Calories Burned Walking Calculator
Written by Thierno Sadou Diallo, formula verified per our methodology • Last checked on 9/5/2026
Calories burned walking are calculated as MET × weight (kg) × duration (h). For a moderate walk (3.5 MET, about 5 km/h), a 75 kg person burns about 394 kcal in 1.5 hours.
Explanation
The calorie burn from walking depends mostly on the pace, far more than on the distance covered itself: a slow, leisurely walk under 3 km/h engages the body noticeably less (about 2.4 MET) than a normal-paced walk around 5 km/h (3.5 MET), itself less demanding than a fast, brisk walk at 6.5 km/h (5.0 MET) — a pace close to the threshold where walking becomes less energy-efficient than running. Walking remains one of the most accessible physical activities, practicable by nearly the entire population with no equipment or special technique, with much lower joint impact than running (see our running calorie calculator for that activity). It's also an activity easy to fit into daily life (commuting, breaks, stairs instead of the elevator), making it an accessible lever for increasing overall energy expenditure without dedicating a specific workout session. These MET values remain averages: carried weight (backpack, stroller), the route's elevation gain, and the terrain type (sand, rough trail) noticeably increase actual expenditure compared to walking on flat ground. For a swim of comparable duration, our swimming calorie calculator uses the same MET-based method.
Example: moderate walk, 75 kg, 1.5 hours
Inputs
Weight: 75 kg. Duration: 1.5 hours. Pace: moderate (3.5 MET).
Calculation
Calories burned = 3.5 × 75 × 1.5 = 393.75 kcal.
Result
This walk burns about 394 kcal.
Frequently asked questions
At what speed does walking become less efficient than running?
Beyond about 7 to 8 km/h, walking requires a specific technique (race walking) to stay efficient; below that threshold and beyond a normal pace, running generally becomes less costly in energy per kilometer covered than walking very fast, which is why a natural gait spontaneously shifts to running at a certain speed.
Does walking with a backpack or a stroller change the calorie burn?
Yes, noticeably: carrying extra weight while walking (a loaded backpack, carrying a child) or pushing a load (stroller, cart) increases muscular effort and therefore energy expenditure compared to walking empty-handed, roughly in proportion to the additional weight carried or moved.
Does elevation gain significantly affect the calorie burn of walking?
Yes, quite significantly: walking uphill requires noticeably more effort than walking on flat ground at the same pace, since part of the energy goes toward lifting the body against gravity. This calculator assumes flat terrain and doesn't separately model an elevation-gain component.