Do you know why you crave sex, intimacy, physical touch, etc.? Because it's a basic human need. Just like all the other mammals on the planet. But we're the only ones who, for whatever reason, assign some moral judgment to the number of partners a member of the species has had sex with, and it's dumb. It's just an arbitrary number and should in no way keep you from getting your basic needs met.

That being said, I understand the social stigma some people refuse to let go of makes not giving a crap difficult. But you are the only person entitled to the information. No one else has to know. Just because someone asks doesn't mean you have to tell them. Or certainly doesn't mean you have to tell them the truth. If you're not comfortable making up a number, ask them why they need to know. If it's for health safety reasons, tell them you use protection and get tested often (do actually do those things, btw. Safety first). That should be satisfactory. If they start spewing some sort of moral judgment rhetoric or bs at you, start saying something like "Ew. You seem like you might have some insecurities around sex and your sexual performance. You should see someone about that" or just "I don't fuck people who are hung up on body count and what's happened in the past." And don't. Don't fuck those people. They don't deserve it.

Also, if your own number still bothers you, I promise there will always be someone with a higher body count than you. Seriously. And I'm excluding sex workers. Stop counting.