Walking Calorie Calculator
Estimate how many calories you burn walking, from a casual stroll to a brisk or uphill walk, based on your weight, your pace, and how long or how far you go.
How the walking calorie calculator works
Walking burn is estimated with METs, or metabolic equivalents. One MET is roughly the energy you use sitting still, so a steady walk rated at 3.8 METs burns about 3.8 times that. The calculator takes the MET value for your pace from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities and scales it by your body weight and your time.
The formula and the paces
Calories per minute equal METs times 3.5 times your weight in kilograms, divided by 200. The paces are the ones in our walking guide: a casual stroll of about 2 mph or 3.2 km/h (2.8 METs), a steady 3 mph or 4.8 km/h (3.8 METs), a brisk 4 mph or 6.4 km/h (5.0 METs), and an uphill walk on a 6 to 10 percent grade (7.0 METs). For the three level paces you can enter a distance instead of a time, and the calculator works out the minutes from the speed.
Why it is an estimate
MET values are averages measured across groups of people, so your real burn shifts with your fitness, stride, terrain, and body composition. Fitness trackers carry the same limits. Treat the result as a realistic ballpark for planning, not a precise count.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories does 30 minutes of walking burn?
For a 155-pound (70 kg) person, about 105 calories at a casual 2 mph stroll, about 140 at a steady 3 mph, and around 185 at a brisk 4 mph. Heavier people burn more for the same walk and lighter people burn less. Enter your own weight and pace above for a personal estimate.
How many calories does walking a mile burn?
Roughly 90 to 95 calories for a 155-pound (70 kg) person at a steady or brisk pace, by the same MET formula. Pace changes the per-mile figure surprisingly little, because a faster walk burns more per minute but finishes the mile sooner. Body weight moves it far more. Switch the calculator to distance to see your own number.
Does walking faster or uphill burn more calories?
Yes, per minute. A brisk 4 mph walk is rated at 5.0 METs against 2.8 for a casual stroll, so it burns close to twice as much in the same time. Walking up a 6 to 10 percent grade raises the cost to about 7.0 METs, which is more than a brisk walk on the flat.
Does body weight affect calories burned walking?
Yes, directly. Moving a heavier body takes more energy, so the same walk burns more calories for a heavier person. In the formula, body weight is a straight multiplier: someone who weighs 20 percent more burns about 20 percent more at the same pace and time.
Is walking enough to lose weight?
Walking helps, mainly by widening your calorie deficit, but diet does most of the work. It is far easier to eat 300 calories than to walk them off. The reliable approach is a modest calorie deficit from food, with regular walking as support for health, appetite, and keeping the weight off.