The world's sexiest nationalities revealed

Irish actor Aidan Turner plays the title role in the BBC series Poldark. Photo / Supplied

According to a new poll, the sexiest men in the world are Irish.

The research, carried out by travel dating site Miss Travel surveyed over 66,000 American women about their taste in foreign men.

The results showed that nearly 8000 women chose Irish men as the hottest in the world, closely followed by Australians, with Pakistani men in third place.

Women surveyed said accents were a strong factor in who they considered attractive.

Popular Irish actors like Colin Farrell, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Dornan, Aidan Turner and Jonathan Rhys Meyers may have also contributed to the trend.

The results came just weeks after exclusive dating website Beautiful People said that fewer then one in 10 Irish men had their profiles accepted on the site.

Kiwi men did not make the list, but it's the second year running that Irish men have come out on top.

The survey also asked 44,873 men about their taste in women, with Armenians topping the list - most likely due to the influence of Armenian-American Kim Kardashian.

Unlike their male counterparts, Irish women did not feature on the list.

Top ten sexiest nationalities for men

1. Irish
2. Australian
3. Pakistani
4. American
5. English
6. Scottish
7. Italian
8. Nigerian
9. Danish
10. Spanish

Top ten sexiest nationalities for women

1. Armenian
2. Barbadian/Bajan
3. American
4. Colombian
5. English
6. Australian
7. Brazillian
8. Filipino
9. Bulgarian
10. Lebanese

- nzherald.co.nz