The chiselled good looks of Irish-born celebrities such as Michael Fassbender, Colin Farrell and Cillian Murphy are the exception to the rule, according to an international dating site that has again ranked men from Ireland the ugliest in the world.

Fewer than one in 10 single Irish males who applied to put their profiles on elitist site beautifulpeople.com last year were accepted.

But there's better news for Irish women, who have scored their best ever rating after being voted the ninth best-looking nationality out of 21.

Analysis of last year's statistics found that Sweden is judged to be home to the planet's best-looking men, while Norway has the bragging rights to the world's hottest babes.

The LA-based site, which has a worldwide membership of more than five million, makes no apology for only accepting the globe's best-looking singles.

There is some small consolation for Irish men, who get to share last place in the handsome table with the UK and Poland.

Greg Hodge, who runs the site, said he believes Irish men could fare better if they made more effort with their profile pictures before applying.

"A topless selfie shot in a seedy room or an image of them at the pub, pint in hand, does not go down well with women. Men are not just selling themselves, they are selling a lifestyle," he said.

"A polished image showing an interesting lifestyle would greatly improve their acceptance rates."

Further analysis of the Irish statistics on beautifulpeople.com revealed that applicants from Dublin, both male and female, had the highest acceptance rates on the site, while romance-hunters from Limerick were most likely to be rejected.

Nick Bramhill, Herald

Herald