Between 402 and 433 million cases of acute pesticide poisoning occur among farmers and farmworkers worldwide every year, according to a new study.
Human poisoning by pesticides has long been recognised as a severe public health concern. Despite global efforts to reduce pesticide use, millions of people continue to experience serious health impacts, according to research published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health.
With a global farming population of approximately 934 million, researchers estimate that around 46% of farmers are affected each year.
They also warn that, despite two decades of international efforts to address the harms of pesticide use, global annual consumption has doubled since 1990, reaching 3.8 million tonnes in 2023.
“We can no longer accept that those who work in the fields and grow our food are exposed to harmful pesticides and become sick,” said Susan Haffmans, from Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Germany, the organisation that commissioned the report.
The hardest-hit countries are in southern Asia, followed by Southeast Asia and East Africa, with Burkina Faso recording the highest national rate at nearly 84% of farmers poisoned every year.
Europe is the only major region to see a decrease in pesticide consumption since 1990, which the authors attribute to strict regulatory efforts.
While these measures have kept the estimated annual fatalities very low, ranging from just 2 deaths in Western Europe to 60 in Eastern Europe, a significant burden of non-fatal poisoning persists among farmers and workers.
Southern Europe is the most affected sub-region, with a 32% poisoning rate and over 1.5 million estimated cases each year. In Western and Eastern Europe, rates are much lower at approximately 6%.
However, the researchers note that data for Eastern Europe is particularly thin, as it is currently represented only by Hungary, suggesting that the full extent of the regional burden may still be under-monitored.
Need to address data gaps
The authors call for urgent actions at the international, national, and research level, including better monitoring systems, improved training for professionals working with these substances, and implementing the United Nations target to phase out highly hazardous pesticides by 2035.
They warn, however, that such actions are hindered by a lack of available data, making it difficult to compare estimates across countries and pesticide use patterns.
“Underreporting remains widespread, driven by limited access to healthcare and a lack of clinical training or systems to recognise or record pesticide poisoning,” said Sheila Willis at PAN in the United Kingdom.
She added that, based on the new data, farmers must be supported to access safer alternatives to protect their health and that of their families.
