The following table shows the men's heptathlon world record progression starting in 1970 and ratified by IAAF from 1986.[1]
| Athlete | Venue | Date | Points | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | align=left | March 7, 1970 | 5429 | |||
| align=left | align=left | March 6, 1971 | 5563 | |||
| align=left | align=left | March 4, 1972 | 5716 | |||
| align=left | align=left | February 1, 1976 | 5724 | |||
| align=left | align=left | January 29, 1978 | 5860 | |||
| align=left | align=left | February 18, 1979 | 5934 | |||
| align=left | align=left | March 2, 1980 | 6013 | |||
| align=left | align=left | February 20, 1982 | 6144 | |||
| align=left | align=left | February 15, 1986 | 6163 | |||
| align=left | align=left | February 12, 1989 | 6241 | |||
| align=left | align=left | February 11, 1990 | 6273 | |||
| align=left | align=left | February 2, 1992 | 6273 | |||
| align=left | align=left | February 29, 1992 | 6418 | |||
| align=left | align=left | March 14, 1993 | 6476 | |||
| align=left | align=left | March 13, 2010 | 6499 | |||
| align=left | align=left | February 6, 2011 | 6568 | |||
| align=left | align=left | March 10, 2012 | 6645 |