| Country: | Croatia |
| Dates: | 2 December – 14 December |
| Num Teams: | 24 |
| Count: | 1 |
| Previous: | 2001 World Women's Handball Championship |
| Next: | 2005 World Women's Handball Championship |
The 2003 World Women's Handball Championship, the 16th handball world championship for women, was played in Croatia between 2 and 14 December 2003.
The following nations were qualified:
Top two teams from each group advanced to the Semifinals. The third placed teams from each group competed in the 5th/6th placement match.
In Zagreb
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2003 Women's World Champions  France First Title
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| Rank | Name | Team | % | Saves | Shots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joanne Dudziak | 47% | 57 | 122 | |
| 2 | Heidi Tjugum | 46% | 66 | 145 | |
| 3 | Cecilie Leganger | 43% | 89 | 207 | |
| Lene Rantala | 21 | 49 | |||
| 5 | Katalin Pálinger | 42% | 141 | 336 | |
| 6 | Tatiana Alizar | 41% | 58 | 141 | |
| 7 | Ildiko Barbu | 40% | 34 | 84 | |
| Irina Sirina | 30 | 75 | |||
| 9 | Luminita Dinu | 39% | 93 | 239 | |
| Valérie Nicolas | 103 | 262 |
| Rank | Name | Team | Goals | Shots | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bojana Radulović | 97 | 170 | 57% | ||
| 2 | Olena Tsyhytsia | 66 | 120 | 55% | ||
| 3 | Bojana Petrović | 58 | 104 | 56% | ||
| 4 | Susana Fraile Celaya | 50 | 116 | 43% | ||
| 5 | Zsuzsanna Lovasz | 48 | 68 | 71% | ||
| 6 | Montserrat Puche Díaz | 47 | 84 | 56% | ||
| 7 | Grit Jurack | 46 | 90 | 51% | ||
| 8 | Woo Sun-Hee | 45 | 75 | 60% | ||
| 9 | Ausra Fridrikas | 45 | 82 | 55% | ||
| 10 | Elodie Mambo | 43 | 86 | 50% |
The total average number of shots and throws taken in the preliminary round was 51.79 with a shot efficacy of 52.46%. The greatest efficacy was acquired by shots at the goal line (70%). Teams won on average 4.58 penalty (7m) throws. The winning teams took on average 3.55 shots more that the defeated teams. Defeated teams were also 17.98% less efficient than the winning ones, not only in goal-scoring but also in number and efficacy of the fast breaks and assists.
| Gold | Silver | Bronze | |