A method and apparatus for counting the steps taken by a walker, where the method includes detecting an acceleration value generated by a step taken by a walker at every first stated interval, calculating a standard deviation of detected acceleration values at every second stated interval, determining a walking mode corresponding to the calculated standard deviation among first through Nth walking modes as a walking pattern of the walker, in which N is a positive integer that is larger than 1, checking if there is at least one absolute value that is larger than a threshold acceleration value corresponding to the determined walking mode among the absolute values of the detected acceleration values, and incrementing a count value as a step taken by the walker if there is at least one absolute value that is larger than the threshold acceleration value among the absolute values of the detected acceleration values.