Half of all Australian women say they have been sexually harassed, and sexual violence remains stubbornly prevalent in Australian society, the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows.

The Personal Safety Survey, undertaken three times since 2005, comes after a global sexual harassment scandal has engulfed dozens of high-profile and powerful men, including filmmakers Harvey Weinstein, Brett Ratner and James Toback, and actors Dustin Hoffman and Kevin Spacey.

The survey of 21,000 men and women - who were asked about their experience of violence, harassment, stalking and emotional abuse - is considered a more complete picture of violence than police data as it includes incidents often not reported to authorities.

"Sometimes we're the first people they've told about their experiences," the ABS's program manager for household surveys, Michelle Marquardt, said.