The men's 5000 metres event at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics was held in Bydgoszcz, Poland, at Zawisza Stadium on 13 July.
| Gold | Abreham Cherkos | |
| Silver | Mathew Kisorio | |
| Bronze | Degen Gebremskel |
13 July
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | align=left | | 13:08.57 | ||||
| align=left | align=left | | 13:11.57 | ||||
| align=left | align=left | | 13:11.97 | ||||
| 4 | align=left | align=left |  | 13:31.80 | |||
| 5 | align=left | align=left | 13:33.09 | ||||
| 6 | align=left | align=left | | 13:35.67 | |||
| 7 | align=left | align=left | | 13:41.89 | |||
| 8 | align=left | align=left | 13:50.29 | ||||
| 9 | align=left | align=left |  | 13:51.45 | |||
| 10 | align=left | align=left |  | 13:51.45 | |||
| 11 | align=left | align=left |  | 13:58.31 | |||
| 12 | align=left | align=left |  | 13:58.87 | |||
| 13 | align=left | align=left |  | 14:01.66 | |||
| 14 | align=left | align=left |  | 14:02.95 | |||
| 15 | align=left | align=left |  | 14:13.53 | |||
| 16 | align=left | align=left | | 14:30.16 |
According to an unofficial count, 16 athletes from 12 countries participated in the event.