Toddlers worldwide take an average of 18,500 steps a day
An international study provides reference values for the first time, but the result is not physical-activity advice.
Three- and four-year-olds take an average of 18,542 steps a day, according to an international study in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. The researchers stress that this is a reference value, not a daily target for every child.
The study analysed data from 3,570 children in 44 countries. The children wore a step counter on their hip for at least three days, allowing the researchers to record their movement in daily life. The data were collected between 2018 and 2025.
The median was 17,502 steps a day for three-year-olds and 18,928 for four-year-olds. The range was wide: the lowest recorded figures were around 1,124 steps and the highest around 29,320 steps a day. An average or median therefore says nothing about what an individual child does.
The researchers also found differences between boys and girls. Among three-year-olds, the median was 18,064 steps for boys and 16,426 for girls, according to the study. Among four-year-olds, the figures were 19,477 and 18,321. The study describes these differences but does not explain what causes them.
In the dataset, children from low- and middle-income countries and children in rural areas were more active on average than children from high-income countries and urban areas. Possible explanations include differences in outdoor play, walking, transport and the design of the living environment. As the study is observational, it does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.
The researchers want to use the figures in the same way as growth charts: as an international reference for putting activity into context. They warn that a low number of steps does not automatically mean that a child has a health problem. Steps are also only one aspect of physical activity; sitting and sleeping are not expressed using the same measure.
The samples from the individual countries were not all the same size. Moreover, the children were not selected randomly from the population. As a result, the findings cannot simply be extrapolated to all toddlers in the Netherlands or to an individual family situation.
The study has mainly scientific value because it provides a basis for comparison; previously, little international data had been available. The study does not yet provide clinical threshold values, and the authors call for further research before percentiles are used for specific health standards.
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This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The study data, publication status and limitations were checked against the DOI entry and two public summaries. The text avoids the incorrect conclusion that 18,542 steps is a recommended minimum.
- confirmed The study examined 3,570 children from 44 countries. — Mentioned in the study summary and Medical Xpress. source
- confirmed The median was 18,542 steps per day. — Mentioned in the study’s public summary. source
- confirmed The study is observational and uses a short measurement period. — The authors and summaries identify the observational design and measurement period as limitations. source
- confirmed The result is not daily physical-activity advice. — The researchers explicitly warn against this. source
Editor's note
This is a peer-reviewed publication in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. The research is observational and provides reference values, not a medical or public physical-activity guideline.Sources
- Global reference values for daily steps in preschool children — The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health
- Getting their steps in: Preschoolers walk 18,000 steps a day — Medical Xpress
- Preschoolers clock 18,500 steps a day, study finds — The Indian Express
More on this in Dutch media
- NU.nl — „wetenschap kinderen”
- De Telegraaf — „wetenschap kinderen”
- AD — „wetenschap kinderen”