Jogging occupies an oddly undefined space between walking and running. Most definitions put it somewhere around 8 km/h, but the more useful test has nothing to do with the number.
The short answer
Average jogging speed is roughly 7 to 9.5 km/h (4.5 to 6 mph), which is about a 6:20 to 8:30 per kilometre pace. Below about 7 km/h most people are walking briskly rather than jogging; above about 9.5 km/h it is generally called running.
The better test: can you talk?
Speed thresholds vary with fitness, so a fixed number describes different efforts for different people. The practical definition is conversational pace : if you can hold a conversation in full sentences without gasping, you are jogging. If you can only manage a few words at a time, you have crossed into running.
This matters physiologically. Conversational pace keeps you below the aerobic threshold, which is exactly where easy training is supposed to sit. Most recreational runners jog too fast on easy days and too slow on hard ones, blunting both.
Jogging vs running vs walking
- Walking : one foot always in contact with the ground
- Jogging / running : a flight phase where both feet leave the ground
So jogging and running are the same gait at different intensities, while walking is mechanically a different movement. That is why the walk-to-jog transition feels like a switch and the jog-to-run transition feels like a dial.
Is jogging worth it?
Yes, and the evidence is unusually consistent on the dose. Large cohort studies have repeatedly found that modest amounts of slow jogging are associated with meaningful mortality benefits, and that the curve flattens quickly : running much more does not proportionally improve the association.
The practical reading is that a few easy jogs a week captures most of the available benefit. This is not medical advice, and anyone with a health condition should speak to a doctor before starting.
What affects your jogging pace
- Terrain : trails and hills can cost a minute per kilometre or more against flat pavement at identical effort
- Heat : above roughly 20°C pace degrades noticeably at the same heart rate
- Sleep : easy pace is unusually sensitive to poor sleep, more so than hard efforts
- Shoes : cushioning affects comfort more than speed at jogging intensity
Checking your pace
Perceived effort is a poor guide : most joggers overestimate their speed. Open the running speed checker before you set off and it shows live speed alongside a session average, so you can see where you actually sit rather than where it feels like you sit.
If you prefer pace in minutes per kilometre, our pace vs speed guide covers the conversion.
The takeaway
Roughly 7–9.5 km/h, but treat the conversational test as the real definition. If you can talk in sentences, you are jogging at the right intensity, whatever the number says.