Nearly Half of the World’s Farmers May Suffer Pesticide Poisoning Each Year

Nearly half of the world’s farmers and agricultural workers may suffer pesticide poisoning every year, according to a study that estimates about 11,000 people die from such exposure annually.

The research, commissioned by Pesticide Action Network and published in Frontiers in Public Health, examined publicly available data from 2006 to 2023. It estimated 402 million to 433 million cases of unintentional acute pesticide poisoning each year among agricultural workers.

With about 934 million people working in agriculture worldwide, the estimate represents roughly 46% of the sector’s workforce. South Asia had the highest estimated number of cases, followed by Southeast Asia and East Africa. Burkina Faso ranked first by rate, with nearly 84% of farmers and agricultural workers estimated to have experienced poisoning.

The study estimated that India accounts for almost 60% of the roughly 11,000 pesticide-related deaths each year. Jayakumar Chelaton, executive director of PAN India, called the findings “a crisis that can no longer be ignored.” The authors urged governments to follow United Nations recommendations to phase out highly hazardous pesticides.

Global pesticide use continues to rise. About 3.8 million tonnes were used in 2023, twice the amount recorded in 1990. Workers are mainly exposed while mixing or spraying chemicals, or through contact with treated crops, contaminated equipment or clothing. The study focused on short-term poisoning and did not assess long-term health effects or exposure among about 84 million children working in agriculture. Its authors also acknowledged gaps in the data and called for standardized systems to record and compare poisoning cases across countries.

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A crisis that can no longer be ignored.