Bloemfontein - South African men are having far less sex than their counterparts around the world, according to a survey released on Tuesday.

Men in the country have sex on average 52 times a year, Pharma Dynamics found in its survey.

This paled in comparison to the global average of 104 times a year.

Over 500 men between the ages of 18 and 55, involved in a committed relationship, participated in the pharmaceutical company's national survey.

Twenty-two percent of the country's men had sex less often than three times a month, while 16 percent were considered to be in a sexless relationship.

Company spokeswoman Mariska van Aswegen said men blamed everything from the economy, mounting work pressure, and the distraction of social media for their lack of sex.

"It's a fallacy that men are always up to the task. Stress and anxiety activates the survival system of the body and inhibits libido," she said.

A total of 23 percent of men surveyed admitted suffering from erectile dysfunction (ED), 12 percent of them saying they had lived with the condition for several years.

"Currently [according to urologists], it affects more than 40 percent of SA men and urologists confirm that the condition is much more common than a decade or two ago," Van Aswegen said.

"When asked how often SA doctors treated ED in their practice, 80 percent of them said more than 10 times a month -- a steep increase from a few years ago."

The survey found seven percent of men took ED medication recreationally to boost their sexual performance, even though they did not need it.

Van Aswegen said this was dangerous as it could lead to drug dependence and could cause ED problems.

It was usually younger men who misused ED drugs, she said.

According to the survey, modern technology was behind the downward trend in sexual activity in South Africa.

People were taking their tablets and smartphones into the bedroom.

Thirty-four percent of the men surveyed admitted to doing this, and 51 percent said their partner did it too.

"These days people touch their smartphones more than they touch their partners," said Van Aswegen.

"The fact that work comes into our home now blurs the line between the bedroom and the outside world."

SAPA