Extent of sexual harassment and violence revealed in Australian Bureau of Statistics data

And one in five women have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15, according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics released on August 23.

The data is the result of a 2021-22 survey about men and women's experience of violence since the age of 15 by the ABS.

Young women aged 18 to 24 were the most likely to be sexually harassed and 12 per cent had experienced sexual violence in the past two years.

Sexual violence was classified as sexual assault that occurred, was threatened or attempted.

"We have found that an estimated two million women have experienced sexual violence by a man they knew, and around 600,000 by a male stranger," ABS head of crime and justice statistics Will Milne said.

The survey defined sexual harassment as behaviours that made the person feel uncomfortable and were offensive due to their sexual nature.

It found women were more likely to experience sexual harassment from someone they knew rather than a stranger with many incidents related to their work.

"The survey found an estimated 330,000 women were sexually harassed by someone who they had a work or professional relationship with, and 320,000 experienced it in person at their workplace," Mr Milne said.

Most widely experienced by women were inappropriate comments about their body or sex life, but other examples included indecent exposure, unwanted touching and indecent messages.

Men were also represented in the statistics with nearly half a million men experiencing sexual harassment in 2021-22.

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"We would like to thank those who took part in this survey by sharing their experiences and helping inform our understanding of sexual harassment in Australia."

The personal safety survey also investigated Australians' general feelings of safety after dark while using public transport, walking alone and at home.