Amid warnings about the rise of obesity in Iran, the deputy minister of sports says only one in five Iranians exercise.

"Based on the latest numbers, only one fifth of Iranians exercise and that’s for half an hour twice a week," Sina Kalhor said on Sunday.

He claims that while in other countries, between 55 and 60 percent of people do more organized forms of exercise, he said most people in Iran consider walking the only way to be active.

One of the most important reasons for the lack of exercise in Iran is access to sports facilities and activities. According to Kalhor, less than 15% of the population in urban and suburban areas have access to such facilities.

He further warned about the obesity of three to five million students, claiming the move to online study left an epidemic of inactive and obese students in its wake.

In recent years, experts have repeatedly warned about the level of obesity in Iran. Shahab Shahabi, director of the obesity clinic of Rasool Akram hospital, said on Friday that about four million people in Iran need weight-loss surgery.

Citing the numbers by the Iranian Ministry of Health, Shahabi noted that about two-thirds of people suffer from obesity and in the last 40 years, the number of people who became obese in Iran has increased more than fivefold.