You don't need 10,000 steps: why 7,000 may be enough

Ten thousand steps a day has become the most famous number in fitness. It started as a marketing slogan, not a scientific finding, and for many people it quietly turns walking into a test they keep failing. A 2025 review in The Lancet Public Health offers a far more encouraging picture.

What the researchers did

The team pooled data from 57 studies drawn from 35 groups of adults followed over time, with 31 of those studies feeding into the main dose-response analysis. They looked at how daily step counts lined up with a wide range of health outcomes, from heart disease and type 2 diabetes to dementia, depressive symptoms and falls.

What they found

• Compared with about 2,000 steps a day, around 7,000 steps a day was linked to a 47% lower risk of dying from any cause during the study periods.
• The same step range was also linked to lower rates of cardiovascular disease, cancer deaths, type 2 diabetes, dementia, depressive symptoms and falls.
• For several outcomes the benefit curve began to level off somewhere between 5,000 and 7,000 steps a day. Going higher was still fine, but the extra gains were smaller.

What it means for you

• Progress beats perfection. Moving from 2,000 to 5,000 steps a day may matter more than chasing 12,000 on a good day.
• Pick a target you can repeat. Around 7,000 steps is a realistic goal for most adults, and 10,000 is still a great target if you enjoy it.
• Collect steps in small pieces. A ten-minute walk after meals, the stairs instead of the lift, getting off one stop early, a walking phone call.
• Build up gradually. If you are at 3,000 today, aim for 4,000 next week, not 10,000 tomorrow.

Source

Ding D, Nguyen B, Nau T, et al. Daily steps and health outcomes in adults: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. The Lancet Public Health, 2025. Read the study