ParrotPalHow many steps a day should you walk? What real people manage, by age
Put in your age and your usual steps. You'll see what people your age really walk, where you sit, and one small next step.
Find your age group in the table below to see what members your age walk on a typical day.
Steps per day by age: what our members walk
These are real days from ParrotPal members who track their steps with Apple Health. The median is the middle member: half walk more, half walk less. The middle half shows the range where most people sit.
| Age | Median a day (about) | Middle half | Reach 7,000+ a day | Reach 10,000+ a day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18–24 | 6,000 | 4,400–8,100 | 36% | 12% |
| 25–34 | 6,650 | 4,750–8,800 | 45% | 16% |
| 35–44 | 6,700 | 4,800–8,800 | 45% | 16% |
| 45–54 | 6,850 | 4,650–8,900 | 48% | 17% |
| 55+ | 6,000 | 3,700–8,350 | 41% | 13% |
Aggregated and anonymised step counts from ParrotPal members who track steps with Apple Health, in all countries, February to August 2026. Several hundred to over a thousand members in each age group. Each figure uses each member's median day, after leaving out days under 500 steps (phone not carried) and members with fewer than 14 days. The middle half runs from the lower quarter to the upper quarter of members. Men and women are counted together. These are patterns in what people logged, not recommendations.
At every age, the typical member walks about 6,000 to 7,000 steps a day. Fewer than half reach 7,000, and only about 1 in 8 to 1 in 6 reach 10,000. If 10,000 feels out of reach, you're in very good company.
How many steps a day should you walk?
There's no single right number, and 10,000 is a round-number goal, not a medical line. The kindest goal is a little more than you do now: add about 1,000 steps a day, and once that feels normal, add another 1,000.
The clearest evidence on step counts comes from Paluch and colleagues, published in Lancet Public Health in 2022: a meta-analysis of 15 studies with about 47,000 adults. Risk of death from any cause levelled off at about 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day for adults 60 and over, and about 8,000 to 10,000 for younger adults. That describes an association in large groups of people, not a target set for you.
Recommended steps per day by age
- Under 60: in Paluch's analysis, the benefit levelled off at about 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day.
- 60 and over: it levelled off sooner, at about 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day.
- Wherever you are now: about 1,000 more a day is a sensible next step.
Our members' medians, about 6,000 to 6,850 a day, sit below those ranges at most ages. So for many people, the gap is a short walk or two, not a marathon.
How many steps a day to lose weight?
There's no set number. Walking adds to the calories you use each day, and how many depends on your body weight and your pace. That's why we don't give a "steps to burn 500 calories" figure: it would be a guess dressed up as a fact. A step-to-calorie calculator can only give a rough estimate for the same reason.
Steps help, but they're one part of the picture. What you eat matters, and so does strength work: walking is great for your heart, but on its own it does little to keep your muscle while you lose weight. Two short strength sessions a week and enough protein do that job. Read more in skinny fat: what actually helps.
Steps on a GLP-1 medicine
Members who told us they take a GLP-1 medicine, such as Mounjaro or Wegovy, walked less on a typical day: about 4,700 steps, against about 6,700 for members who don't take one.
| Members who track with Apple Health | Median steps a day |
|---|---|
| On a GLP-1 | about 4,700 |
| Not on one | about 6,700 |
Aggregated and anonymised step counts from ParrotPal members who track steps with Apple Health, 26 June to 20 August 2026. GLP-1 use is what members told us. These are patterns in what people logged, not proof of cause.
It isn't just our members. In Fitbit data presented at ENDO 2026, among 753 people starting a GLP-1, average daily steps fell from about 5,050 to 4,490. Steps can drift down without you noticing, so it's worth checking yours. Muscle matters on these medicines too: see muscle loss on Mounjaro, the 7-day Mounjaro meal plan and the protein calculator.
Steps are one habit. Protein is another.
Walking is great for your heart, but enough protein and a little strength work are what help you keep your muscle while you lose weight. The calculator works out your daily protein number in 10 seconds. Your free LeanShield score looks at all the habits linked to protecting muscle, movement included.
Work out my protein Free LeanShield score Skinny fat: what helpsQuestions people ask
How many steps a day should I walk?
There's no single right number. A kind place to start is your usual steps plus about 1,000 a day, then another 1,000 once that feels normal. In a 2022 analysis by Paluch and colleagues, the lower risk of death linked with more steps levelled off at about 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day for adults 60 and over, and about 8,000 to 10,000 for younger adults. That describes an association, not a rule.
Is 10,000 steps a day necessary?
No. 10,000 is a round-number goal, not a medical line. In Paluch and colleagues' 2022 analysis, the lower risk linked with more steps levelled off at about 6,000 to 8,000 a day for adults 60 and over, and about 8,000 to 10,000 for younger adults. If 10,000 suits you, it's a fine goal. If it doesn't, a little more than you walk now is a good place to start.
How many steps a day by age?
Among ParrotPal members who track steps with Apple Health, the median day was about 6,000 steps at 18 to 24, about 6,650 at 25 to 34, about 6,700 at 35 to 44, about 6,850 at 45 to 54 and about 6,000 at 55 and over. The research range from Paluch and colleagues (2022) is about 6,000 to 8,000 for adults 60 and over, and about 8,000 to 10,000 for younger adults.
How many steps to lose weight?
There's no set number. Walking adds to the calories you use, and how many depends on your body weight and your pace, so any steps-to-calories figure is a rough guess. Steps help, but what you eat and strength work matter too. Walking is one part of the plan, not all of it.
What's the average steps per day in the UK?
We can't give a national figure. What we can share is what our own members walk: among ParrotPal members who track steps with Apple Health, across all ages, the median day was between about 6,000 and 6,850 steps, depending on age group. These are people who use a health app, in the UK and elsewhere, so treat it as a guide rather than a national statistic.
Also from ParrotPal
Please read. This page is general information, not medical advice. It isn't tailored to you and doesn't replace advice from your GP, prescriber or physiotherapist. If you have a heart or lung condition, joint problems, or any other medical condition, or you haven't been active for a while, check with them before changing how much you walk.
Mounjaro® is a registered trademark of Eli Lilly and Company, and Wegovy® of Novo Nordisk. Apple Health is a trademark of Apple Inc. Fitbit is a trademark of Google LLC. ParrotPal isn't affiliated with or endorsed by any of these companies. LeanShield™ is ParrotPal's muscle protection score: it rates the habits linked to protecting muscle, is not a medical device and doesn't measure muscle.