An average man has nine sexual partners in his entire life, compared to women, who have four, a new study has revealed. The Health Survey for England found that men reported having 9.3 different partners on average, with a quarter of men boasting of more than 10 conquests.

However, a third of those questioned admitted they were only estimating the number of notches on their bedposts, the Telegraph reported.

On the other hand, women had a mean average of 4.7 sexual partners in their lives so far, with a quarter having just one. They were most probably more certain of the number of lovers they had had.

According to the study, more women than men reported having sexual intercourse with only one partner of the opposite sex in their lifetime (24 per cent of women compared with 17 per cent of men), and conversely more men than women reported having sexual intercourse with 10 or more partners of the opposite sex (27 per cent of men and 13 per cent of women).

Among older women, monogamy was even more prevalent with 40 per cent of those aged between 55 and 69 asserting that they have only had one sexual partner ever.