A big new study from the University of Sydney shows that walking 7000 steps each day gives nearly the same health benefits as walking 10,000 steps.
This finding is good news for people who find it hard to meet traditional exercise goals.
Led by Professor Melody Ding, the research looked at data from 57 studies done between 2014 and 2025 in over ten countries, including Australia, the USA, the UK, and Japan. It is the largest review so far that studies the effects of step counts on health.
The researchers found that walking more steps per day helps people avoid major health problems like heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, dementia, and depression. They studied how increasing daily steps—from as low as 2000 steps—affects health outcomes.
Key findings include:
Walking 7000 steps a day reduced the risk of early death by 47%, almost the same benefit as walking 10,000 steps. Dementia risk was lowered by 38% at 7000 steps, and just 7% more at 10,000 steps.
Type 2 diabetes risk dropped by 22% at 10,000 steps and 27% at 12,000 steps. Health improvements were noticeable when increasing daily steps from 2000 to 5000–7000.
Dr. Katherine Owen, another researcher in the study, says that 10,000 steps is great for those already active. But after 7000 steps, the extra health benefits are not very large for most people.
The researchers are working with the Australian government to help update exercise guidelines based on this evidence. Professor Ding highlights that the goal is progress, not perfection—just moving more each day can lead to real health gains.
They also suggest future studies should explore how step goals might change depending on age, health, and location, and include more diverse populations and longer studies.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about This vaccine could reduce risks of heart disease, stroke in older people and How napping influences your heart health.
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The study is published in The Lancet Public Health.
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