BACKGROUND: Despite the growing recognition of the global burden of psychiatric disease, there are questions about the strength of the evidence base from non-Western societies. AIMS: To compare the contribution of Euro-American countries and the rest of the world (RoW) to psychiatric literature. METHOD: Survey of the country of origin of papers submitted to and published in six leading psychiatric journals over a 3-year period (1996-1998). RESULTS: Only 6% of the literature is published from regions of the world that account for over 90% of global population. The three journals published in Europe had a significantly higher proportion of international articles when compared to the three American journals. Less than 1% of all published articles described mental health interventions in the ROW: Acceptance rates were significantly lower for papers submitted from the ROW: CONCLUSIONS: There is a gross under-representation of research from the ROW: This has implications for the development of a truly international psychiatry.