How Many Steps in a Mile? Work It Out From Your Height

The common answer is 2,000 steps per mile. That's an average, and averages hide a lot.

The formula Steps per mile = 63,360 ÷ your stride length in inches. In metric: steps per kilometre = 100,000 ÷ stride length in centimetres.

Estimating stride length Walking stride is roughly 0.413 × height for women and 0.415 × height for men. A 170 cm person has a stride near 70 cm, giving about 1,430 steps per kilometre or 2,300 per mile.

Typical ranges A 152 cm walker takes around 2,600 steps per mile. At 183 cm it's closer to 1,950. Running lengthens stride sharply — the same person may take only 1,400-1,700 steps per mile at pace.

Measuring properly Walk 20 normal steps, measure the distance in centimetres, divide by 20. That single measurement beats any height formula, and it's what makes a 10,000-step target mean a consistent distance day to day.