More than a quarter of men over the age of 85 had sex in the past year, a study has revealed.

However, just 10 per cent of women had intercourse in the same period, researchers found.

Women find it increasingly difficult to find love as they age, because they live longer than men and outnumber them - leaving them with fewer potential partners to choose from.

And unsurprisingly, the study revealed men have higher sex drives than women in later years.

More than a quarter of men over the age of 85 had sex in the past year, compared to 10 per cent of women, a study has found. Graph shows the percentage of people in each age group from 66 to over 85 that have engaged in sexual activity in the past year

More than 30 per cent of men aged 76 - 80 said they thought about sex at least once a week, compared to just 7 per cent of women.

But while older men were more than twice as likely to think about sex than women, those females who did think about intercourse regularly were more likely to engage in sexual activity - regardless of ill health.

The report, by the think tank International Longevity Centre (ILC), explored the intimate lives of pensioners, using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

It found 60 per cent of men age 65 and 37 per cent of women engaged in sexual activity in the past year.

Among them, half reported having sex in the past month.

More than 30 per cent of men aged 76 - 80 thought about sex at least once a week, the study found. Graph shows how often older men thought about sex during the past month - from never to at daily

Graph shows how often older women thought about sex during the past month. Only 7 per cent of women aged 76 - 80 thought about intercourse once a week

Yet despite the majority of older people engaging in sexual activity, the subject is rarely researched or discussed.

Cesira Urzì Brancati, a research fellow at the International Longevity Centre, said: 'Romantic relationships are a fundamental part of people’s life – not just at a young age, but throughout the life-course.

'And yet sexuality among older people is understudied at best, and neglected at worst.'

The report, ‘Finding Love in Later Life’, also examined whether people aged 50 and over are likely to remarry after experiencing divorce and widowhood.

It found that nearly two thirds of divorcees and three quarters of widowers aged over 50 are women, leaving heterosexual women with far fewer men to choose from.

Indeed, only a tiny proportion of unmarried older people (approximately 1 in 20) begins a new relationship after divorce or widowhood, researchers found.

This reveals the chance of divorced people (left bar) and those in widowhood (right bar) finding a new partner

Yet, at least half of all older people still regularly think about sex - suggesting they would like to find a partner.

With an ageing population, Ms Brancati suggested helping couples find love and companionship would reduce loneliness, which can have drastic health implications.

Last year, a University of Chicago study found loneliness is twice as bad as obesity for killing us early.

Researchers found those who feel the most isolated in later life are almost 15 per cent more likely to die early than those who feel the most wanted and needed.

She called for initiatives to help elderly people find companionship.

Ms Bracanti said: ‘While only a tiny proportion of unmarried older people (approximately 1 in 20) begins a new relationship after divorce or widowhood, at least half of all older people still think about sexual activity on a regular basis.