U.S. and global reference
Useful numbers for writers, educators, and adults considering a martial arts practice. Each statistic names its source and the period the data describes.
Key statistics at a glance
United States
How many adults meet the activity benchmark?
Federal guidance calls for a weekly mix of aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity. The newest national estimate in this collection found that 22.5% of U.S. adults age 25 and older met both parts of that benchmark in 2022. The estimate comes from household interviews in the National Health Interview Survey.
Sources: CDC’s 2022 estimate and CDC’s 2020 National Health Interview Survey summary.
Martial arts participation
A national adult martial arts baseline
Comparable national participation counts for individual martial arts are limited. A peer-reviewed analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data gives a useful historical baseline for adult martial arts activity in the United States. Because the source covers 1999 through 2006, these numbers describe that period, not current enrollment.
Global context
Physical inactivity remains a broad adult challenge
The World Health Organization estimated that 31% of adults worldwide did not meet recommended activity levels in 2022. Its analysis found a gap by sex: 34% of women and 29% of men fell short of the recommendation. Those figures make accessible, sustainable ways to move a meaningful part of the wider picture.
Source: World Health Organization, global physical activity estimates for 2022.
Sources and method
How to use this page
This page brings together the most relevant publicly available figures for adult martial arts and physical activity. Statistics are presented with the geography and date used by the original source. They are not estimates of Virginia Dojo enrollment, the effects of a particular class, or a prediction of individual results.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018
- CDC, National Health Interview Survey, 2020
- CDC, National Health Interview Survey, 2022
- World Health Organization, 2022 data, published 2024
- American Journal of Preventive Medicine, NHANES 1999–2006
Cite this page
Virginia Dojo. “Martial Arts & Adult Fitness Statistics.” Updated October 13, 2026. https://alexandriakaratedojo.us/resources/martial-arts-statistics.
Practice for real life
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