Steps per Day by Age: What People Walk and What Research Says
How many steps people really take each day by age, sex and country — measured by smartphones for 717,000 people — next to what the largest analysis of steps and health found.
Adults under 60 gain the most up to about 8,000–10,000 steps a day, people 60 and older up to 6,000–8,000. What people actually walk: roughly 3,000–6,000, falling with age.
Average daily steps by age and sex
| Age | Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15–19 | 5,649 | 4,551 | |
| 20–29 | 6,074 | 4,803 | |
| 30–39 | 5,724 | 4,342 | |
| 40–49 | 5,507 | 4,172 | |
| 50–59 | 5,297 | 3,985 | |
| 60–69 | 4,922 | 3,606 | |
| 70 and older | 4,155 | 2,990 |
Dark bar: men · light bar: women
Average daily steps by country
| Country | Steps per day | |
|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong | 6,880 | |
| China | 6,189 | |
| Ukraine | 6,107 | |
| Japan | 6,010 | |
| Russia | 5,969 | |
| Spain | 5,936 | |
| Sweden | 5,863 | |
| South Korea | 5,755 | |
| Singapore | 5,674 | |
| Switzerland | 5,512 | |
| Czech Republic | 5,508 | |
| United Kingdom | 5,444 | |
| Italy | 5,296 | |
| Ireland | 5,293 | |
| Denmark | 5,263 | |
| Hungary | 5,258 | |
| Poland | 5,249 | |
| Norway | 5,246 | |
| Germany | 5,205 | |
| Chile | 5,204 | |
| Finland | 5,204 | |
| France | 5,141 | |
| Netherlands | 5,110 | |
| Turkey | 5,057 | |
| Israel | 5,033 | |
| Taiwan | 5,000 | |
| Belgium | 4,978 | |
| Australia | 4,941 | |
| Canada | 4,819 | |
| United States | 4,774 | |
| Thailand | 4,764 | |
| Romania | 4,759 | |
| Portugal | 4,744 | |
| Mexico | 4,692 | |
| New Zealand | 4,582 | |
| United Arab Emirates | 4,516 | |
| Greece | 4,350 | |
| Egypt | 4,315 | |
| India | 4,297 | |
| Brazil | 4,289 | |
| Qatar | 4,158 | |
| South Africa | 4,105 | |
| Philippines | 4,008 | |
| Malaysia | 3,963 | |
| Saudi Arabia | 3,807 | |
| Indonesia | 3,513 |
The headline numbers
- Steps fall steadily with age. Men peak at 6,074 a day in their 20s and drop to 4,155 at 70 and older; women go from 4,803 to 2,990.
- Women walk fewer steps than men in every age group — about 1,100 to 1,400 fewer a day.
- Across countries, Hong Kong walks the most (6,880) and Indonesia the least (3,513). Japan averages 6,010 and the United States 4,774.
- In a meta-analysis of 15 cohorts and 47,471 adults, more steps went with a progressively lower risk of death — until about 6,000–8,000 steps for people 60 and older and 8,000–10,000 for those under 60, where the benefit levelled off.
- The most active quarter (a median of 10,901 steps) had a 53% lower risk of death during follow-up than the least active quarter (3,553 steps). And "10,000 a day"? The authors note there is little evidence for that specific number.
What these numbers measure — and what they don't
The averages come from smartphones, which only count steps while the phone is being carried — so real daily totals are likely higher than shown, and the data comes from smartphone owners who used an activity app, not a random sample of the population. The health figures come from observational cohort studies: they show that people who walk more tend to live longer, not that every extra step causes it, although the researchers adjusted for other factors.
Compare yourself
Your phone or watch already counts your steps — check the Health app on iOS or Google Fit on Android for your weekly average. If your screen time is what keeps you sitting, see how it compares on our screen time by age page.
Sources
- Althoff T, Sosič R, Hicks JL, King AC, Delp SL, Leskovec J. Large-scale physical activity data reveal worldwide activity inequality. Nature 547, 336–339 (2017); published data.
- Paluch AE et al. Daily steps and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts. Lancet Public Health 7(3), e219–e228 (2022).
Page last reviewed: September 2026.
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Frequently asked questions
How many steps a day should I walk?
A meta-analysis of 15 cohorts and 47,471 adults found that the risk of death kept falling with more daily steps until about 8,000 to 10,000 steps for adults under 60 and about 6,000 to 8,000 steps for adults 60 and older, where the benefit levelled off.
Do you really need 10,000 steps a day?
Not necessarily. The authors of the largest meta-analysis on steps and mortality note that there is little evidence for the 10,000 figure itself; in their data the benefit levelled off at about 8,000 to 10,000 steps for adults under 60 and 6,000 to 8,000 for adults 60 and older.
How many steps does the average person walk per day?
Smartphone data from 717,527 people in 111 countries shows averages between about 3,000 and 6,000 steps a day depending on age and sex: men in their 20s average 6,074 steps, women in their 20s 4,803, and both walk less with each decade after that.
Which country walks the most?
In the largest smartphone step study, Hong Kong walked the most at 6,880 steps a day, followed by China (6,189), Ukraine (6,107) and Japan (6,010). Indonesia walked the least at 3,513 steps a day.
How many steps a day should someone over 60 walk?
For adults 60 and older, the risk of death kept falling with more steps until about 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day, according to a 2022 meta-analysis in The Lancet Public Health. More steps beyond that did not lower the risk further.