps. For others, such as type 2 diabetes and depressive symptoms, it kept rising steadily.

The authors' conclusion is a sensible one. 10,000 steps is still a fine target if you're already active, but 7,000 "might be a more realistic and achievable target for some".

Pace matters as well as the count

A newer study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in September 2026, looked at how fast people walk as well as how far. It used data from 64,743 UK Biobank volunteers with an average age of about 62, who wore a wrist tracker for a week and were then followed for around eight years.

The researchers measured each person's average steps per minute across their busiest 30 minutes of the day, which didn't have to be in one go. A few things stood out:

• Among people taking fewer than 5,000 steps a day, a brisker pace was linked with a substantially lower risk of dying during the study.
• People taking 7,500 to 10,000 steps a day had the lowest risk of any group.
• The lowest risk was seen at a pace of roughly 100 steps a minute.

How do you know if you're walking briskly enough? Associate Professor Matthew Ahmadi, one of the authors, suggests a simple check in the Monash University write-up: you should be breathing noticeably harder and feeling warmer, still able to talk in short sentences, but not able to sing comfortably. That matches the NHS test for moderate activity: you can talk, but not sing.

The caveats

Both papers are based on observational studies. They show links, not cause and effect. People who walk more may also differ in other ways, such as diet, smoking or existing health problems. Researchers adjust for this, but the Lancet authors list residual confounding among the limitations. They also point out that there were only a few studies for most outcomes, and the certainty of the evidence for falls was rated very low.

In the UK Biobank study, steps were measured for just one week, in middle-aged and older adults. So treat these numbers as a guide, not a prescription.

What I'd actually aim for

If you're doing 2,000 or 3,000 steps a day at the moment, don't leap to 10,000 overnight. Add a short walk most days, get used to it, then add a bit more. For several outcomes in the review, the steepest gains came at the lower end, so the first few thousand extra steps look like the ones that matter most.

Once your steps are steady, pick up the pace for part of each walk rather than only chasing a bigger number.

Remember that steps are only half the picture. The NHS asks adults for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, and brisk walking counts towards that. It also asks for strength work on at least two days a week, which walking doesn't cover. Our home workout plan and beginner 3-day gym plan both fit neatly around a daily walk.

Easy ways to add steps

• Get off the bus a stop early, or park a street further away.
• Take phone calls on your feet, or walk while you take them.
• Go for a 10-minute walk after your evening meal.
• Use the stairs when it's one or two floors.
• Make it social: a weekend walk with friends or the family is easier to stick to. Our Let's Move post has ideas for getting kids involved.

If you have a heart or lung condition, joint pain, or you haven't been active for a while, speak to your GP before you increase your activity much. For everyone else, the takeaway is simple: every extra step helps, and you don't need 10,000 for walking to be worth it.