PARIS: The sperm count of French men is declining, according to a new study.

Researchers found that, between 1989 and 2005, the number of sperm in one millilitre of an average 35-year-old Frenchman's semen fell from about 74 million to about 50 million – a fall of 32%. However, the World Health Organisation defines anything over 15 million per millilitre as normal.