10,000 steps a day: where the number came from

Where did 10,000 steps a day come from?

From a walking campaign in 1960s Japan, according to the company that made the first pedometer for it. Yamasa, a Japanese pedometer maker, tells the story on its own site. Doctors and journalists were urging people to walk 10,000 steps a day. In 1963, Yamasa's founder, Jiro Kato, was asked to build a step counter to help turn that call into a national movement.

The result went on sale in 1965, the year after the Tokyo Olympics. It was called the Manpo Meter, which means 10,000 step meter, and its dial went around once every 10,000 steps. Yamasa says the number wasn't picked for its sound. At a 70 cm stride, 10,000 steps is about 7 km, and the idea was to walk at least that much.

The word manpo-kei, which also means 10,000 step meter, spread later. Yamasa registered it as a trademark in 1984, and in Japan it is now the everyday word for a pedometer. So the goal came first, and the gadget was named after it.

What does the research say about 10,000 steps a day?

For decades, not much. A 2019 study said the 10,000 goal has “limited scientific basis.” Since then, large studies have tracked people's steps and followed their health for years:

• A 2019 study of 16,741 US women, average age 72. As few as about 4,400 steps a day was linked to a lower death rate than about 2,700. The rate kept falling with more steps, then leveled off at about 7,500.
• A 2022 analysis of 15 studies, with 47,471 adults. More steps were linked to a steadily lower risk of death, up to a point. That point was 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day for adults 60 and older, and 8,000 to 10,000 for younger adults.
• A 2025 review of 57 studies. About 7,000 steps a day was linked to a lower risk of dying during the studies than about 2,000. It was also linked to lower risks of cardiovascular disease, dementia, depressive symptoms and falls.

These studies watched what people did. They show links, not proof that the steps caused the difference. People who walk more may differ in other ways too.

Where do the benefits of walking level off?

It depends on your age and on what you measure. For the risk of death, the studies above saw the curve flatten between about 5,000 and 10,000 steps a day:

Flattening doesn't mean more steps stop mattering. The 2025 review found that some risks kept falling past 7,000 steps. Its authors wrote that 10,000 steps a day “can still be a viable target for those who are more active”. They added that 7,000 “might be a more realistic and achievable target for some.”

How many steps a day should I walk?

There is no official step count. The US Physical Activity Guidelines count minutes instead: at least 150 minutes a week of moderate activity, like brisk walking. The guidelines say: “Popular advice, such as walking 10,000 steps a day, is not a guideline per se, but a way people may choose to meet the key guidelines.”

A useful way to start is from what you walk now. In these studies, the biggest differences showed up at the low end, between very few steps and a few thousand more. So a short extra walk on a quiet day is a good first goal.

Pace matters less than you might think. About 100 steps a minute is a common marker of a brisk, moderate walk. But in a 2020 study of 4,840 US adults, walking faster wasn't linked to a lower death rate once total steps were taken into account.

Is 10,000 steps a day still a good goal?

Yes, if it suits you. The number isn't wrong. It was a goal before it was a research finding. If 10,000 feels out of reach, the research says you can aim lower and still gain.

Doomstep doesn't ask for 10,000. When it has no step history to go on, its default goal is 7,000 steps. Otherwise it suggests a goal from up to 14 days of your own steps, anywhere from 2,000 to 20,000 steps. Every 100 steps earns a minute on the apps you lock, whether or not you reach the goal.