Table 1

Estimates and plausible ranges of pesticide suicides in each of WHO's six regions

Region

Stratum

Population (millions) (source: [1])

Total suicides (source: [1])

Pesticide suicides (% of all suicides)

Plausible range of pesticide suicides

Sources

Africa

D

311

15,000

4,950 (33%)

3,300 to 6, 900^†

[22]

E

361

19,000

2,850 (15%)

1,900 to 15,010

[23] [24] [25]

Sub-total (Africa)

34,000

7,800 (22.9%)

5,200 to 21,910

The Americas

A

336

35,000

25 (0.07%)

14 to 35^†

[26]

B

445

26,000

2,860 (11%)

1,820 to 8,060

[27] [33] [36]

D

74

2,000

220 (11%)

140 to 620

[27] [33] [36]

Sub-total (the Americas)

63,000

3,105 (4.9%)

1,974 to 8,715

Eastern Mediterranean

B

143

9,000

629 (7%)

501 to 772^†

[38]

D

360

25,000

5,000 (20%)

4,000 to 6,250^†

[41]

Sub-total (E. Med.)

34,000

5,629 (16.5%)

4,501 to 7,022

Europe

A

415

48,000

2,400 (5%)

14 to 4,800

[46] [47] [48] [50]

B

223

23,000

920 (4%)

18 to 1,610

[52] [53] [54] [55] [56]

C

240

92,000

2,760 (3%)

1,840 to 2,760^†

[57]

Sub-total (Europe)

163,000

6,080 (3.7%)

1,872 to 9,170

South East Asia

B

298

37,000

9,250 (25%)

5,920 to 19,980

[62] [63]

D

1,293

209,000

41,800 (20%)

41,800 to 62,700

Table 2 and [58]

Sub-total (SE Asia)

246,000

51,050 (20.7%)

47,720 to 82,680

Western Pacific

A

155

35,000

1,050 (3%)

1,050 to 1,050

[68]

B

1,562

296,000

183,520 (62%)

171,680 to 195,360

[70]

Sub-total (W Pacific)

331,000

184,570 (55.8%)

172,730 to 196,410

Overall Total

6,225

873,000

258,234 (30%)

233,997 (27%) to 325,907 (37%)

Total including more realistic estimate for total and pesticide suicides in SE Asia – D (n = 504,800)*

1,181,200

371,594 (31%)

347,357 (29%) to 439,267 (37%)

*Assuming 30% of these are due to pesticides.

^†Plausible range based on 95% confidence intervals around the proportion of suicides due to pesticides in the country whose data were used for estimate in this stratum

Gunnell et al. BMC Public Health 2007 7:357   doi:10.1186/1471-2458-7-357