Swimmers say the sport is not only great for fitness but also makes them look and feel good.
The survey by Speedo asked the views of 4,120 randomly selected adults living in the UK, USA, France and China who swim.
The vast majority (92%) said swimming was a stress reliever, while 84% said they found it to be more fun than other forms of exercise.
In terms of fitness, 86% said it gave them a better work out than other kinds of exercise, and 71% said they felt physically fitter after swimming than they did from doing different exercise.
What's more, swimmers were optimistic they would be swimming into their old age, with 73% saying it was the only sport that could be done for life.
And as if that wasn't incentive enough to start swimming, over three-quarters (76%) said regular swimming resulted in a better body than any other form of exercise.
Sean Hastings, Vice President of Product and Marketing at Speedo said; "This research reinforces the benefits of swimming over other types of exercise, which we hope will inspire more people to get in the pool and start swimming for fitness."
Ryan Lochte, Speedo ambassador and 11 time Olympic medallist says: "Swimming's a brilliant form of exercise and a great way to reach your fitness goals."
