The association between pesticide use and an increased suicide risk is a controversial issue. Previous studies have shown higher rates of suicide among agricultural workers and people living in small municipalities, but have not identified the causes of these results. 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.