How Many Calories Does Walking Burn? (With examples)
Walking is probably one of the easiest forms of exercise to fit into everyday life, but how many calories does walking actually burn?
The slightly frustrating answer is: it depends.
Your weight, how quickly you’re walking, how long you walk for and whether you’re strolling along a flat pavement or marching up a massive hill can all affect the amount of energy you use.
That means there’s no single answer to “how many calories does walking burn?”
What we can do, though, is look at some realistic estimates.
And if you want a figure based on your own walk rather than the examples below, you can use my free calories burned walking calculator.
How many calories does walking burn?
As a general rule, the longer and more intensely you walk, the more energy you’ll use.
Your body weight matters too.
A person in a larger body generally uses more energy completing the same activity than somebody who weighs less because there is more body mass to move.
This is why I’m always wary when I see claims such as:
“Walking burns 300 calories an hour.”
For some people and some walks, perhaps.
For others, absolutely not.
It’s much more useful to look at ranges based on weight, pace and time.
Walking is considered a moderate-intensity activity. It is not as intense as running, but it still gets your body working harder than it would at rest. The faster and longer you walk, the more fuel your body needs to keep going, so you burn more calories walking.
Calories burned walking for 30 minutes
Calories burned walking for 30 minutes
| Body weight | Slow 2.0–2.4 mph | Moderate 2.8–3.4 mph | Brisk 3.5–3.9 mph |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 st / 63.5 kg | 93 kcal | 127 kcal | 160 kcal |
| 12 st / 76.2 kg | 112 kcal | 152 kcal | 192 kcal |
| 14 st / 88.9 kg | 131 kcal | 177 kcal | 224 kcal |
| 16 st / 101.6 kg | 149 kcal | 203 kcal | 256 kcal |
| 18 st / 114.3 kg | 168 kcal | 228 kcal | 288 kcal |
| 20 st / 127.0 kg | 187 kcal | 253 kcal | 320 kcal |
| 22 st / 139.7 kg | 205 kcal | 279 kcal | 352 kcal |
| 24 st / 152.4 kg | 224 kcal | 304 kcal | 384 kcal |
| 26 st / 165.1 kg | 243 kcal | 329 kcal | 416 kcal |
| 28 st / 177.8 kg | 261 kcal | 355 kcal | 448 kcal |
| 30 st / 190.5 kg | 280 kcal | 380 kcal | 480 kcal |
A note about these figures: These are estimates based on standard MET values for walking on a firm, level surface. The 2024 Compendium of Physical Activities assigns approximately 2.8 METs to slow walking at 2.0–2.4 mph, 3.8 METs to moderate walking at 2.8–3.4 mph and 4.8 METs to brisk walking at 3.5–3.9 mph. Your actual calorie expenditure can vary, so use these figures as a guide rather than an exact measurement.
Your actual energy expenditure could be higher or lower depending on your pace, terrain, fitness, body composition and other individual factors. The table shows the difference pace and body weight can make.
Calories burned walking for one hour
If you double the length of the walk while maintaining roughly the same intensity, you’ll naturally use considerably more energy.
Calories burned walking for one hour
| Body weight | Slow 2.0–2.4 mph | Moderate 2.8–3.4 mph | Brisk 3.5–3.9 mph |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 st / 63.5 kg | 187 kcal | 253 kcal | 320 kcal |
| 12 st / 76.2 kg | 224 kcal | 304 kcal | 384 kcal |
| 14 st / 88.9 kg | 261 kcal | 355 kcal | 448 kcal |
| 16 st / 101.6 kg | 299 kcal | 405 kcal | 512 kcal |
| 18 st / 114.3 kg | 336 kcal | 456 kcal | 576 kcal |
| 20 st / 127.0 kg | 373 kcal | 507 kcal | 640 kcal |
| 22 st / 139.7 kg | 411 kcal | 557 kcal | 704 kcal |
| 24 st / 152.4 kg | 448 kcal | 608 kcal | 768 kcal |
| 26 st / 165.1 kg | 485 kcal | 659 kcal | 832 kcal |
| 28 st / 177.8 kg | 523 kcal | 709 kcal | 896 kcal |
| 30 st / 190.5 kg | 560 kcal | 760 kcal | 960 kcal |
The same applies to these figures: they are estimates based on standard MET values for walking on a firm, level surface. Your actual calorie burn may be higher or lower depending on factors such as your pace, fitness, body composition, hills and terrain. Use the numbers as a helpful guide rather than an exact measurement.
You don’t need to walk for a whole uninterrupted hour for walking to count, though.
Three 20-minute walks are still an hour of walking across the day.
That can be much easier to fit into real life.
How many calories do you burn walking a mile?
Again, there isn’t one magic number.
How much energy you use walking a mile depends partly on your weight and how you complete the mile.
Interestingly, walking faster means you’ll complete the mile sooner, so speed and duration interact rather than the answer simply being “faster always means dramatically more calories per mile”.
If you want a personalised estimate, pop your details into my walking calorie calculator.
How many calories do you burn walking 5km?
A 5km walk is roughly 3.1 miles.
For many people that’s a very manageable distance for a longer recreational walk, although how long it takes will vary enormously.
A brisk walker might complete 5km in around an hour, whereas someone walking gently, stopping regularly or managing mobility difficulties may take considerably longer.
And that’s completely fine.
Distance isn’t a competition.
How many calories does walking 10,000 steps burn?
This is one of those questions where the internet desperately wants there to be a simple answer!
There isn’t.
Firstly, 10,000 steps isn’t the same distance for everybody because stride length varies.
Secondly, two people can walk exactly the same number of steps while using different amounts of energy.
Your weight, pace and terrain all matter.
So if you’re using a smartwatch or phone to track your steps, I’d treat the calorie figure it gives you as an interesting estimate rather than an exact measurement.
And you certainly don’t need to reach exactly 10,000 steps for your walking to be worthwhile.
Do heavier people burn more calories walking?
Generally, yes.
Moving more body mass requires more energy.
This is particularly relevant to me because I’ve exercised at very different body weights over the years.
A walk when I was at my heaviest wasn’t the same physical task as the identical walk at a much lower weight.
This is also why comparing the calories your watch says you’ve burned with somebody else’s figure isn’t particularly useful.
You’re different people.
Does walking faster burn more calories?
Increasing your walking intensity generally increases the amount of energy your body uses.
A brisk walk will therefore usually burn calories at a higher rate than a gentle stroll.
That doesn’t mean brisk walking is automatically “better”.
A gentle 45-minute walk you enjoy and regularly do may be much more useful to you than an intense 20-minute walk you hate and avoid.
If you’re starting from a low level of fitness, increase your speed gradually.
Does walking uphill burn more calories?
Usually, yes.
Walking uphill requires your muscles to work harder against gravity.
You’ll probably notice the difference before you’ve even thought about calories because your breathing and heart rate are likely to increase.
The same applies to walking on more difficult surfaces.
Sand, mud, trails and uneven ground can all require different amounts of effort compared with walking on a smooth, flat pavement.
Is treadmill walking as good as walking outside?
Both are useful forms of exercise.
A treadmill gives you control over your speed and incline, which can be really handy if you want a predictable workout.
Outdoor walking has its own advantages. Your terrain changes naturally, you may encounter hills and, personally, I find actually going somewhere much less boring.
You don’t need to decide which one is universally “best”.
Choose the one that works for you.
Can walking help with weight loss?
Yes, walking can contribute to weight loss because it’s physical activity and therefore increases your energy expenditure.
But I’d avoid thinking of walking purely as a way of creating the biggest possible calorie deficit.
Weight changes are influenced by your overall energy balance over time, while walking also offers benefits completely separate from the number on the scales.
And importantly, walking is something many people can actually incorporate into normal life.
You don’t necessarily need gym clothes, equipment or an hour-long workout.
You can walk to the shop.
Take a ten-minute walk at lunchtime.
Walk around while your child is at football.
Park a little further away.
Go for a wander somewhere nice at the weekend.
Those little bits of movement add up.
How much walking do I need to do to lose weight?
There isn’t a specific number of minutes or steps that guarantees weight loss.
How much you eat, your overall activity, body size and many other factors affect your energy balance.
I’d therefore be suspicious of promises such as:
“Walk exactly 8,437 steps every day to lose 2lb a week.”
Bodies aren’t calculators.
If you currently do very little walking, simply doing a little more is a perfectly reasonable place to start.
Once that feels comfortable, you can gradually increase the duration, frequency or pace.
Do I need to walk 10,000 steps a day?
No.
Ten thousand is a nice round number and can be a motivating target for some people, but it isn’t a pass/fail threshold for health.
If you currently average 3,000 steps, consistently reaching 5,000 might be a fantastic improvement.
Likewise, if you have mobility limitations, chronic pain, a disability or another condition affecting exercise, comparing yourself with somebody else’s arbitrary step target isn’t helpful.
Movement needs to work for your body and circumstances.
Can walking burn belly fat?
You can’t choose where your body loses fat by exercising a particular body part.
Walking uses energy and can contribute to an overall calorie deficit, which may contribute to body-fat loss over time.
Where your body loses that fat first is largely outside your control.
Unfortunately, our bodies did not get the memo that we’d quite like to select “stomach” from a drop-down menu.
Is walking enough exercise?
Walking can be an excellent part of an active lifestyle.
How much and what type of activity is appropriate depends on your health, fitness and circumstances.
You may also benefit from activities that build strength and from reducing long periods of sitting, but that doesn’t somehow make walking worthless.
I think people sometimes dismiss gentle activity because it doesn’t look sufficiently “fitnessy”.
Movement doesn’t need to leave you exhausted to count.
What if you’re very overweight and want to start walking?
Start where you are.
When I talk about walking for weight loss, I’m very conscious that “just go for a 5km walk” isn’t realistic advice for everybody.
If five minutes is currently comfortable, five minutes is a starting point.
You might walk to the end of your street and back. You might walk around a supermarket. You might use a treadmill slowly while holding the rails.
As your fitness improves, you can build from there.
If you have a health condition or symptoms that make exercise difficult or potentially unsafe, speak to an appropriate healthcare professional about what is suitable for you.
How can I burn more calories walking?
If increasing the intensity of your walks is appropriate for you, there are several ways you can make them more challenging.
You could gradually:
- walk for longer
- increase your pace
- choose a route with hills
- use an incline on a treadmill
- include short periods of faster walking
- walk more frequently throughout the week
You don’t need to do all of those at once.
And you don’t need to spend every walk desperately trying to maximise calorie burn.
Sometimes a walk can just be a walk.
Are smartwatch calorie estimates accurate?
They’re useful estimates, but I wouldn’t treat them as exact.
Smartwatches and fitness trackers use information such as your weight, heart rate, movement and activity type to estimate energy expenditure.
Different devices can give different answers for exactly the same activity.
If your watch says you’ve burned 378 calories, that doesn’t mean your body definitely used precisely 378.
Think rough guide, not laboratory measurement.
Should you eat the calories you’ve burned walking?
Be careful with this.
If your watch or an online calculator overestimates your exercise expenditure and you automatically eat that amount back, you may end up eating more than you intended.
Your nutritional needs also depend on much more than one walk.
If you’re following a particular eating plan or have professional dietary advice, use that rather than treating exercise-calorie estimates as exact instructions for how much additional food to eat.
Walking has benefits that aren’t measured in calories
I think this deserves its own section because calorie burn can become far too important when you’re trying to lose weight.
I’ve been guilty of viewing exercise through numbers before.
How far?
How many steps?
How many calories?
Did it “count”?
But some of my favourite walks haven’t been about any of that.
I’ve walked because I wanted fresh air, because I was exploring somewhere new, because I needed to clear my head or simply because it was a nice day.
Walking can help you become fitter and more active without needing to turn every outing into a mathematical exercise.
Calculate the calories burned on your own walk
The examples above are useful for getting a general idea, but your own result will depend on your body and your walk.
If you’d like an estimate based on your own details, use my free calories burned walking calculator.
Just remember that the number it gives you is an estimate.
Walking is doing something positive for your body regardless of whether the final figure says 100 calories or 300.
