Walking vs Running: Which Burns More Calories?

Calories per minute: running wins clearly

For a 70 kg (154 lb) person, an easy run burns around 11–12 calories per minute, while a brisk walk burns about 5–6. Thirty minutes of running roughly equals sixty minutes of brisk walking in pure calorie terms. If your only currency is time, running is the more efficient burn.

Calories per mile: closer than you think

Measured by distance instead of time, the gap narrows. Running a mile burns roughly 100–110 calories for an average adult; walking the same mile burns around 70–80. Power walking at a very fast clip can narrow it further, because fast walking is mechanically inefficient — and inefficiency burns energy.

Where walking wins

• Consistency: a daily 60-minute walk you keep beats a weekly run you skip.
• Joint load: walking produces far lower impact forces, which matters for heavier bodies and older joints.
• Recovery: you can walk hard every day; most people cannot run hard every day.
• Appetite: intense running spikes hunger for many people; moderate walking usually does not.

Where running wins

• Time efficiency: the same calorie burn in half the time.
• Cardio fitness: higher intensity improves VO2 max faster.
• Afterburn: vigorous exercise raises metabolism for a few hours afterwards, adding a small bonus.

The verdict

For pure calorie burn per minute, run. For sustainable fat loss, low injury risk, and a habit you can keep for decades, walk — and walk briskly. Many people do best with a mix: walks on most days, a run or two a week when the body feels good.

Curious what your own walk burns? The steps to calories calculator shows your personal number by weight, pace, and terrain — try switching from a slow stroll to a power walk and watch the difference.