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7,000 Steps A Day Could Protect From A Range Of Health Issues:

Analysis of data from more than 50 studies suggests that reaching 7,000 steps a day offers similar health benefits to the standard 10,000 steps target.

The analysis reviewed studies from countries including Australia, the USA, the UK and Japan, published between 2014 and 2025.

The analysis, published in the Lancet Public Health, looked at several impacts, including the risk of developing cancers, type 2 diabetes, dementia, depression and cardiovascular diseases.

“We know daily step count is linked to living longer,” says study lead Professor Melody Ding, from the Sydney School of Public Health at Australia’s University of Sydney.

“We now also have evidence that walking at least 7,000 steps a day can significantly improve eight major health outcomes – including reducing risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia and depressive symptoms.”

Participants across the 57 studies wore devices such as pedometers and fitness trackers. The researchers then compared the health outcomes of participants who achieved 2,000 steps per day with participants who walked more steps in 1,000-step increments.

Significant improvements in health were observed when participants changed from 2,000 to 5,000 steps a day, and again when people increased from 5,000 to 7,000 daily steps.

“Our research helps to shift the focus from perfection to progress. Even small increases in daily movement can lead to meaningful health improvements,” says Ding.

Research from CARE Australia has shown that only around 7% of Australians average more than the recommended 10,000 steps. The research, from 2015, showed the average adult only walks around 4,000 steps a day.

A sedentary lifestyle is defined as fewer than 5,000 steps a day.

Ding says the 7,000 daily steps target offers a more achievable benchmark for people who struggle to meet traditional exercise guidelines.

“Aiming for 7,000 steps is a realistic goal based on our findings, which assessed health outcomes in a range of areas that hadn’t been looked at before,” says Ding.

According to self-reported data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 78% of adults aged 18 to 64 were not physically active enough. This figure sat at 75% for men and 80% for women.

“For those who cannot yet achieve 7,000 steps a day, even small increases in step counts, such as increasing from 2,000 to 4,000 steps a day, are associated with significant health gain,” Ding explains.

The researchers found that the risk of dementia was reduced by 38% from walking 7,000 steps a day, with only a 7% extra reduction at 10,000 steps.

Similarly, achieving 7,000 steps a day reduced the risk of death by 47%, nearly matching the benefit of walking 10,000 steps.

“For people who are already active, 10,000 steps a day is great,” says Dr Katherine Owen, chief analyst of the study and also at the Sydney School of Public Health. “But beyond 7,000 steps, the extra benefits for most of the health outcomes we looked at were modest.”

In 2018, the Australian Burden of Disease Study listed physical inactivity as a risk factor attributable to almost 8,300 deaths a year in Australia.

The research team is working with the Australian government to inform the future updates to the physical activity guidelines, which currently recommend adults aged 18 to 64 should do 2.5–5 hours per week of moderate intensity physical activity like brisk walking.