How Many Steps a Day Do You Really Need? Australia's 7,000-Step Answer
Published 26 October 2026
Photo: Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Short answer: if you track your steps, Australia's updated 24-hour movement guidelines for adults suggest aiming for 7,000 or more steps per day. That number sits alongside the main recommendation of 30 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous activity on most days. Hitting 10,000 is still great, but most of the health payoff shows up well before that.
This guide explains where the 7,000 figure comes from, what the research actually found, and how to build up from wherever you are now. It is written for everyday walkers, not elite athletes.
What the Australian guidelines say about daily steps
In 2026 the Australian Government updated its 24-hour movement guidelines for adults (18 to 64 years). The headline physical activity recommendations are:
- moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity for 30 minutes or more on most days
- muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days per week
- activities for mobility, balance and coordination on 3 or more days per week
- several hours of light-intensity physical activity every day
- 7–9 hours of good-quality sleep, and breaking up long periods of sitting as often as you can.
The step target appears in the supporting "companion statements". The wording, as quoted by the 10,000 Steps program at CQUniversity, is: "For those who are able and track daily steps, aim for 7,000 or more steps per day."
The 10,000 Steps team says Australia is the first country to put a specific step number in its physical activity recommendations. Their view is that the evidence is only now strong enough to do so.
Is 7,000 a hard rule?
No. The 10,000 Steps team describes 7,000 as "a helpful population-level benchmark", not a magic number. Your best number depends on your age, health, job and starting point. The guidelines also say that activity of any length counts, and that you can start small and build up.
What the research found
Two large pooled analyses, both published in The Lancet Public Health, explain why the conversation has moved away from a strict 10,000.
The 2025 dose-response meta-analysis
A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis led by Professor Melody Ding included 57 studies from 35 cohorts. Compared with 2,000 steps a day, people taking 7,000 steps a day had:
- a 47% lower risk of death from any cause
- a 25% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
For all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, dementia and falls, the benefits rose steeply and then began to level off at around 5,000–7,000 steps a day. The authors concluded that 10,000 steps "can still be a viable target for those who are more active". But they found 7,000 is linked to clinically meaningful benefits and "might be a more realistic and achievable target for some". They also flagged the study's limits, including the small number of studies available for most outcomes.
The 2022 study of 47,000 adults
An earlier meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts followed 47,471 adults. Risk of death kept falling as daily steps went up, but the benefit levelled off at different points by age:
- around 6,000–8,000 steps a day for adults aged 60 and over
- around 8,000–10,000 steps a day for adults under 60.
That is a useful nuance. If you are younger and already active, pushing past 7,000 may still help. If you are older or just starting, 6,000–8,000 is a realistic and worthwhile goal.
So where did 10,000 steps come from?
The 10,000 figure is a round, motivating number rather than a threshold from the latest evidence. The 10,000 Steps program itself says its name has "always been aspirational and motivational". Research has shown for years that many health benefits come with fewer than 10,000 steps.
Think of it this way:
| Daily steps | What it means for most adults |
|---|---|
| Around 2,000–4,000 | A mostly inactive day; the biggest gains come from adding steps here |
| 5,000–7,000 | Where much of the measured health benefit kicks in |
| 7,000+ | The Australian companion statement target for people who track steps |
| 8,000–10,000+ | Extra benefit is still possible, especially for under-60s |
Bands are drawn from the two Lancet Public Health meta-analyses cited above. They are general guidance, not a medical prescription.
How to get from where you are to 7,000
The 10,000 Steps team suggests first finding your baseline: your average daily steps over a normal week. Then try to beat it, rather than chasing someone else's number.
1. Add steps in small chunks
The 10,000 Steps program treats 10 minutes of moderate activity as equal to about 1,000 steps. By that rule of thumb, three brisk 10-minute walks could lift a 4,000-step day to around 7,000.
2. Pick an "open" or a "specific" goal
The 10,000 Steps team describes two goal styles that both show promise:
- Specific goal: "Aim to hit 7,000 steps each day this week." Good if you already have momentum and like structure.
- Open goal: "See how many steps I can reach today." Good if you are starting out or coming back after time off, because it avoids the pass/fail feeling.
3. Make walking the default
- Walk the first or last kilometre of your commute.
- Take phone calls on foot.
- Swap a lunchtime scroll for a loop of the block.
- Pick a weekend trail instead of a café-only catch-up. Better still, do both.
4. Make it a game
Plenty of people find streaks, checkpoints and small rewards help them get out the door. That is the idea behind Active Quests: you pick a real walking trail, check in at GPS checkpoints as you go, and earn ACTIVE Coins for completing quests.
A city walk such as the Mount Coot-tha Summit Track adds a solid chunk of steps and a view at the top. We wrote up the full route in our Mt Coot-tha summit track guide.
Steps vs minutes: which should you track?
Both work, and the guidelines leave room for either. Steps are simple and most phones count them automatically. Minutes are better for activity that doesn't involve walking, such as swimming or cycling.
Brisk walking counts toward the "30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity" recommendation. Climbing stairs or a hill counts toward both the moderate-activity and the functional-activity recommendations, according to the Department of Health's adult guidelines.
A simple approach:
- Use steps as your daily check-in.
- Use minutes of brisk walking or exercise as your weekly check-in. The 10,000 Steps team puts the weekly target at about 2.5 hours or more of moderate-to-vigorous activity.
- Add two short strength sessions and some balance work each week.
Related guides
- Australian Physical Activity Guidelines 2026, Explained
- Benefits of Walking: 9 Evidence-Backed Reasons to Walk
- Walking for Mental Health: What the Research Shows
Frequently asked questions
How many steps a day should I walk?
If you track steps, Australia's 2026 adult movement guidelines suggest aiming for 7,000 or more steps per day. That sits alongside 30 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous activity on most days.
Is 10,000 steps a day still worth it?
Yes, if you can do it. A 2025 Lancet Public Health meta-analysis said 10,000 steps can still be a viable target for more active people. But 7,000 steps was already linked with meaningful benefits, including a 47% lower risk of death from any cause compared with 2,000 steps.
How many steps a day is considered inactive?
There is no single official cut-off. In the 2025 meta-analysis, 2,000 steps a day was used as the low reference point. The biggest relative gains come from moving up from very low step counts.
Do older adults need fewer steps?
In a 2022 meta-analysis of 47,471 adults, the drop in mortality risk levelled off at around 6,000–8,000 steps a day for adults aged 60 and over. For under-60s it was 8,000–10,000.
How long does it take to walk 7,000 steps?
It depends on your stride and pace. The 10,000 Steps program treats 10 minutes of moderate activity as about 1,000 steps. On that basis, 7,000 steps is roughly 70 minutes of walking spread across your day.
Does walking on a trail count more than walking around the house?
Every step counts, but trail walking usually adds hills and uneven ground. That makes it more likely to reach moderate intensity and to help with balance and coordination.
The bottom line
You don't need a perfect 10,000 every day. Aim for 7,000 or more if you track steps, and try to beat your own baseline. Make some of those steps brisk, and break up long periods of sitting. If a bit of game-style motivation helps, browse the trail quests near you and turn your next walk into a checklist of checkpoints. Active Quests is available on the App Store.
Sources
- Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing: Recommendations for adults (18 to 64 years)
- 10,000 Steps (CQUniversity): 7,000 steps a day: what the new guidelines mean for goal setting and Unpacking Australia's new 24-hour movement guidelines
- Ding M et al. Lancet Public Health 2025;10(8):e668–e681. doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(25)00164-1
- Paluch AE et al. Lancet Public Health 2022;7(3):e219–e228. doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(21)00302-9
This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, check with your GP before significantly increasing your activity.