10,000 Steps a Day: Myth or Fact?

Anyone interested in a healthy lifestyle has likely encountered general recommendations for how much we should move. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), combining strength and aerobic training is crucial, with a suggested total of 150–300 minutes of exercise weekly. Alongside this advice, there’s also the well-known claim that walking 10,000 steps daily benefits health. This guideline, originating from the 1964 Olympic Games, has some limitations. A 2023 meta-analysis published in the Journal of Preventive Cardiology took a closer look at this claim. Let’s explore their findings.

Why Is Physical Activity Important?

Regular physical activity not only reduces the risk of premature death but also improves overall quality of life. On the other hand, leading a sedentary lifestyle—defined as fewer than 5,000 steps per day—poses significant health risks. Insufficient movement is associated with an increased likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes and, most notably, a higher risk of death from any cause, especially cardiovascular and oncological diseases. ^[1]

Statistics reveal that up to 27.5% of people worldwide are not physically active enough. This percentage is notably higher among women compared to men (31.7% vs. 23.4%) and among individuals with higher incomes compared to those with lower incomes (36.8% vs. 16.2%).

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Globally, physical activity levels have been declining over recent years. If this trend continues, the global goal to reduce physical inactivity by 10% by 2025, set by health organisations, will likely not be met. For adults, the situation is alarming, but it’s even worse for adolescents. Worldwide, 81% of teenagers are not active enough. Between 2001 and 2016, physical inactivity slightly decreased among boys (from 80.1% to 77.6%) but increased among girls (from 84.7% to 85.1%), with the gap continuing to grow. ^[2]

Returning to adults, data collected by the WHO reveals that insufficient physical activity is the fourth leading cause of death globally. Approximately 1.8 billion people are physically inactive, and at least 3.2 million deaths annually are directly linked to inactivity. Many more deaths, likely a much larger number, are related indirectly. ^[4–6]

How Much Are We Walking These Days?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, physical activity levels significantly decreased worldwide. This decline was mainly due to restrictions and lockdown measures. Before the pandemic in 2019, people walked an average of 5,323 steps daily (4,774 in the US, 5,444 in the UK, and 6,189 in China). However, step counts dropped drastically during the pandemic and, importantly, even two years later, people had not returned to pre-pandemic levels of activity, with the average step count remaining below 5,000 per day. ^[3]

Given these findings, encouraging global populations to move more has become a priority. Walking is one of the simplest and most accessible ways to achieve this. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the widely promoted goal of 10,000 steps per day has been adopted as a general recommendation. However, specific guidelines tailored to European and global populations are lacking. This prompted researchers Banach, Lewek, and colleagues to conduct a meta-analysis to provide more precise recommendations on daily step counts.

The meta-analysis included:

• 17 cohort studies (tracking groups of people over time)
• 226,889 participants
• Median follow-up period: 7.1 years
• Average age of participants: 64.4 ± 6.7 years
• 48.9% were women
• More than 55.4% had education beyond high school

What Did the Meta-Analysis Reveal?

• The average step count among participants was 3,867 steps per day.
• An increase of just 1,000 steps daily was associated with a 15% reduction in the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or obesity.
• An increase of 500 steps daily was linked to a 7% reduction in cardiovascular mortality risk.

How Many Steps Should We Aim for Each Day?

• For individuals over 60 years old, the greatest reduction in mortality risk was observed at 6,000–10,000 steps per day.
• For individuals under 60 years old, the most significant reduction in mortality risk occurred at 7,000–13,000 steps per day.

The study also presented the results graphically, showing a clear trend: as the number of daily steps increased, the risk of premature death from all causes decreased.

Figure 1: Relationship Between Step Counts and Premature Mortality (Across All Diseases)

A second graph highlights how an increasing number of steps correlates with a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular diseases.

Figure 2: Relationship Between Step Counts and Mortality from Cardiovascular Diseases

Interesting findings emerge when breaking the data down by gender and age. It seems men may benefit from walking more steps than women, and younger populations should maintain higher activity levels. Details are presented in Figures 3 and 4.

Figure 3: Relationship Between Step Counts, Mortality, and Gender

Figure 4: Relationship Between Step Counts, Mortality, and Age Groups

What Should You Remember?

The key takeaway is simple: every step counts. Walking fewer than 5,000 steps a day is insufficient for the adult population and increases the risk of developing diseases that lead to premature death. However, there’s no universal “magic number” for everyone, as factors like age and gender play a significant role.

Based on the meta-analysis, 5,500 steps a day can be seen as a threshold to significantly reduce the risk of numerous illnesses. For adults under 60, aiming for as many as 13,000 steps daily is recommended. While the widely cited 10,000 steps per day remains a helpful guideline, it is not a strict cap. Instead, it’s better to incorporate as much walking as your schedule and physical capacity allow.

Sources:

[1] Patterson R, McNamara E, Tainio M, de Sá TH, Smith AD, Sharp SJ, et al. – Sedentary behaviour and risk of all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality, and incident type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and dose response meta-analysis. Eur J Epidemiol – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29589226/

[2] Guthold, R., Stevens, G. A., Riley, L. M., & Bull, F. C. (2018) – Worldwide trends in insufficient physical activity from 2001 to 2016: a pooled analysis of 358 population-based surveys with 1· 9 million participants. The lancet global health, 6(10), e1077-e1086. – https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(18)30357-7/fulltext

[3] Tison, G. H., Barrios, J., Avram, R., Kuhar, P., Bostjancic, B., Marcus, G. M., ... & Olgin, J. E. (2022). – Worldwide physical activity trends since COVID-19 onset. The Lancet Global Health, 10(10) – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36057269/

[4] WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour – https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240015128

[5] Nearly 1.8 billion adults at risk of disease from not doing enough physical activity – https://www.who.int/news/item/26-06-2024-nearly-1.8-billion-adults-at-risk-of-disease-from-not-doing-enough-physical-activity

[6] Physical inactivity – https://www.emro.who.int/noncommunicable-diseases/causes/physical-inactivity.html

[7] Posadzki P, Pieper D, Bajpai R, Makaruk H, Könsgen N, Neuhaus AL, Semwal – M. Exercise/physical activity and health outcomes: an overview of Cochrane systematic reviews. BMC Public Health. 2020 Nov 16;20(1):1724 – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33198717/

[8] Maciej Banach, Joanna Lewek, Stanisław Surma, Peter E Penson, Amirhossein Sahebkar, Seth S Martin, Gani Bajraktari, Michael Y Henein, Željko Reiner, Agata Bielecka-Dąbrowa, Ibadete Bytyçi, on behalf of the Lipid and Blood Pressure Meta-analysis Collaboration (LBPMC) Group and the International Lipid Expert Panel (ILEP) – The association between daily step count and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: a meta-analysis – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37555441/