Only one in four adults are engaging in sufficient physical activity to meet recommended standards, according to government data released Thursday.

A community health survey conducted on some 230 thousand adults 19 years or older by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed just 26-point-six percent of adults last year conducted physical activity of moderate intensity or higher.

Moderate intensity activities include sports such as badminton, leisurely swimming or carrying light objects at least five times a week for 30 minutes.

Vigorous or high-intensity physical activities include engaging in more demanding workouts like running or climbing for longer than 20 minutes a day and more than three times a week.

The percentage of physical activity above moderate intensity plunged from 24-point-seven percent in 2019 to 19-point-eight percent in 2020 and 19-point-seven percent in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, before recovering to the current range, which is still considered low.

The data showed the rate of moderate to vigorous physical activity engagement in large cities was lower than that of rural areas, while the rate of exercise among men stood at over 30 percent, which is 10-point-seven percentage points higher than that of women at 19-point-five percent.

Jee Young-mee, the KDCA commissioner, said the rate of inactivity among adults is alarming, noting that while activity levels are improving post-pandemic, they remain severely low by global standards.