VoltraHow many steps a day do you need?
In a 2025 review of studies that measured people's steps with a device, 7,000 steps a day was linked to a 47% lower risk of death from any cause than 2,000, and for several outcomes the benefit began to level off at around 5,000 to 7,000 steps [1]. In a 2022 analysis, the risk of death kept falling until about 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day for people aged 60 and over, and 8,000 to 10,000 for younger adults [2]. The popular 10,000 target isn't based on evidence: it traces back to a marketing campaign and walking clubs in Japan [2] [4].
What the studies found
A 2025 review in The Lancet Public Health pooled studies that followed adults whose daily steps were measured by a device: 57 studies from 35 cohorts, 31 of them combined in its analyses [1]. Compared with 2,000 steps a day, 7,000 was linked to a lower risk of most of the outcomes it looked at [1]:
| Outcome | 7,000 vs 2,000 steps | Certainty (studies) |
|---|---|---|
| Death from any cause | 47% lower | Moderate (14) |
| Cardiovascular disease | 25% lower | Moderate (6) |
| Cardiovascular death | 47% lower | Low (3) |
| Cancer | 6% lower* | Low (2) |
| Cancer death | 37% lower | Moderate (3) |
| Type 2 diabetes | 14% lower | Moderate (4) |
| Dementia | 38% lower | Moderate (2) |
| Depressive symptoms | 22% lower | Moderate (3) |
| Falls | 28% lower | Very low (4) |
Ding et al. 2025 [1]. Certainty is how confident the reviewers were in the evidence, on the GRADE scale; the number in brackets is how many studies fed each result. *The 6% difference for cancer was not statistically significant.
Where the benefit levels off
For death from any cause, cardiovascular disease, dementia and falls, the curve bent at around 5,000 to 7,000 steps a day: beyond that, extra steps made less difference [1]. For cardiovascular death, cancer, type 2 diabetes and depressive symptoms, the association was linear: the more steps, the lower the risk, with no clear bend [1].
Age matters. A 2022 meta-analysis of 15 cohorts, with 47,471 adults whose average age was 65, found that the risk of death kept falling with more steps until about 6,000 to 8,000 a day in people aged 60 and over, and 8,000 to 10,000 in those under 60 [2]. The results were similar for women and men [2].
| Steps a day (group median) | Risk of death vs the lowest group |
|---|---|
| 3,553 | Reference |
| 5,801 | 40% lower |
| 7,842 | 45% lower |
| 10,901 | 53% lower |
Paluch et al. 2022 [2]. People were divided into quarters by their steps within each study; the figure is each quarter's median. Percentages calculated from the adjusted hazard ratios (0.60, 0.55 and 0.47).
In a US study of 16,741 women with an average age of 72, about 4,400 steps a day was linked to lower death rates than about 2,700, and rates kept falling with more steps before levelling off at about 7,500 [3].
Where 10,000 came from
Not from a study. Paluch and colleagues write that the 10,000 goal is not based on evidence and "originates from a marketing campaign in Japan" [2]. A 2004 review by Tudor-Locke and Bassett traced the number to walking clubs in Japan and a business slogan from more than 30 years before, and noted early evidence that 10,000 may not be sustainable for some groups, including older adults and people living with chronic disease [4]. Lee and colleagues describe its scientific basis as limited [3].
That doesn't make 10,000 wrong. The 2025 review says it can still be a viable target for people who are more active, and that 7,000 may be a more realistic one for some [1].
What Gulf guidelines say
- Oman. The 2026 Omani dietary guidelines, from the health ministry with the WHO, ask adults to aim for 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, which they equate to about 60 minutes of walking, and to track their steps with a phone or a pedometer [5]. They also ask for at least 30 minutes of moderate activity a day, 5 days a week [5].
- Saudi Arabia. The health ministry's Walk 30 initiative encourages walking for 30 minutes a day [6]. Its 2023 edition included a competition to keep up 8,000 steps a day in the Sehhaty app, and a new Healthy Mall activity: walking tracks in seven malls over the summer, to avoid the heat outside [6]. The Public Health Authority's national guidelines set the target in minutes: 150 to 300 a week of moderate activity, such as brisk walking, for adults aged 18 to 64 [7].
Thirty minutes of walking on 5 days a week comes to 150 minutes, the bottom of the Saudi range, and on all 7 days to 210 minutes (calculated). Our weekly exercise guide covers the minutes in more detail.
What these numbers can't tell you
- A link, not proof. The data come from observational studies, so they can't show that the steps caused the lower risk [2]. People who walk more may differ in other ways, and poor health can itself cut step counts. Researchers call these residual confounding and reverse causality: the 2022 analysis says both may still be present [2], and the 2025 review lists residual confounding among its limitations [1].
- Thin evidence for some outcomes. Several outcomes rest on two to four studies, and the 2025 review had no age-specific analysis [1].
- Who was studied. In the 2022 analysis the average age was 65, and eight of the 15 studies were in the US and four in Europe [2]. The 2019 study was of US women only [3].
- Who paid. The 2025 review was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council, New South Wales Health and the Ian Potter Foundation, and its authors declared no competing interests [1]. The 2022 analysis was funded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whose staff had a role in designing the study, interpreting the data and writing the report, but not in collecting or analysing the data [2].
If you're starting low
The biggest differences were at the low end. In the 2019 study, about 4,400 steps a day, some 1,700 more than the least active women took (calculated), was already linked to lower death rates [3]. In the 2022 analysis, the largest drop in risk was between the lowest group and the next one up, as the table above shows [2]. Tudor-Locke and Bassett suggested fewer than 5,000 steps a day as a marker of a sedentary lifestyle, and noted that goals built on gradual increases from a person's own starting point were showing promise [4].
Oman's guidelines ask women aged 50 and over, men aged 40 and over, pregnant women and anyone with a chronic disease to see a doctor before starting any new exercise [5].
In Voltra
Home shows today's steps from Apple Health. Tap them to open the Activity screen, with a steps ring, your history, your best day and a daily step goal. The default goal follows how much cardio you told Voltra you do: 6,000 steps if none, 8,000 if light, 10,000 if moderate and 12,000 if vigorous. You can change it there to 6,000, 8,000, 10,000, 12,000, 15,000 or 20,000. Your steps also show in the You tab. Our Apple Health guide covers connecting it.
Frequently asked
How many steps a day is enough?
There isn't one number for everyone. In a 2025 review, 7,000 steps a day was linked to a 47% lower risk of death from any cause than 2,000, and for several outcomes the benefit began to level off at around 5,000 to 7,000.
Do I really need 10,000 steps a day?
Not necessarily. The 10,000 figure traces back to a marketing campaign and walking clubs in Japan, not to studies. The 2025 review says it can still be a viable target if you're more active, and 7,000 may be more realistic for some.
Do older adults need fewer steps?
In a 2022 analysis, the lower risk of death levelled off at about 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day for people aged 60 and over, against 8,000 to 10,000 for younger adults. In older US women, it levelled off at about 7,500.
What do Gulf health authorities recommend?
Oman's 2026 guidelines say 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, about 60 minutes of walking. Saudi Arabia's health ministry encourages walking 30 minutes a day, and its Public Health Authority recommends 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week.
Sources
- Ding D, Nguyen B, Nau T, et al. (2025). Daily steps and health outcomes in adults: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. Lancet Public Health 10(8):e668–e681. Abstract. A correction was published in September 2025 (10(9):e731); we could not see what it changed.
- Paluch AE, Bajpai S, Bassett DR, et al. (2022). Daily steps and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts. Lancet Public Health 7(3):e219–e228. Full text (author manuscript).
- Lee IM, Shiroma EJ, Kamada M, Bassett DR, Matthews CE, Buring JE (2019). Association of step volume and intensity with all-cause mortality in older women. JAMA Intern Med 179(8):1105–1112. Abstract and article information. Funded by the US National Institutes of Health; one author reports fees from ActiGraph outside this work, and the paper says ActiGraph had no role in the study.
- Tudor-Locke C, Bassett DR Jr (2004). How many steps/day are enough? Preliminary pedometer indices for public health. Sports Med 34(1):1–8. Abstract.
- وزارة الصحة، سلطنة عُمان، مع منظمة الصحة العالمية (٢٠٢٦). الدليل العُماني للغذاء الصحي. In Arabic. Printed pages 29, 32 and 33, read from the page images.
- وكالة الأنباء السعودية (واس) (٢٠٢٣). وزير الصحة يُطلق النسخة الرابعة من مبادرة "امش 30" لعام 2023. In Arabic. Saudi Press Agency report of 9 November 2023, quoting the Ministry of Health.
- هيئة الصحة العامة (وقاية)، المملكة العربية السعودية. إرشادات الحركة على مدار 24 ساعة للمملكة العربية السعودية: تكامل النشاط البدني والسلوك الخامل ومدة النوم. In Arabic. Adults, page 24.
Sources checked on 30 September 2026.
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