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Almost seven million people in the UK - 13 per cent - do not have someone they would call a close chum, up from one in 10 (10 per cent) when the same question was asked in 2014 and 2015, charities Relate and Relationships Scotland say. The charities' report, You're Not Alone - The Quality of the UK's Social Relationships, also found that almost half (45 per cent) of UK adults felt lonely at least some of the time and almost a fifth (18 per cent) felt lonely often or all of the time.

GETTY More than one in eight adults claim they feel lonely and don't have any close friends

Based on a survey of more than 5,000 people, the report found that almost one in six (17 per cent) said they never (5 per cent) or rarely (12 per cent) felt loved. On a positive note, the research found that 83 per cent of people in the UK enjoyed good relationships with their friends. The most commonly reported number of close friends is two or three, with 18 per cent of people selecting each, while 6 per cent of people feel they have more than 10 close friends.

GETTY One in six people said they had never felt loved

People from the East Midlands were the most likely to report having no close friends - 17 per cent or one in six, whereas people living in the South West were the least likely say this - 10 per cent or one in 10. People with no close friends are two-and-a-half times as likely to say they feel down, depressed or hopeless either often or all the time (31 per cent) as those with four or more close friends (13 per cent), according to the report.

GETTY Positive data showed 83 per cent of people in the UK enjoyed good relationships with friends

The Health Consequences of Loneliness Wed, March 1, 2017 Loneliness can have an affect on both our mind and physical well-being Play slideshow Getty Images 1 of 9 Depression and suicide

Making friends and keeping them isn't always easy: it can take time and effort that we don't always have to spare. Chief executive Chris Sherwood

Younger people were more likely to report feeling lonely than older people, with almost two-thirds (65 per cent) of 16- to 24-year-olds saying they felt lonely at least some of the time, while almost a third (32 per cent) felt lonely often or all the time. Among people aged 65 or over, 32 per cent said they felt lonely at least sometimes and 11 per cent felt lonely often or all the time. Relate said it was concerned that increased dependence on social media, lack of work/life balance and the pressures of bringing up children could be affecting people's friendships.

Chief executive Chris Sherwood said: "It's often said that we should be able to count our true friends on one hand but it's very concerning that so many people feel they don't have a single friend they can rely on. "Making friends and keeping them isn't always easy: it can take time and effort that we don't always have to spare.

GETTY 11 per cent of people aged 65 or over claimed they felt lonely often or all the time