LONDON (Reuters) - If you thought sagging hips, gray hair and wrinkles were sure to extinguish passion's flame, think again.

Age is no barrier to an active sex life and the over-40s are having as much fun in bed as their younger counterparts, according to a survey published on Thursday by Pfizer, which makes drugs including the impotence treatment Viagra.

Older Spaniards and Belgians topped the sex survey with more of them saying they had sex at least once a day than any other nationality.

Koreans hit another high with 90% saying sex was very, extremely or moderately important in their lives.

Trailing were Hong Kong, where only 38% felt sex was a big boon to their lives, and Japan, where just 21% said they had sex one to six times per week.

Worldwide, more than 80% of men and 60% of women aged 40 to 80 said sex was an important part of their lives when questioned for the Pfizer Global Study of Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors.

"It is refreshing to see that there is no clear end to the need for intimacy in later life, and that men and women around the world remain sexually active into their 70s," said Dr. Edward Laumann, a sociology professor from the University of Chicago who helped with the study.

And frequent sex has an added bonus, the survey of 26,000 people in 28 countries found.

Nearly 70% of those who said their physical relationship with their partner was very or extremely pleasurable also reported excellent health.

"We no longer dismiss the impact that sexual health has on a person's overall well-being--it's as important as diet and exercise," said Australian sex therapist Rosie King, who was involved in conducting the survey.

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