10,000 steps a day: what the studies really show, and the target that suits you
The goal of 10,000 steps a day was not born in a laboratory. According to I-Min Lee and colleagues at Harvard, it most likely comes from the trade name of a pedometer sold in Japan in 1965, the Manpo-kei, which translates as '10,000 steps meter'. The research that followed paints a more nuanced picture. Large studies agree that more steps are linked to a lower risk of death, but most of the benefit appears well before 10,000. A meta-analysis of 15 cohorts published in 2022 found that the risk levelled off at about 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day for people aged 60 and over, and at about 8,000 to 10,000 for younger adults. A larger review in 2025 concluded that 7,000 steps a day is associated with clinically meaningful benefits and may be a more realistic target for many, while 10,000 remains a reasonable goal for the more active. All of these are observational studies, which show associations rather than proof. This article goes through them one by one.
Your steps against the evidence
Enter your average daily steps, your height and your age. The calculation estimates the distance and walking time, and compares your count with the 2022 reference range for your age group.
- Distance
- 4.3 km
- Walking time at 5 km/h
- 51 minutes
- Against the range where the benefit levels off
- Below 8,000 to 10,000 steps
Stride is estimated at 41.4% of height. The reference ranges come from the 2022 meta-analysis of 15 cohorts: about 8,000 steps under 60, about 6,000 from 60 onwards.
Where the number came from
In their 2019 study, Lee and colleagues wrote that the origin of the 10,000-step goal is unclear, but that it likely derives from the Manpo-kei, a pedometer sold in 1965 by a Japanese company. The name means '10,000 steps meter'. The figure was then repeated in the press and became the default goal in many phones and watches.
That does not make it wrong. It means it was not chosen from data. The useful question is therefore not whether 10,000 is magic, but what the data say about the number of steps and health.
What five large studies found
All of the studies below measured steps with a device, which is more reliable than questionnaires, and followed people for years.
| Study | People followed | What the step count changed |
|---|---|---|
| Lee and colleagues (2019) | 16,741 women, mean age 72 | About 4,400 steps a day already linked to a lower death rate than about 2,700; the rate kept falling up to about 7,500, then levelled off |
| Saint-Maurice and colleagues (2020) | 4,840 American adults aged 40 and over | Against 4,000 steps a day: 51% lower risk of death at 8,000, and 65% lower at 12,000 |
| Paluch and colleagues (2022) | 15 cohorts, 47,471 adults | The risk levelled off at about 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day from age 60, and 8,000 to 10,000 below 60 |
| Banach and colleagues (2023) | 17 cohorts, almost 227,000 people | Each extra 1,000 steps a day: 15% lower risk of death, with benefit from about 4,000 and no upper limit up to 20,000 |
| Ding and colleagues (2025) | 57 studies from 35 cohorts | Against 2,000 steps a day, 7,000 linked to 47% lower risk of death, 25% less cardiovascular disease and 14% less type 2 diabetes; several curves flattened around 5,000 to 7,000 |
How to read these results honestly
Three cautions apply to all of them.
- These are associations. People who walk more may also be healthier for other reasons. The researchers adjust for many factors, but Ding's team itself points to possible residual confounding.
- The curves are not identical. Some show a plateau, others, like Banach's, show benefit continuing beyond 10,000. The common ground is that the first few thousand extra steps bring the largest gain.
- Age changes the picture. For older adults, the plateau appears earlier, at about 6,000 to 8,000 steps in the 2022 meta-analysis.
In short: 10,000 steps is a good goal, not a threshold. Someone who goes from 3,000 to 6,000 steps a day has probably gained more than someone who goes from 10,000 to 13,000.
Does the pace of the steps matter?
Two of the studies, Lee's and Saint-Maurice's, found that stepping intensity was no longer clearly linked to mortality once the total number of steps was taken into account. Paluch's meta-analysis found that a higher peak cadence over 30 minutes remained associated with lower risk.
Pace matters more for fitness and weight. A review led by Tudor-Locke places moderate intensity at about 100 steps a minute or more. Brisk steps count towards the 150 weekly minutes of moderate activity the WHO recommends; slow steps around an office break up sitting but do not. See sitting all day for why breaking it up still helps.
And for weight loss?
Steps help, but slowly. In a meta-analysis of nine pedometer-based walking programmes without diet, participants lost 1.27 kg on average over a median of 16 weeks. A review in JAMA found that pedometer users added about 2,500 steps a day and that having a step goal was one of the strongest predictors of success. Our guide to walking to lose weight explains how to combine walking with a change in eating.
Choosing your own target
- Measure your baseline over a normal week, without trying to do more.
- Add 1,000 to 2,000 steps a day for two weeks, ideally as one or two brisk walks.
- Aim for about 7,000 to 8,000 as a first milestone, the range where most studies show a large share of the benefit.
- Go towards 10,000 if you can and want to, especially if you are under 60 and walking is your main activity.
The converter on this page translates your daily steps into distance and walking time, and shows where you stand against the 2022 reference range for your age. For a broader view of the week, see how much exercise per week and daily steps.
If you have a heart or lung condition, joint pain or diabetes, or if you are starting from very few steps, increase gradually and ask your doctor for advice. Seek medical help if walking brings on chest pain, dizziness or calf pain that stops you.
Turn steps into a habit with Never Skip Club
A step count is easy to follow; a habit is what keeps it up. Create your free account on Never Skip Club and add two guided strength sessions of 20 or 30 minutes to your walking, so that your muscles keep pace with your stamina. Start a crew of three to seven friends with a shared weekly rhythm: the ranking measures regularity, sessions done against sessions planned, so nobody wins by overdoing it. If you want an expert to set your targets, find a coach from our network, or sign in to your account.
Questions
Who invented the 10,000 steps a day goal?
No research team did. According to Lee and colleagues, writing in JAMA Internal Medicine in 2019, the goal most likely comes from the trade name of a pedometer sold in Japan in 1965, the Manpo-kei, meaning '10,000 steps meter'. The figure was then repeated by the press and built into many devices. Later studies have tested it and found that benefits begin well below it.
Is 7,000 steps a day enough instead of 10,000?
For many people, it captures much of the benefit. A 2025 review of 57 studies found that, compared with 2,000 steps, 7,000 a day was associated with a 47% lower risk of death, and the authors called it a more realistic target for some. A 2022 meta-analysis found a plateau at about 6,000 to 8,000 steps after 60. Ten thousand remains a reasonable goal if you are already active.
Do more than 10,000 steps a day bring any extra benefit?
The studies disagree slightly. Paluch's 2022 meta-analysis found that risk levelled off below 10,000 for adults under 60. Banach's 2023 meta-analysis, by contrast, saw benefits continuing up to 20,000 steps, and Saint-Maurice found a lower risk at 12,000 than at 8,000. The gain per extra step is in any case far smaller at that level than for someone starting from 3,000.
Sources
- Lee et al.: association of step volume and intensity with all-cause mortality in older women (JAMA Intern Med, 2019)
- Saint-Maurice et al.: association of daily step count and step intensity with mortality among US adults (JAMA, 2020)
- Paluch et al.: daily steps and all-cause mortality, a meta-analysis of 15 cohorts (Lancet Public Health, 2022)
- Banach et al.: the association between daily step count and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, a meta-analysis (Eur J Prev Cardiol, 2023)
- Ding et al.: daily steps and health outcomes in adults, a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis (Lancet Public Health, 2025)
- Tudor-Locke et al.: walking cadence as a practical estimate of intensity in adults (Br J Sports Med, 2018)
- Richardson et al.: a meta-analysis of pedometer-based walking interventions and weight loss (Ann Fam Med, 2008)
- Bravata et al.: using pedometers to increase physical activity and improve health, a systematic review (JAMA, 2007)
- World Health Organization: guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour (2020)