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5 years is the average length of time it takes to earn a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.
A normal person who trains 2-3 times per week should expect to earn a purple belt after about 5 years of training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Of course, some earn their purple belt faster (as quickly as 2-3 years), and others do it slower (9 or more years).
Those who get it fastest are usually younger and athletic, able to train more often than usual (5 or more classes per week), and tend to be active competitors. They often also have backgrounds in other martial arts or combat sports like wrestling or judo.
Those who take longer likely took time off from training, perhaps due to injury, losing interest in BJJ, life changes like having a baby, moving away for their BJJ school, or switching to different schools.
Per the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF), the world’s largest BJJ organization, a student must be a blue belt for at least 2 years before they can be promoted to purple belt. That’s considered a minimum time requirement, but the decision is ultimately the instructor’s to promote faster or slower.
The IBJJF also requires that the student be at least 16 years old before being promoted to purple belt. An instructor can also choose to have a kid with a green belt skip blue belt and go straight to purple when they are old enough.
The best data on promotion timelines come from a 2011 survey of 1500+ jiu-jiteiros that you can read here: How long it takes to get a black belt
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