Where 10,000 steps came from
After the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, interest in fitness was high in Japan. In 1965 the company Yamasa sold a pedometer called manpo-kei, which translates as 10,000-step meter. The number was catchy and the name stuck.
Researchers who later reviewed pedometer guidelines, including Tudor-Locke and Bassett in 2004, noted this origin. The figure spread through walking clubs and then fitness trackers long before studies tested it against health outcomes.
So is it a myth?
Partly. The idea that 10,000 is a scientifically set threshold is a myth. The idea that walking around 10,000 steps a day is good for you is not. Research since then has found that more steps are linked with lower risk of early death and several diseases, and that 10,000 sits near the point where extra benefit gets small.
What 10,000 gets wrong is the message for people who walk much less. If 10,000 feels impossible, the real lesson from the research is that 5,000 or 7,000 is far better than 2,000.
What newer studies found
Paluch and colleagues (2022) pooled 15 cohorts. Mortality risk fell as steps rose and flattened at roughly 6,000 to 8,000 a day for over-60s and 8,000 to 10,000 for under-60s.
Lee and colleagues (2019) studied older women and found lower mortality starting at about 4,400 steps, levelling off around 7,500.
Ding and colleagues (2025) looked across many outcomes and found about 7,000 steps a day captured much of the benefit compared with 2,000, including roughly 47% lower risk of death from any cause.
| Study | Who | Where benefit levelled off |
|---|---|---|
| Paluch et al., 2022 | Adults 60 and over | About 6,000 to 8,000 steps |
| Paluch et al., 2022 | Adults under 60 | About 8,000 to 10,000 steps |
| Lee et al., 2019 | Women, average age 72 | About 7,500 steps |
| Ding et al., 2025 | Adults, many outcomes | Most benefit by about 7,000 steps |
Should you still aim for 10,000?
If you already walk 8,000 a day and enjoy it, 10,000 is a fine stretch goal. It is about 7.5 km and roughly 1 h 40 min of walking at 100 steps a minute (average adult, 0.75 m step), usually spread across a day.
If you are starting from a low base, set a nearer target, such as your current average plus 1,500, and raise it when you hit it most days. The research rewards the climb, not the round number.
Our step counter starts its goal at 10,000 because that is what people expect, and you can change it to anything from 500 to 100,000. Each day is stored in your browser so you can see how often you meet it.