Calories burned walking: tables by speed, time and body weight
Every calorie figure comes from the 2024 Adult Compendium. Find your pace, find your weight, read across.
How many calories does walking burn?
A 30-minute walk at 2.0 to 4.9 mph (3.2 to 7.9 km/h) burns about 84 to 350 kcal for adults between 60 and 100 kg (132 and 220 lb). A brisk walk at 3.5 to 3.9 mph (5.6 to 6.3 km/h) burns about 144 kcal at 60 kg, 192 kcal at 80 kg and 240 kcal at 100 kg.
These numbers come from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, which rates each activity in METs, multiples of your resting energy use. Calories burned = MET × body weight in kg × hours, so 30 brisk minutes (4.8 MET) at 80 kg is 4.8 × 80 × 0.5 = 192 kcal.
Calories burned walking by speed and body weight
All rows are level walking on a firm surface, named as in the Compendium. Energy is gross (it includes your resting burn), with kJ in parentheses.
30-minute walk
| Walking pace (Compendium) | MET | 60 kg (132 lb) | 80 kg (176 lb) | 100 kg (220 lb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0 to 2.4 mph (3.2 to 3.9 km/h), slow pace | 2.8 | 84 kcal (351 kJ) | 112 kcal (469 kJ) | 140 kcal (586 kJ) |
| 2.5 mph (4.0 km/h) | 3.0 | 90 kcal (377 kJ) | 120 kcal (502 kJ) | 150 kcal (628 kJ) |
| 2.8 to 3.4 mph (4.5 to 5.5 km/h), moderate pace | 3.8 | 114 kcal (477 kJ) | 152 kcal (636 kJ) | 190 kcal (795 kJ) |
| 3.5 to 3.9 mph (5.6 to 6.3 km/h), brisk, walking for exercise | 4.8 | 144 kcal (602 kJ) | 192 kcal (803 kJ) | 240 kcal (1,004 kJ) |
| 4.0 to 4.4 mph (6.4 to 7.0 km/h), very brisk pace | 5.5 | 165 kcal (690 kJ) | 220 kcal (920 kJ) | 275 kcal (1,151 kJ) |
| 4.5 to 4.9 mph (7.2 to 7.9 km/h), very, very brisk | 7.0 | 210 kcal (879 kJ) | 280 kcal (1,172 kJ) | 350 kcal (1,464 kJ) |
60-minute walk
| Walking pace (Compendium) | 60 kg (132 lb) | 80 kg (176 lb) | 100 kg (220 lb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0 to 2.4 mph, slow pace | 168 kcal (703 kJ) | 224 kcal (937 kJ) | 280 kcal (1,172 kJ) |
| 2.5 mph | 180 kcal (753 kJ) | 240 kcal (1,004 kJ) | 300 kcal (1,255 kJ) |
| 2.8 to 3.4 mph, moderate pace | 228 kcal (954 kJ) | 304 kcal (1,272 kJ) | 380 kcal (1,590 kJ) |
| 3.5 to 3.9 mph, brisk | 288 kcal (1,205 kJ) | 384 kcal (1,607 kJ) | 480 kcal (2,008 kJ) |
| 4.0 to 4.4 mph, very brisk pace | 330 kcal (1,381 kJ) | 440 kcal (1,841 kJ) | 550 kcal (2,301 kJ) |
| 4.5 to 4.9 mph, very, very brisk | 420 kcal (1,757 kJ) | 560 kcal (2,343 kJ) | 700 kcal (2,929 kJ) |
Moving from a moderate to a brisk pace adds 40 kcal per 30 minutes at 80 kg (152 to 192 kcal). The fastest pace burns 2.5 times the slow one (280 versus 112 kcal); walking vs running picks up from there.
How to work out your own walk (worked example)
Take an 80 kg (176 lb) adult who walks for 45 minutes and covers each mile in about 16 minutes.
- Find the pace. 60 ÷ 16 = 3.75 mph, which is the brisk row (4.8 MET).
- Convert minutes to hours. 45 ÷ 60 = 0.75 hours.
- Multiply. 4.8 MET × 80 kg × 0.75 h = 288 kcal (1,205 kJ) gross.
- Subtract the resting burn for the net figure. (4.8 − 1) × 80 × 0.75 = 228 kcal (954 kJ).
The 60 kcal gap is the resting burn (1 MET) for those 45 minutes. Your calorie target already includes resting energy, so the net figure is the fair measure of what the walk adds. In pounds, divide by 2.2 first: 176 lb ÷ 2.2 = 80 kg.
Calories burned walking uphill or carrying a load
Values below are for 30 minutes, gross.
| Activity (Compendium) | MET | 60 kg | 80 kg | 100 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrying 5 to 14 lb (2.3 to 6.4 kg) load, level ground, moderate pace | 4.0 | 120 kcal (502 kJ) | 160 kcal (669 kJ) | 200 kcal (837 kJ) |
| Climbing hills, no load, 1 to 5% grade, moderate-to-brisk pace | 5.3 | 159 kcal (665 kJ) | 212 kcal (887 kJ) | 265 kcal (1,109 kJ) |
| Climbing hills, 10 to 20 lb load, 5 to 10% grade, moderate | 6.5 | 195 kcal (816 kJ) | 260 kcal (1,088 kJ) | 325 kcal (1,360 kJ) |
| Climbing hills, no load, 6 to 10% grade, moderate-to-brisk pace | 7.0 | 210 kcal (879 kJ) | 280 kcal (1,172 kJ) | 350 kcal (1,464 kJ) |
| Climbing hills, no load, 11 to 20% grade, slow-to-moderate pace | 8.8 | 264 kcal (1,105 kJ) | 352 kcal (1,473 kJ) | 440 kcal (1,841 kJ) |
At a moderate-to-brisk pace, a gentle 1 to 5% grade (5.3 MET) already beats brisk walking on the flat (4.8 MET), and a 6 to 10% grade (7.0 MET) matches the fastest level pace. For trails, see calories burned hiking.
Walking as NEAT: everyday walking counts too
NEAT, or non-exercise activity thermogenesis, is the energy you spend moving outside planned workouts. At 80 kg (176 lb), the Compendium puts 30 minutes of everyday walking at:
- Walking, household: 92 kcal (385 kJ)
- Walking from house to car or bus, from car or bus to go places, from car or bus to and from the worksite: 100 kcal (418 kJ)
- Walking the dog: 120 kcal (502 kJ)
- Walking for transportation, 2.8 to 3.2 mph: 140 kcal (586 kJ)
Five 30-minute brisk walks a week at 80 kg come to 960 kcal (4,017 kJ) gross, or 760 kcal (3,180 kJ) net. If they count as moderate intensity, those 150 minutes reach the low end of the 150 to 300 minutes a week in the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Australia's updated guidelines ask for 30 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous activity on most days.
For more, read what NEAT is and what 10,000 steps really burn.
How to log walks in Cal.AI without counting them twice
Cal.AI sets your daily calorie target from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and the activity level you choose at setup. If you picked a higher level because you walk most days, those walks are already inside the target.
- On iPhone, connect Apple Health. Cal.AI reads active energy and steps, and you choose whether burned calories are added to your daily budget.
- If your activity level already reflects your regular walks, leave burned calories off.
- If you chose a low activity level and walk on top of it, adding them is reasonable, but treat every calories-burned figure as an estimate.
- After two to three weeks, compare your weight trend with the plan and adjust if they disagree.
On Android, or without Apple Health, keep walks inside your activity level. More in the Apple Health sync guide and should you eat back exercise calories.
Common mistakes
- Counting a walk twice, in your activity level and again as Apple Health burned calories.
- Overrating your pace. Time a known mile: 20 minutes is 3.0 mph, the moderate row, not brisk. In one study of adults with obesity, participants over-reported their activity by 51% on average.
- Logging a stop-start stroll at a brisk rate. Walking the dog is 3.0 MET in the Compendium, the same as the 2.5 mph row.
- Using an old body weight. A brisk 30 minutes burns 192 kcal at 80 kg but 144 kcal at 60 kg.
Frequently asked questions
Does walking faster burn more calories than walking longer?
Both raise the total. At 80 kg, 30 minutes of brisk walking at 3.5 to 3.9 mph burns 192 kcal, while 60 minutes at a moderate 2.8 to 3.4 mph burns 304 kcal. Speeding up from moderate to brisk adds 40 kcal per 30 minutes, while walking twice as long doubles the figure, so extra minutes are often the easier lever.
How many calories does a 1-hour walk burn?
It depends on pace and weight. Using 2024 Compendium values, an hour at a moderate 2.8 to 3.4 mph burns 228 kcal at 60 kg, 304 kcal at 80 kg and 380 kcal at 100 kg. At a brisk 3.5 to 3.9 mph the same hour burns 288, 384 and 480 kcal. These are gross figures that include your resting burn.
Is treadmill walking the same as walking outside?
Close, but not identical. The Compendium rates treadmill walking at 3.5 to 3.9 mph and 0% grade at 4.8 MET, the same as brisk level walking, and 3.0 to 3.4 mph at 3.8 MET, the same as the moderate level pace. At 4.0 to 4.4 mph the treadmill value is 5.8 MET against 5.5 MET on level ground.
Should I eat back the calories from my walks?
Only if your calorie target does not already include them. If you chose an activity level that reflects regular walking, adding burned calories counts the same walk twice. If you set a low activity level, adding the net figure, (MET minus 1) × kg × hours, is a fair estimate. Check your weight trend after two to three weeks and adjust.
Sources
- Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al. 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A third update of the energy costs of human activities. J Sport Health Sci. 2024;13(1):6-12. PubMed
- Compendium of Physical Activities. 2024 Adult Compendium. Compendium
- Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Top 10 Things to Know About the Second Edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. ODPHP
- Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. 24-hour movement guidelines: recommendations for adults (18 to 64 years). Department of Health
- Lichtman SW, et al. Discrepancy between self-reported and actual caloric intake and exercise in obese subjects. N Engl J Med. 1992;327(27):1893-1898. PubMed
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