The official world records in the 5000 metres, or 5000-metre run, are held by Joshua Cheptegei with 12:35.36 for men and Gudaf Tsegay with 14:00.21 for women.
The first world record in the men's 5000 m was recognized by World Athletics (formerly called the International Association of Athletics Federations, or IAAF) in 1912. As of January 2024, 36 world records have been ratified by World Athletics in the event.[1]
The first world record in the women's 5000 m was recognized by the IAAF in 1981. As of January 2024, 16 world records have been ratified by the IAAF in the event.[1]
The chart is clipped at 12:00 (720 seconds), and magnified by 3 (three pixels height equal 1 second)<
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| Time | Athlete | Date | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16:34.6 | 1897-10-31 | Paris, France | ||
| 16:29.2 | 1899-05-22 | Lyon, France | ||
| 15:29.8 | 1900-07-22 | Paris, France | ||
| 14:59.0 | 1904-06-13 | Glasgow, United Kingdom |
| Ratified | ||
| Not ratified | ||
| Ratified but later rescinded | ||
| Pending ratification |
| Time | Athlete | Date | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14:36.6 | 1912-07-10 | Stockholm, Sweden | ||
| 14:35.4 | 1922-09-12 | Stockholm, Sweden | ||
| 14:28.2 | 1924-06-19 | Helsinki, Finland | ||
| 14:17.0 | 1932-06-19 | Helsinki, Finland | ||
| 14:08.8 | 1939-06-16 | Helsinki, Finland | ||
| 13:58.2 | 1942-09-20 | Gothenburg, Sweden | ||
| 13:57.2 | 1954-05-30 | Paris, France | ||
| 13:56.6 | 1954-08-29 | Bern, Switzerland | ||
| 13:51.6 | 1954-10-13 | London, United Kingdom | ||
| 13:51.2 | 1954-10-23 | Prague, Czechoslovakia | ||
| 13:50.8 | 1955-09-10 | Budapest, Hungary | ||
| 13:46.8 | 1955-09-18 | Belgrad, Yugoslavia | ||
| 13:40.6 | 1955-10-23 | Budapest, Hungary | ||
| 13:36.8 | 1956-06-19 | Bergen, Norway | ||
| 13:35.0 | 1957-10-13 | Rome, Italy | ||
| 13:34.8 | 1965-01-16 | Hobart, Australia | ||
| 13:33.6 | 1965-02-01 | Auckland, New Zealand | ||
| 13:25.8 | 1965-06-04 | Compton, USA | ||
| 13:24.2 | 1965-11-30 | Auckland, New Zealand | ||
| 13:16.6 | 1966-07-05 | Stockholm, Sweden | ||
| 13:16.4 | 1972-09-14 | Helsinki, Finland | ||
| 13:13.0 | 1972-09-20 | Brussels, Belgium | ||
| 13:12.9 | 1977-07-05 | Stockholm, Sweden | ||
| 13:08.4 | 1978-04-08 | Berkeley, California, USA | ||
| 13:06.20 | 1981-09-13 | Knarvik, Norway | ||
| 13:00.41 | 1982-07-07 | Oslo, Norway | ||
| 13:00.40 | 1985-07-27 | Oslo, Norway | ||
| 12:58.39 | 1987-07-27 | Rome, Italy | ||
| 12:56.96 | 1994-06-04 | Hengelo, Netherlands | ||
| 12:55.30 | 1995-06-08 | Rome, Italy | ||
| 12:44.39 | 1995-08-16 | Zürich, Switzerland | ||
| 12:41.86 | 1997-08-13 | Zürich, Switzerland | ||
| 12:39.74 | 1997-08-22 | Brussels, Belgium | ||
| 12:39.36 | 1998-06-13 | Helsinki, Finland | ||
| 12:37.35 | 2004-05-31 | Hengelo, Netherlands | ||
| 12:35.36 | 2020-08-14 | Monaco[2] |
Auto times to the hundredth of a second were accepted by the IAAF for events up to and including 10,000m from 1981.[1] Dick Quax's 13:12.9 from 1977 was recorded as 13:12.87 to the hundredth of a second.
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| Time | Athlete | Date | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16:17.4 | 1969-05-11 | Formia, Italy | ||
| 15:53.6 | 1969-09-02 | Milan, Italy | ||
| 15:41.4 | 1977-03-16 | Oradea, Romania | ||
| 15:37.0 | 1977-07-11 | Mainz, Germany | ||
| 15:35.52 | 1978-05-26 | Knoxville, United States | ||
| 15:33.8 | 1979-05-19 | Durham, United States | ||
| 15:30.6 | 1980-03-22 | Stanford, United States | ||
| 15:28.43 | 1981-07-11 | Oslo, Norway | ||
| 15:24.6 | 1981-09-06 | Podolsk, Soviet Union |
| Time | Athlete | Date | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15:14.51 | 1981-09-13 | Knarvik, Norway | ||
| 15:13.22 | 1982-03-17 | Auckland, New Zealand | ||
| 15:08.26 | 1982-06-05 | Eugene, Oregon, United States | ||
| 15:01.83 | 1984-01-05 | Stellenbosch, South Africa | ||
| 14:58.89 | 1984-06-28 | Oslo, Norway | ||
| 14:48.07 | 1985-08-26 | London, United Kingdom | ||
| 14:37.33 | 1986-08-05 | Stockholm, Sweden | ||
| 14:36.45 | 1995-07-22 | Hechtel, Belgium | ||
| 14:31.27 | 1997-10-21 | Shanghai, China | ||
| 14:28.09 | 1997-10-23 | Shanghai, China | ||
| 14:24.68 | 2004-06-11 | Bergen, Norway | ||
| 14:24.53 | 2006-06-03 | New York, United States | ||
| 14:16.63 | 2007-06-15 | Oslo, Norway | ||
| 14:11.15 | 2008-06-06 | Oslo, Norway | ||
| 14:06.62 | 2020-10-07 | Valencia, Spain | ||
| 14:05.20 | 2023-06-09 | Paris, France [3] | ||
| 14:00.21 | 2023-09-17 | Eugene, Oregon[4] |