Average Briton has sex 149 times a year

May 30, 2003

A poll by Durex has found adults in the UK have sex on average 149 times a year. It works out at just under 2.9 times a week - making the UK the fifth most amorous nation out of 22 surveyed.

The most lovestruck are the French who have sex 167 times a year, followed by the Dutch (158), the Danes (152) and Canadians (150). The Global Sex Survey was compiled by using questionnaire answers from 50,000 people - 3,500 in the UK - through its websites worldwide. Americans are more reserved than the British when it comes to sex, with the average adult claiming to make love 138 times a year, followed by New Zealanders (135), and the Spanish (121). Bottom of the list of 22 nations was Singapore where adults say they have sex 110 times a year. Just under three-quarters of Britons fantasise about having sex with a celebrity, with Brad Pitt topping the list for women at 33% and Kylie Minogue the number one celebrity for men with 18% of the votes. John Flaherty, Durex marketing manager, said: "It's great to hear the Brits are having a fun sex life, but we need to ensure it's a healthy one too."

Other results from the UK section of the survey found 49% of men fantasise about sex with their best friend's partner, and 16% of women think about sex with their boss. On a serious note, 68% think HIV/Aids is an important problem in the UK although 39% claim to have had unprotected sex with a new partner in the last year.