# 5000 metres world record progression

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.
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.

## Men
### Pre-World Athletics

| Time | Athlete | Date | Location |
| 16:34.6 | George Touquet-Daunis (FRA) | 1897-10-31 | Paris, France |
| 16:29.2 | George Touquet-Daunis (FRA) | 1899-05-22 | Lyon, France |
| 15:29.8 | Charles Bennett (GBR) | 1900-07-22 | Paris, France |
| 14:59.0 | Alfred Shrubb (GBR) | 1904-06-13 | Glasgow, United Kingdom |

### World Athletics era

* Ratified
* Not ratified
* Ratified but later rescinded
* Pending ratification
| Time | Athlete | Date | Location |
| 14:36.6 | Hannes Kolehmainen (FIN) | 1912-07-10 | Stockholm, Sweden |
| 14:35.4 | Paavo Nurmi (FIN) | 1922-09-12 | Stockholm, Sweden |
| 14:28.2 | Paavo Nurmi (FIN) | 1924-06-19 | Helsinki, Finland |
| 14:17.0 | Lauri Lehtinen (FIN) | 1932-06-19 | Helsinki, Finland |
| 14:08.8 | Taisto Mäki (FIN) | 1939-06-16 | Helsinki, Finland |
| 13:58.2 | Gunder Hägg (SWE) | 1942-09-20 | Gothenburg, Sweden |
| 13:57.2 | Emil Zátopek (TCH) | 1954-05-30 | Paris, France |
| 13:56.6 | Vladimir Kuts (URS) | 1954-08-29 | Bern, Switzerland |
| 13:51.6 | Chris Chataway (GBR) | 1954-10-13 | London, United Kingdom |
| 13:51.2 | Vladimir Kuts (URS) | 1954-10-23 | Prague, Czechoslovakia |
| 13:50.8 | Sandor Iharos (HUN) | 1955-09-10 | Budapest, Hungary |
| 13:46.8 | Vladimir Kuts (URS) | 1955-09-18 | Belgrade, Yugoslavia |
| 13:40.6 | Sandor Iharos (HUN) | 1955-10-23 | Budapest, Hungary |
| 13:36.8 | Gordon Pirie (GBR) | 1956-06-19 | Bergen, Norway |
| 13:35.0 | Vladimir Kuts (URS) | 1957-10-13 | Rome, Italy |
| 13:34.8 | Ron Clarke (AUS) | 1965-01-16 | Hobart, Australia |
| 13:33.6 | Ron Clarke (AUS) | 1965-02-01 | Auckland, New Zealand |
| 13:25.8 | Ron Clarke (AUS) | 1965-06-04 | Compton, USA |
| 13:24.2 | Kipchoge Keino (KEN) | 1965-11-30 | Auckland, New Zealand |
| 13:16.6 | Ron Clarke (AUS) | 1966-07-05 | Stockholm, Sweden |
| 13:16.4 | Lasse Virén (FIN) | 1972-09-14 | Helsinki, Finland |
| 13:13.0 | Emiel Puttemans (BEL) | 1972-09-20 | Brussels, Belgium |
| 13:12.9 | Dick Quax (NZL) | 1977-07-05 | Stockholm, Sweden |
| 13:08.4 | Henry Rono (KEN) | 1978-04-08 | Berkeley, California, USA |
| 13:06.20 | Henry Rono (KEN) | 1981-09-13 | Knarvik, Norway |
| 13:00.41 | David Moorcroft (GBR) | 1982-07-07 | Oslo, Norway |
| 13:00.40 | Saïd Aouita (MAR) | 1985-07-27 | Oslo, Norway |
| 12:58.39 | Saïd Aouita (MAR) | 1987-07-27 | Rome, Italy |
| 12:56.96 | Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) | 1994-06-04 | Hengelo, Netherlands |
| 12:55.30 | Moses Kiptanui (KEN) | 1995-06-08 | Rome, Italy |
| 12:44.39 | Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) | 1995-08-16 | Zürich, Switzerland |
| 12:41.86 | Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) | 1997-08-13 | Zürich, Switzerland |
| 12:39.74 | Daniel Komen (KEN) | 1997-08-22 | Brussels, Belgium |
| 12:39.36 | Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) | 1998-06-13 | Helsinki, Finland |
| 12:37.35 | Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) | 2004-05-31 | Hengelo, Netherlands |
| 12:35.36 | Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) | 2020-08-14 | Monaco |
Auto times to the hundredth of a second were accepted by the IAAF for events up to and including 10,000m from 1981. Dick Quax's 13:12.9 from 1977 was recorded as 13:12.87 to the hundredth of a second.

## Women
### Pre-recognition

| Time | Athlete | Date | Location |
| 16:17.4 | Paola Pigni (ITA) | 1969-05-11 | Formia, Italy |
| 15:53.6 | Paola Pigni (ITA) | 1969-09-02 | Milan, Italy |
| 15:41.4 | Natalia Mărășescu (ROM) | 1977-03-16 | Oradea, Romania |
| 15:37.0 | Janice Merrill (USA) | 1977-07-11 | Mainz, Germany |
| 15:35.52 | Kathy Mills (USA) | 1978-05-26 | Knoxville, United States |
| 15:33.8 | Janice Merrill (USA) | 1979-05-19 | Durham, United States |
| 15:30.6 | Janice Merrill (USA) | 1980-03-22 | Stanford, United States |
| 15:28.43 | Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR) | 1981-07-11 | Oslo, Norway |
| 15:24.6 | Yelena Sipatova (URS) | 1981-09-06 | Podolsk, Soviet Union |

### World Athletics world records

| Time | Athlete | Date | Location |
| 15:14.51 | Paula Fudge (GBR) | 1981-09-13 | Knarvik, Norway |
| 15:13.22 | Anne Audain (NZL) | 1982-03-17 | Auckland, New Zealand |
| 15:08.26 | Mary Tabb (USA) | 1982-06-05 | Eugene, Oregon, United States |
| 15:01.83 | Zola Budd (RSA) | 1984-01-05 | Stellenbosch, South Africa |
| 14:58.89 | Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR) | 1984-06-28 | Oslo, Norway |
| 14:48.07 | Zola Budd (GBR) | 1985-08-26 | London, United Kingdom |
| 14:37.33 | Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR) | 1986-08-05 | Stockholm, Sweden |
| 14:36.45 | Fernanda Ribeiro (POR) | 1995-07-22 | Hechtel, Belgium |
| 14:31.27 | Dong Yanmei (CHN) | 1997-10-21 | Shanghai, China |
| 14:28.09 | Jiang Bo (CHN) | 1997-10-23 | Shanghai, China |
| 14:24.68 | Elvan Abeylegesse (TUR) | 2004-06-11 | Bergen, Norway |
| 14:24.53 | Meseret Defar (ETH) | 2006-06-03 | New York, United States |
| 14:16.63 | Meseret Defar (ETH) | 2007-06-15 | Oslo, Norway |
| 14:11.15 | Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) | 2008-06-06 | Oslo, Norway |
| 14:06.62 | Letesenbet Gidey (ETH) | 2020-10-07 | Valencia, Spain |
| 14:05.20 | Faith Kipyegon (KEN) | 2023-06-09 | Paris, France |
| 14:00.21 | Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) | 2023-09-17 | Eugene, Oregon |
* ↑ Time was rejected as South Africa was suspended from IAAF membership.