The epidemiology of suicide in India from 1975-1994 was explored, with data on suicide rates by gender, the methods used for suicide, & the officially recorded motives for suicide. In 1991, the Indian suicide rate was 9.2/100,000, with a male rate of 10.6 & a female rate of 7.9. The most common methods were poisoning & hanging. The only predictor of regional variation was population density, while the time-series rate was predicted by female participation in the labour force & fertility.