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Walking vs Running Comparison
Interactive calorie-burn comparison between walking and running.
How it works
Both activities are scored with MET values, a standard scale where one MET is the energy of sitting quietly. Multiply a MET value by body weight and hours and you get an energy estimate, which is why heavier people burn more doing the same activity for the same time. Walking at a steady four kilometres per hour rates about 3.5 METs, while running at just under ten kilometres per hour rates about 9.8, so the per-minute gap is large even before distance is considered.
How to read the result
Running wins clearly on calories per minute, but walking wins on sustainability and joint load: most people can walk daily for years, while daily hard running needs careful build-up. Over the same distance, the difference shrinks, because running simply finishes sooner. The better choice is usually the one you will repeat: a daily walk you enjoy beats a running plan you abandon after two weeks.
One practical tip
If you want running's efficiency without its impact, try walk-run intervals: alternate one minute of easy running with two minutes of walking. You cover more ground than walking alone, recover between efforts, and build running fitness gradually.
For weight management, total weekly activity matters more than any single session, so a plan that mixes brisk walking most days with a couple of short runs often outperforms an ambitious running-only plan that leads to injury or burnout.
Shoes matter more as running volume rises, so if you move from walking to running, invest in shoes fitted for running and increase weekly running time gradually rather than jumping straight to daily runs.