[One Day 10,000 Steps] What Is the Average Daily Step Count of Seoul Citizens According to WalkOn?

Analysis of Data from Over 23,000 WalkOn Users: Seoul Citizens' Walking Practice Rate at 52.3%, Weekly Average 34,292 Steps, Daily Average 4,898 Steps
Top 3 Districts: Nowon, Dongjak, Guro... Bottom 3: Jung, Geumcheon, Seocho
Men Walk More Than Women, Elderly More Than Young
Seasonal Order: Spring > Autumn > Summer > Winter... Highest in May, Lowest in August

Seoul citizens walk less than 5,000 steps on average per day, with men walking more than women and those aged 60 and above walking more than younger people. Seasonally, people walk more in spring and autumn, with May being the highest month and August the lowest. Among the 25 autonomous districts, Nowon-gu, Dongjak-gu, and Guro-gu ranked high, while Jung-gu, Geumcheon-gu, and Seocho-gu were at the bottom.

Swallaby, the operator of the walking platform 'WalkOn,' analyzed data from 22,861 Seoul WalkOn subscribers as part of a 2021 research project commissioned by the Seoul Public Health Foundation. According to the analysis, Seoul citizens’ walking practice rate in 2020 was 52.3%. The walking practice rate refers to the percentage of residents who walked for at least 30 minutes a day, five or more days a week, during the past week. The weekly average number of steps was 34,292, and the daily average was 4,898 steps. Among the 25 districts, Nowon-gu had the highest walking practice rate at 56.7%, followed by Dongjak (56.1%) and Guro (54.5%). The bottom three were Jung-gu (46.8%), Seocho-gu (48.2%), and Seodaemun-gu (49.0%). The gap between Nowon and Jung was 10%.

In terms of step count, Nowon-gu led with a weekly average of 38,246 steps and a daily average of 5,464 steps. It was followed by Yongsan (36,727 steps weekly, 5,248 daily) and Gwanak (36,688 steps weekly, 5,241 daily). In contrast, Jung-gu (29,922 steps weekly, 4,275 daily) was the only district among the 25 with fewer than 30,000 steps weekly. Geumcheon-gu and Seocho-gu were also among the bottom three. Only eight of the 25 districts had residents walking more than 5,000 steps daily.

Monthly trends in walking practice rates showed less walking during extreme cold and heat periods. August (49.2%) and December (49.7%) had the lowest rates, while April (58.0%) and May-June (58.5%) had the highest. Seasonally, spring (56.6%) ranked first, followed by autumn (55.5%), summer (54.9%), and winter (51.7%). Comparing step counts, May recorded 179,760 steps monthly and 5,922 steps daily, whereas January had 119,943 steps monthly and 3,998 steps daily. By gender, men averaged 59.2%, women 51.1%, with men walking 8.1% more than women. Both genders walked the most in May (men 62.8%, women 54.9%) and the least in August (men 53.6%, women 45.6%).

Analysis of six districts with samples over 1,000 (Jung-gu, Seongdong-gu, Nowon-gu, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Gangnam-gu, Songpa-gu) showed men walked more than women. In Jung-gu, Seongdong-gu, and Nowon-gu, the gender step count gap was around 500 steps, while in Yeongdeungpo (1,551 steps), Gangnam-gu (1,228 steps), and Songpa-gu (829 steps), men walked significantly more than women. Walking practice rates by age were 49.4% for under 40, 53.0% for 40 to under 60, and 59.4% for 60 and above, indicating the elderly walked more. Both men and women walked fewer steps on weekends than weekdays. By age, those aged 40 to under 60 walked more at night, while those 60 and above walked more from dawn to morning.

These results are based on WalkOn subscribers’ activity data and may differ from official government statistics. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency conducts an annual Community Health Survey interviewing 230,000 people nationwide. Comparing with the 2020 WalkOn survey period, the 2020 Seoul walking practice rate (survey basis, published in 2021) was 55.8%, higher than WalkOn’s figure. In that survey, Nowon-gu also ranked first with 63.4%.

In 2017, Nowon-gu ranked lowest in Seoul with a walking practice rate of 44.7%. In 2018, it declared itself a ‘Walking City Nowon’ and launched various initiatives such as walking events and walking groups. It also developed pedestrian-friendly environments and walking trails. As a result, Nowon-gu’s walking practice rate reached 68.4% in 2020 and 63.4% in 2021, ranking first among Seoul’s 25 districts for two consecutive years. Nowon-gu made areas like Yeongchuksan, Bulamsan, Suraksan, and Choansan accessible for people with mobility challenges. It maintained walking paths along Danghyeoncheon, Jungnangcheon, Uicheon, and Mukdongcheon streams and created flower paths. In April 2020, it began broadcasting ‘Nowon Music Radio’ along 2.9 km of Danghyeoncheon and 6.3 km of the Gyeongchun Line Forest Trail.

Cultural commentator Kim Jong-dae is explaining the local history and culture in front of the Yu Gwan-sun statue at Jangchungdan Park in Jung-gu.
[Photo by Jung-gu Office]

Jung-gu is also working to raise its walking practice rate and encourage residents and visitors to walk. Since 2020, the ‘Jung-gu Health Mileage App’ rewards up to 200 mileage points daily for achieving step goals. Accumulated mileage can be exchanged for Jung-gu Love Gift Certificates or donated for medical expenses to low-income neighbors. As of December 2022, the app had over 15,600 cumulative users.

Starting this month, Jung-gu will resume walking tour programs with cultural guides. The cultural guide courses operated by Jung-gu include nine walking tour routes: ▲ Hanyangdoseong Namsan Section (Gwanghuimun to Sungnyemun) ▲ Gwanghuimun Moonlight Road (Heunginjimun to Mudangcheon) ▲ Jangchungdan Patriotic Path (Jangchungdan Monument to Freedom Center) ▲ Jeongdong Hanbaki (Jeongdong Theater to Seoul Museum of Art) ▲ Pilgrimage History Path 1 (Myeongdong Cathedral to Yakhyun Cathedral) ▲ Pilgrimage History Path 2 (Jungnim-dong Yakhyun Cathedral to U Podocheong Site) ▲ Myeongdong History and Culture Tour (Cultural Park to Munye Seorim Site) ▲ Namsan, Memory Road (Jangchungdan Park to Joseon Shrine Site) ▲ Jung-gu History and Culture Course (Namsan to Cheongwadae). Additionally, there is one facility tour course at the Jangchungdan Memory Space. So far, a total of 519 guided programs have been conducted, with 4,790 visitors participating.

Myeongdong History and Culture Tour Course by Jung-gu Office
[Image provided by Jung-gu Office]

The Pilgrimage History Path, which previously ran from Myeongdong Cathedral to Yakhyun Cathedral, has been split into two courses this year. Course 1 runs from Myeongdong Cathedral to the Kim Beom-woo Residence Site, and Course 2 runs from Jungnim-dong Yakhyun Cathedral to the U Podocheong Site. This separation allows a deeper exploration of the pilgrimage path’s significance in the only country that accepted Catholicism without missionaries. Each course covers about 3 km and takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. The newly introduced Jung-gu History and Culture Course is a 6 km ‘grand march’ through the city, walking from Namsan Baekbeom Square → Deoksugung Palace → Myeongdong → Cheonggyecheon → Gwanghwamun Square → Gyeongbokgung Palace → Cheongwadae over 3 hours. This program is linked with the opening of Cheongwadae and offers a comprehensive overview of Korean history from the Joseon Dynasty to modern times.