State of the Industry 2026: How Many Martial Arts Schools Are There in the UK?
The United Kingdom has about 9,500 physical martial arts schools, BJJ academies and MMA gyms, plus thousands of martial arts clubs. England alone has 6,319 listed schools, about 40% more per person than the United States. This report shows where the numbers come from and breaks them down by nation, city and style.
Part of Martial Arts Professional’s State of the Industry 2026, which also covers the United States and the other countries in this series.
The short answer
- About 9,500 physical locations (range: 8,000 to 12,000).
- 8,765 “Martial arts school” listings UK-wide, 6,319 in England alone.
- About 3,600 “Martial arts clubs” on top.
- 10.7 schools per 100,000 people in England, against 7.6 in the U.S.
- London has 1,090 listings; kickboxing (1,364) runs close behind karate (1,683).
How many martial arts schools are there in the UK?
About 9,500 physical locations, within a range of 8,000 to 12,000. PoiData counts 8,765 “Martial arts school” listings UK-wide; SmartScraper counts 6,319 in England alone. Both list about 3,600 “Martial arts clubs” on top.
| Source | What it counts | Figure | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| PoiData | “Martial arts school” listings, UK | 8,765 | Aug 2025 |
| SmartScraper | “Martial arts school” listings, England only | 6,319 | Apr 1, 2026 |
| SmartScraper | “Martial arts club” listings, UK | 3,563 | Apr 1, 2026 |
| PoiData | “Martial arts club” listings, UK | 3,769 | Aug 2025 |
| Office for National Statistics | Population | 69.5 million | mid-2025 |
How we counted
No government or industry body publishes a count of martial arts schools as physical places, so we compared two independent business-listing providers. SmartScraper counts Google business listings by category (data as of April 1, 2026). PoiData counts verified business listings (data as of August 2025). We used the higher “Martial arts school” count as the base, then allowed for “Martial arts club” and style-category listings, many of which are the same schools listed twice. Listings also include some closed schools and classes held inside other facilities, and miss programs with no online listing. The U.S. report used the same method.
The large number of club listings suggests that more UK programs run as clubs, often part-time, than in the U.S.
How are schools spread across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
Neither provider publishes “school” totals for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, but the club and style categories split by nation. Scotland stands out for taekwondo.
| Nation | Club listings | Kickboxing | Taekwondo | Jujitsu | Population (mid-2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 3,158 | 984 | 557 | 342 | 58.8 million |
| Scotland | 223 | 144 | 160 | 13 | 5.5 million |
| Wales | 124 | 32 | 25 | 13 | 3.2 million |
| Northern Ireland | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | 1.9 million |
| UK total | 3,563 | 1,174 | 746 | 380 | 69.5 million |
Source: SmartScraper UK category reports (kickboxing, taekwondo, jujitsu), April 1, 2026. UK totals include a few listings not assigned to a nation. Scotland has about 2.9 taekwondo listings per 100,000 people, against 0.9 in England.
Which cities have the most martial arts schools?
| City (England) | “Martial arts school” listings |
|---|---|
| London | 1,090 |
| Liverpool | 130 |
| Birmingham | 111 |
| Leeds | 95 |
| Bristol | 79 |
| Sheffield | 69 |
| Reading | 56 |
| Bradford | 54 |
Source: SmartScraper, April 1, 2026. London alone holds about 17% of England’s listings.
Which martial arts styles have the most schools in the UK?
| Style category | UK listings | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Karate school | 1,683 | PoiData, Aug 2025 |
| Kickboxing school | 1,364 | PoiData, Aug 2025 |
| Taekwondo coaching center | 746 | SmartScraper, Apr 2026 |
| Muay Thai boxing gym | 542 | PoiData, Aug 2025 |
| Jujitsu school | 472 | PoiData, Aug 2025 |
| Wing chun school | 111 | SmartScraper, Apr 2026 |
| Aikido school | 104 | SmartScraper, Apr 2026 |
Kickboxing is far more prominent than in North America: about one kickboxing listing for every 1.2 karate listings, against one for every 1.6 in the U.S. BJJ and MMA: no national count exists; most BJJ academies and MMA gyms list as jujitsu, kickboxing, Muay Thai or general gyms.
How does the UK compare?
England has 10.7 “Martial arts school” listings per 100,000 people, about 40% more than the U.S. and Canada (7.6). On PoiData’s count the UK as a whole has 12.6. At about 9,500 locations, there is one school for roughly every 7,300 people in the UK.
What a UK school owner should take from this
- The UK market is dense and club-heavy. A full-time, professionally run school stands out against part-time hall programs.
- Kickboxing is a major competitor, close behind karate.
- London is the biggest single market, with about 1,090 listings.
- Scotland is a taekwondo stronghold.
Frequently asked questions
How many martial arts schools are there in the UK?
About 9,500 physical locations, within a range of 8,000 to 12,000. PoiData lists 8,765 martial arts schools UK-wide, and both listing providers show about 3,600 martial arts clubs on top.
How many martial arts schools are there in England?
SmartScraper counts 6,319 martial arts school listings in England as of April 2026, about 10.7 per 100,000 people. London has 1,090 of them.
Which martial arts style has the most schools in the UK?
Karate, with 1,683 listings, followed by kickboxing (1,364), taekwondo (746), Muay Thai (542) and jujitsu (472).
How many martial arts clubs are there in the UK?
About 3,600: SmartScraper counts 3,563 and PoiData 3,769. England has 3,158, Scotland 223 and Wales 124.
Does the UK have more martial arts schools per person than the U.S.?
Yes. England has 10.7 martial arts school listings per 100,000 people on the same source, against 7.6 in the United States.
Sources, and what we could not confirm
Listings: SmartScraper (Rentech Digital) reports for martial arts schools in England and UK reports for martial arts clubs, kickboxing, taekwondo, jujitsu, wing chun and aikido, April 1, 2026; PoiData UK reports for martial arts schools, martial arts clubs, karate, kickboxing, jujitsu and Muay Thai, August 2025. Population: Office for National Statistics, mid-2025. We found no published business count for martial arts in the UK.
Not established: how many schools appear under more than one category; school counts for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; any Northern Ireland breakdown; national BJJ or MMA counts. The providers do not publish their methods or deduplication. The Martial Arts Wealth Mastery contact list was too small outside the U.S. to support a style breakdown.
Related reading
- State of the Industry 2026: the hub, with all five countries compared
- How many martial arts schools are there in the United States?
- How many martial arts schools are there in Canada?
- How many martial arts schools are there in Australia?
- How many martial arts schools are there in New Zealand?
About the author
Grand Master Stephen Oliver, MBA, is a 10th Degree Black Belt and the Founder and CEO of Mile High Karate and Martial Arts Wealth Mastery, one of the martial arts industry’s leading coaching and consulting organizations for professional martial arts school owners, BJJ academies, and MMA gyms. A martial arts school owner since 1975 and business coach since 1985, Oliver has spent more than five decades building, operating, and advising successful martial arts schools. He also serves as CEO and Chairman of NAPMA (the National Association of Professional Martial Artists) and Publisher of Martial Arts Professional magazine. A Georgetown University cum laude graduate, he earned his Executive MBA through the Executive Program at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. He was promoted to 10th Degree Black Belt in April 2026 and inducted into the Official Taekwondo Hall of Fame in August 2026. Learn more at MartialArtsWealth.com and StephenCOliver.com.
