A 1-year study of fatal injuries was carried out in 10 provinces of the Islamic Republic of Iran based on a population of 16 740 637 in 2000–01. All reported deaths were compared and validated with other sources of death registration. Out of 66 846 deaths, 9733 (58/100 000) resulted from injuries. Overall, 14.9% of all deaths with 26.9% of years of lost life were from injuries. Most fatal injuries were unintentional (48.0/100 000). Deaths from traffic injuries (30.0/100 000) are the highest in the world. Of 1693 intentional fatal injuries, 61% were due to suicide, at a mean age of 29 years.