State of the Industry 2026: How Many Martial Arts Schools Are There in Canada?
Canada has about 4,000 physical martial arts schools, BJJ academies and MMA gyms. That puts it at 7.6 schools per 100,000 people, exactly the same density as the United States. This report shows where the number comes from and breaks it down by province and by 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 4,000 physical locations (range: 3,200 to 5,000).
- 3,196 to 3,933 “Martial arts school” listings, plus 707 “Martial arts clubs.”
- Ontario holds 42% of listings; British Columbia has the most per person (10.2 per 100,000).
- Karate leads the style categories (709), followed by kickboxing (552).
- 7.6 schools per 100,000 people, the same as the U.S.
How many martial arts schools are there in Canada?
About 4,000 physical locations, within a range of 3,200 to 5,000. The two listing providers count 3,196 and 3,933 “Martial arts school” listings, and Google lists 707 more “Martial arts clubs.”
| Source | What it counts | Figure | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| SmartScraper | “Martial arts school” listings | 3,196 | Apr 1, 2026 |
| PoiData | “Martial arts school” listings | 3,933 | Aug 2025 |
| SmartScraper | “Martial arts club” listings | 707 | Apr 1, 2026 |
| PoiData | Style listings: karate, kickboxing, taekwondo, jujitsu, Muay Thai, judo | 2,402 combined | Aug 2025 |
| Statistics Canada | Population | 41.8 million | Jul 1, 2026 |
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.
Which provinces have the most martial arts schools?
Ontario holds 42% of all listings. Per person, British Columbia is the most saturated province, with 10.2 schools per 100,000 residents. Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Manitoba are the least.
| Province | “Martial arts school” listings | Per 100,000 residents | “Martial arts club” listings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 1,334 | 8.2 | 329 |
| Quebec | 613 | 6.8 | 90 |
| British Columbia | 584 | 10.2 | 118 |
| Alberta | 368 | 7.2 | 88 |
| Nova Scotia | 77 | 7.0 | 23 |
| Manitoba | 75 | 4.9 | 18 |
| Saskatchewan | 69 | 5.4 | 16 |
| New Brunswick | 46 | 5.2 | 6 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 23 | 4.2 | 8 |
| Prince Edward Island | 6 | 3.3 | 0 |
| Territories | 1 (Yukon) | — | 11 (Nunavut) |
| Canada | 3,196 | 7.6 | 707 |
Sources: SmartScraper, April 1, 2026; Statistics Canada population estimates, July 1, 2026.
Which martial arts styles have the most schools in Canada?
Karate leads the style categories, followed closely by kickboxing.
| Style category | Listings (PoiData, Aug 2025) |
|---|---|
| Karate school | 709 |
| Kickboxing school | 552 |
| Taekwondo school | 399 |
| Jujitsu school | 324 |
| Muay Thai boxing gym | 301 |
| Judo school | 117 |
BJJ: the Let’s Roll directory lists 329 BJJ gyms in Ontario. If Ontario holds 40% to 45% of Canada’s BJJ gyms, as it does of martial arts listings overall, the national figure would be roughly 700 to 850. That is our extrapolation, not a count. MMA: no national count exists; MMA gyms mostly list as gyms, kickboxing, Muay Thai or BJJ academies.
How does Canada compare?
Canada has exactly the same density as the United States: 7.6 “Martial arts school” listings per 100,000 people on the same source. Australia (11.6) and England (10.7) are higher, and New Zealand (5.4) is lower. At about 4,000 locations, there is one school for roughly every 10,400 Canadians.
What a Canadian school owner should take from this
- Canada behaves like the U.S. market: the same density, the same style mix led by karate, and one dominant region.
- Five provinces are under-served: Manitoba, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island have 3.3 to 5.4 schools per 100,000, against 10.2 in British Columbia.
- Muay Thai and kickboxing are significant competitors: together they have more listings than karate.
- Use the right number: about 4,000 schools, not a figure scaled down from the U.S. “76,000.”
Frequently asked questions
How many martial arts schools are there in Canada?
About 4,000 physical locations, within a range of 3,200 to 5,000. Business listings show 3,196 to 3,933 martial arts schools plus 707 martial arts clubs, depending on the provider.
Which province has the most martial arts schools?
Ontario, with 1,334 listings, or 42% of the national total. Per person, British Columbia leads with 10.2 schools per 100,000 residents.
Which martial arts style has the most schools in Canada?
Karate, with 709 listings, followed by kickboxing (552), taekwondo (399), jujitsu (324), Muay Thai (301) and judo (117), according to PoiData’s August 2025 counts.
How many BJJ gyms are there in Canada?
No national count exists. The Let’s Roll directory lists 329 BJJ gyms in Ontario alone, which suggests roughly 700 to 850 nationally if Ontario’s share matches its share of all martial arts listings.
How many martial arts schools are there per person in Canada?
About 7.6 per 100,000 people, the same rate as the United States, or roughly one school for every 10,400 Canadians at the best estimate of 4,000 locations.
Sources, and what we could not confirm
Listings: SmartScraper (Rentech Digital) “Martial arts school” and “Martial arts club” reports for Canada, April 1, 2026; PoiData Canada reports for martial arts schools and six style categories, August 2025; Let’s Roll BJJ directory (Ontario), October 2026. Population: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0009-01, July 1, 2026. Context: Canadian Industry Statistics counts 32,176 establishments in NAICS 6116, Other schools and instruction (2025), a category far broader than martial arts.
Not established: how many schools appear under more than one category; a national BJJ count; any MMA count. 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 Australia?
- How many martial arts schools are there in New Zealand?
- How many martial arts schools are there in the United Kingdom?
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.
