How many steps is that?
An adult step is about 76 cm, so a kilometre is roughly 1 300 steps. The famous 10 000 came from a 1965 pedometer advert.
6,562 × an average step
5 km ÷ 0.000762 km = 6,562 steps.
Reference figures are measurements and are rounded; the unit conversion behind them is exact.
| Reference | Size | Yours ÷ theirs | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| shorter step | 0.00066 km | 7,576× | |
| average step | 0.000762 km | 6,562× | Adult walking stride, 30 inches |
| long stride | 0.00085 km | 5,882× | |
| running stride | 0.0012 km | 4,167× |
Worth knowing
- The 10 000-step target came from a Japanese pedometer sold before the 1964 Olympics called the manpo-kei, "ten-thousand-step meter". It was marketing, not medicine.
- Studies since have found the health benefit largely levels off between 7 000 and 8 000 steps a day for most adults.
Frequently asked
How many steps are in a mile?
About 2 100 for an average adult walking stride of 76 cm, or roughly 1 300 per kilometre. Running strides are longer, so a running mile is nearer 1 400 steps.
Is 10 000 steps a real target?
It is a marketing number that turned out to be roughly sensible. Mortality benefit rises steeply to about 7 500 steps a day and flattens after that.