The crystal structure of one form of RbIO3 has been determined. The crystals are rhombohedral, a= 4-5377 (4) A,, ~= 89.71 (1) ° space group R3m. Refinement on 923 observed reflexions reached R= 2.3 %.The structure is a distortion of the perovskite structure in which the environment of the iodine atom is unsymmetrical with three near oxygen atoms (I-O 1.807 A,, O-I-O 99.63 °) and three at a further distance (I-O 2.753 A,). The rubidium ion has twelve neighbours, Rb-O between 3.103 and 3-377 ,~; Revised unit-cell dimensions are presented for KIOa, fl-RbIOa, CsIO3, AgIO3 and TIIO3.