How Many Steps Does the Average Person Take Each Day?
Fitness trackers are everywhere these days, and thanks to them, more people are paying attention to how much they move. And it’s making a difference — according to the American Council on Exercise, people who track their steps walk about 2,500 more steps a day than those who don’t.
If you’re part of the 10,000-steps-a-day club, you’re definitely doing your body a favor. Regular walking can lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, depression, and even some types of cancer like breast and colon cancer.
But how many steps are people really taking each day? And is it enough?
Age Makes a Difference
A review from 2011 found that adults over 18 walk anywhere from 4,000 to 18,000 steps per day. For kids and teens, it’s usually between 10,000 and 16,000 steps. Interestingly, once teenagers get close to adulthood, their daily steps tend to drop.
Younger adults also seem to be better at meeting the CDC’s physical activity guidelines compared to older adults, which makes sense — life tends to get a little busier and more sedentary with age.
Men vs. Women: Who Walks More?
Studies show that guys generally walk more than girls, starting from childhood. Boys and teen males typically rack up between 12,000 and 16,000 steps daily, while girls usually hit between 10,000 and 12,000.
This trend continues into adulthood too. One study found that men in the U.S. took an average of 5,340 steps per day, compared to 4,912 steps for women. Not a huge difference, but still noticeable.
Your Job Matters, Too
What you do for work can seriously impact how much you move. A small project by Jenny Craig in 2012 tracked steps for people in different jobs, and here’s what they found:
| Occupation | Average Steps per Day |
|---|---|
| Waiter | 22,778 |
| Nurse | 16,390 |
| Retail worker | 14,660 |
| Farmer | 14,037 |
| Stay-at-home parent | 13,813 |
| Teacher | 12,564 |
| Tradesperson | 11,585 |
| Hairdresser | 9,209 |
| Office worker | 7,570 |
| Call center associate | 6,618 |
Of course, this wasn’t a big official study — just a small peek into how different jobs stack up. Still, it shows that your occupation can make a big difference in how much you move every day.
Steps Vary Around the World
Where you live also plays a role. A large 2017 study used smartphone data from over 700,000 people in 111 countries and found some interesting patterns:
| Country | Average Steps per Day |
|---|---|
| Hong Kong | 6,880 |
| China | 6,189 |
| United Kingdom | 5,444 |
| Germany | 5,205 |
| France | 5,141 |
| Canada | 4,819 |
| United States | 4,774 |
| Australia | 4,491 |
| India | 4,297 |
| Indonesia | 3,513 |
There’s no single reason why steps vary so much. It could be the country's obesity rates, income levels, weather, or how walkable the streets and sidewalks are. If you're curious, World Obesity offers some insights on how lifestyle and environment affect physical activity globally.
How Do You Stack Up?
The CDC recommends adults get at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise (like brisk walking) each week. Walking at a brisk pace usually means about 100 steps per minute. That adds up to about 15,000 steps per week — just a little over 2,000 steps per day.
For even better health benefits, they suggest aiming for 300 minutes a week, which would mean closer to 30,000 steps weekly, or about 5,000 a day at a faster pace.
Of course, that’s just for brisk walking. When you count all your casual walking throughout the day, shooting for 10,000 steps a day is still a really solid goal.
Need some easy ways to sneak more steps into your day? Try:
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Taking the stairs instead of the elevator
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Parking farther from the store entrance
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Walking with a friend
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Tidying up your house
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Going for a stroll during lunch breaks
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Walking at the mall if the weather’s bad
Small changes really do add up. Plus, if you’re using a fitness tracker like Fitbit, it’s fun to see your daily step count climb.