A 25-year autopsy study (1972-1997) of acute poisoning deaths from a tertiary care hospital in northern India (Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh) revealed a steep increase in the incidence of acute poisoning since 1987. The majority (68%) of subjects were between the ages of 14 and 30 years, and there was a male preponderance (69%). The main victims were students and unemployed youths, followed by agricultural workers and domestic workers. The proportion of urban victims increased from 45% in the period from 1972 to 1977 to 72% in the period from 1992 to 1997. The proportion of suicidal deaths increased from 34% in the period from 1972 to 1977 to 77% in the period from 1992 to 1997, whereas accidental deaths decreased from 63% to 17% in the same period. Barbiturates (37%) and copper sulfate (22%) were the most common poisons causing mortality between 1972 and 1977; organophosphates (46%) became the most common between 1977 and 1982. Since 1982, aluminum phosphide (65%) has been the most common poison.