Nearly two-thirds of Egyptian men admit to having sexually harassed women in the most populous Arab country and a majority say women themselves are to blame for their maltreatment, a survey shows.

The forms of harassment reported by Egyptian men, whose country attracts millions of foreign tourists each year, include touching or ogling women, shouting sexually explicit remarks, and exposing their genitals to women.

"Sexual harassment has become an overwhelming and very real problem experienced by all women in Egyptian society, often on a daily basis," the report by the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights said.

Egyptian women and female visitors frequently complain of persistent sexual harassment on Egyptian streets, despite the socially conservative nature of the traditional Muslim society.

The behaviour could have repercussions for Egypt's tourism industry, a major foreign income earner, with 98 per cent of foreign women saying they had experienced harassment in the country, the survey said.

The survey of more than 2,000 Egyptian men and women, as well as 109 foreign women, says the vast majority of Egyptians believe that sexual harassment in Egypt is on the rise, citing a worsening economic situation and a lack of awareness or religious values.

- Reuters