Preschoolers average 18,000 daily steps in 44-nation study published in Lancet

Global measurement of preschool movement

Preschool children register significantly higher movement volumes than many adults anticipate, averaging around 18,000 steps per day between the ages of three and four. This baseline emerges from an international investigation known as the Sunrise study, published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. Coordinated by the University of Wollongong in Australia, the research collaboration involved more than 30 international authors studying early childhood activity. The team collected objective movement records from more than 3,500 children across 44 countries between 2018 and 2025. To gather consistent baseline data across diverse environments, each child was fitted with a motion sensor worn at the hip for a minimum observation window of three days.

Daily step averages and individual variations

The overall weighted median across all monitored children stood at 18,542 steps per day, indicating that half of the children exceeded this mark while the other half recorded fewer steps. Daily activity climbed notably between the third and fourth years of life. Three-year-old participants recorded an average of approximately 17,500 steps each day, while four-year-olds averaged nearly 19,000 daily steps. Across the entire sample, individual movement patterns demonstrated wide dispersion, ranging from approximately 1,100 steps at the lowest extreme to a maximum of about 29,800 steps. A difference of more than 25,000 steps separated a sedentary child from a highly active child over the course of a single day.

Disparities across national income levels

Economic conditions in participating countries correlated with substantial differences in the physical movement volumes recorded by young children. Children in low-income nations logged an average of approximately 23,000 steps each day. This figure is more than 5,000 steps higher than the average recorded for children living in high-income countries. The European cohort within the project included participants from Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and several Scandinavian countries, while Germany did not participate in the study. The findings demonstrate that early childhood daily transit and play routines vary widely depending on national income levels and local environments.

Health guidelines and future research targets

Physical activity during early childhood remains essential for healthy growth and long-term development, according to the 30 researchers who authored the paper. Despite observing high step volumes across the global sample, the authors explicitly declined to issue a specific daily step recommendation for preschool children. The research group explained that step volume is only one component of healthy behavior and must be evaluated in conjunction with other daily routines. The authors urged future research projects to analyze step counts directly alongside sedentary sitting time and sleep duration. Existing World Health Organization guidance recommends that three- and four-year-olds engage in at least 180 minutes of total physical activity spread across the day, including at least 60 minutes of moderate to high intensity movement. The World Health Organization maintains no official daily step count targets for children or adults, though previous studies referencing adult activity recommendations for ages 18 to 64 have suggested 7,000 to 10,000 steps daily.