Crude suicide rates of a 15-year time series (1996–2010) were examined, followed by an ecological study using age-standardized suicide rates for the period 2006–2010. The unit of analysis was all 558 Brazilian micro-regions. Pesticide exposure was evaluated according to the proportion of farms that used pesticides and had reported cases of pesticide poisonings. The statistics were analysed using Pearson's correlation and multiple linear regression adjusted for socioeconomic, demographic and cultural factors.