The following table shows the European record progression in the men's 5000 metres running event, as ratified by the EAA.[1] [2]
| Time | Athlete | Nationality | Venue | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14:36.6 | Hannes Kolehmainen | Stockholm, Sweden | July 10, 1912 | ||
| 14:35.4 (a) | Paavo Nurmi | Stockholm, Sweden | September 12, 1922 | ||
| 14:28.2 | Paavo Nurmi | Helsinki, Finland | June 19, 1924 | ||
| 14:17.0 (b) | Lauri Lehtinen | Helsinki, Finland | June 19, 1932 | ||
| 14:08.8 | Taisto Mäki | Helsinki, Finland | June 16, 1939 | ||
| 13:58.2 (c) | Gunder Hägg | Gothenburg, Sweden | September 20, 1942 | ||
| 13:57.2 | Emil Zátopek | Paris, France | May 30, 1954 | ||
| 13:56.6 | Vladimir Kuts | Bern, Switzerland | August 29, 1954 | ||
| 13:51.6 | Christopher Chataway | London, England | October 13, 1954 | ||
| 13:51.2 | Vladimir Kuts | Prague, Czechoslovakia | October 23, 1954 | ||
| 13:50.8 | Sándor Iharos | Budapest, Hungary | September 10, 1955 | ||
| 13:46.8 | Vladimir Kuts | Belgrade, Yugoslavia | September 18, 1955 | ||
| 13:40.6 | Sándor Iharos | Budapest, Hungary | October 23, 1955 | ||
| 13:36.8 | Gordon Pirie | Bergen, Norway | June 19, 1956 | ||
| 13:35.0 | Vladimir Kuts | Rome, Italy | October 13, 1957 | ||
| 13:34.4 | Michel Jazy | Lorient, France | June 6, 1965 | ||
| 13:29.0 | Michel Jazy | Paris, France | June 11, 1965 | ||
| 13:27.6 | Michel Jazy | Helsinki, Finland | June 30, 1965 | ||
| 13:24.8 | Harald Norpoth | Cologne, West Germany | September 7, 1966 | ||
| 13:22.8 | Ian Stewart | Edinburgh, Scotland | July 25, 1970 | ||
| 13:22.2 | David Bedford | Edinburgh, Scotland | June 12, 1971 | ||
| 13:17.2 (d) | David Bedford | London, England | July 14, 1972 | ||
| 13:16.4 (e) | Lasse Virén | Helsinki, Finland | September 14, 1972 | ||
| 13:13.0 | Emiel Puttemans | Brussels, Belgium | September 20, 1972 |
(a) Timed at 14:35.3 but rounded for record ratification
(b) Timed at 14:16.9 but rounded for record ratification
(c) Timed at 13:58.1 but rounded for record ratification
(d) Timed at 13:17.21 but rounded for record ratification
(e) Timed at 13:16.3 but rounded for record ratification
| Ratified | ||
| Not ratified | ||
| Ratified but later rescinded | ||
| Pending ratification |
| Time | Athlete | Nationality | Venue | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13:10.40 | Hansjörg Kunze | Rieti, Italy | September 9, 1981 | ||
| 13:00.41 | David Moorcroft | Oslo, Norway | July 7, 1982 | ||
| 12:54.70 | Dieter Baumann | Zürich, Switzerland | August 13, 1997 | ||
| 12:49.71 | Mohammed Mourhit | Brussels, Belgium | August 26, 2000 | ||
| 12:48.45 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen | Florence, Italy | June 10, 2021 | ||
| 12:45.01 | Mohamed Katir | Fontvieille, Monaco | July 21, 2023 |