15/11/2025
🚶♀️New study shows that walking has a €300 Billion benefit for society.
Don't ask if your city can afford to become walk-friendly. Ask if it can afford not to! If this came in a pill, we would be all over it!
The findings of a new ADEME report, “Mobilité à pied et bilan socio-économique de la marche” (link in comments) highlight how powerful the act of walking truly is. Let us 'walk' you through this comprehensive socio-economic assessment of walking in France.😉
🇫🇷 On average, people in France walk 1 hour and 12 minutes per day, covering about 3.5 km across daily trips, leisure activities, and walking within private spaces such as homes or workplaces. Yet, the report notes that traditional mobility surveys still underestimate walking: recent GPS-based studies suggest walking trips are underreported by nearly 40%.
🚶♀️➡️💶 The economic impacts are staggering:
💰 €300 billion in total societal benefits from all forms of walking (including health, productivity, and urban impacts)
💰 €130 billion from walking as a transport mode alone
💰 €57 billion from public policies that increase walking by +9.7% in modal share
💰 And an additional €35 billion potential gain if walking’s share of daily trips rose from 24% to 30%.
The greatest benefits come from:
💊 health improvements (€17B)
💻 higher workforce efficiency (€20B)
🏞️ positive effects on public space use
🛍️ local commerce
🌫️reduced congestion and emissions.
Even modest increases in walking could generate massive returns for individuals, businesses, and society as a whole.
This study confirms that walking is not just a mode of transport — it’s an economic, social, and health asset. Promoting walkable cities and everyday physical activity is one of the most effective levers for sustainability, well-being, and economic resilience.
