Nearly half the world's farm workers are poisoned by pesticides each year, study finds

Between 402 and 433 million farmers and farm workers suffer unintentional acute pesticide poisoning each year, according to research published in Frontiers in Public Health on 2 September 2026.

The study, conducted by experts from the Pesticide Action Network, analysed data from 2006–2023 across 139 countries. It estimated that pesticide poisoning kills approximately 11,000 people per year. Almost 60% of those deaths occur in India.

The estimated annual number of poisonings is equivalent to approximately 46% of the world’s agricultural population, which is formed by approximately 934 million people. The findings point to a far larger burden than the cases documented in published research.

A scientific literature analysis included a total of 214 articles covering 62 countries. Those publications documented 369,632 cases, consisting of 360,450 non-fatal poisonings and 9,182 deaths.

The highest estimated number of poisonings was detected in South Asia. Non-fatal poisoning in Southern Asia was estimated at nearly 214 million annual cases among farmers and agricultural workers.

South-eastern Asia accounted for about 61 million cases of non-fatal poisoning among farmers and agricultural workers. Eastern Africa accounted for an estimated 49 million cases.

India produced the largest national estimate, with approximately 169 million cases of poisoning. The estimate was based on an average poisoning prevalence of about 74% across 11 publications and a farming population of roughly 230 million.

Burkina Faso in West Africa had the highest national incidence of cases. Almost 84% of its farmers and farm workers were estimated to suffer some poisoning.

The researchers examined peer-reviewed literature and mortality records from the World Health Organization. The study sought to measure the global burden of unintentional acute pesticide poisoning among people working in agriculture and beyond it.

The research did not account for pesticide exposure among an estimated 84 million children working in agriculture. It also did not account for long-term health effects of pesticide exposure.