# List of World Championships records in swimming

Below is a list of current championship (or "meet") records for the two World Championships in swimming:
* the swimming events of the World Aquatics Championships, held in a long course (50 meter) pool.
* World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m), at which swimming is the only discipline. This meet is held in a short course (25 meter) pool.
Both events are organized by the international governing body for aquatics, World Aquatics (formerly known as FINA). These are the fastest times ever swum at any edition of the meet.

## Long course (50 m)
### Men

| Event | Time | | Name | Nationality | Date | Meet | Location |
| 50m freestyle | 21.04 | | Caeleb Dressel | United States | 27 July 2019 | 2019 World Championships | Gwangju, South Korea |
| 100m freestyle | 46.80 | r | Pan Zhanle | China | 11 February 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Doha, Qatar |
| 200m freestyle | 1:42.00 | WR | Paul Biedermann | Germany | 28 July 2009 | 2009 World Championships | Rome, Italy |
| 400m freestyle | 3:40.07 | WR | Paul Biedermann | Germany | 26 July 2009 | 2009 World Championships | Rome, Italy |
| 800m freestyle | 7:32.12 | WR | Zhang Lin | China | 29 July 2009 | 2009 World Championships | Rome, Italy |
| 1500m freestyle | 14:31.54 | AF | Ahmed Hafnaoui | Tunisia | 30 July 2023 | 2023 World Championships | Fukuoka, Japan |
| 50m backstroke | 24.04 | | Liam Tancock | Great Britain | 2 August 2009 | 2009 World Championships | Rome, Italy |
| 100m backstroke | 51.60 | WR | Thomas Ceccon | Italy | 20 June 2022 | 2022 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 200m backstroke | 1:51.92 | WR | Aaron Peirsol | United States | 31 July 2009 | 2009 World Championships | Rome, Italy |
| 50m breaststroke | 25.95 | sf, WR | Adam Peaty | Great Britain | 25 July 2017 | 2017 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 100m breaststroke | 56.88 | sf, WR | Adam Peaty | Great Britain | 21 July 2019 | 2019 World Championships | Gwangju, South Korea |
| 200m breaststroke | 2:05.48 | WR | Qin Haiyang | China | 28 July 2023 | 2019 World Championships | Fukuoka, Japan |
| 50m butterfly | 22.35 | AM | Caeleb Dressel | United States | 22 July 2019 | 2019 World Championships | Gwangju, South Korea |
| 100m butterfly | 49.50 | sf | Caeleb Dressel | United States | 26 July 2019 | 2019 World Championships | Gwangju, South Korea |
| 200m butterfly | 1:50.34 | WR | Kristóf Milák | Hungary | 21 June 2022 | 2022 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 200m individual medley | 1:54.00 | WR | Ryan Lochte | United States | 28 July 2011 | 2011 World Championships | Shanghai, China |
| 400m individual medley | 4:02.50 | WR | Léon Marchand | France | 23 July 2023 | 2023 World Championships | Fukuoka, Japan |
| 4×100m freestyle relay | 3:09.06 | | Caeleb Dressel (47.63)Blake Pieroni (47.49)Zach Apple (46.86)Nathan Adrian (47.08) | United States | 21 July 2019 | 2019 World Championships | Gwangju, South Korea |
| 4×200m freestyle relay | 6:58.55 | WR | Michael Phelps (1:44.49)Ricky Berens (1:44.13)David Walters (1:45.47)Ryan Lochte (1:44.46) | United States | 31 July 2009 | 2009 World Championships | Rome, Italy |
| 4×100m medley relay | 3:27.20 | | Ryan Murphy (52.04)Nic Fink (58.03)Dare Rose (50.13)Jack Alexy (47.00) | United States | 30 July 2023 | 2023 World Championships | Fukuoka, Japan |

### Women

| Event | Time | | Name | Nationality | Date | Meet | Location |
| 50m freestyle | 23.61 | sf, WR | Sarah Sjöström | Sweden | 29 July 2023 | 2023 World Championships | Fukuoka, Japan |
| 100m freestyle | 51.71 | r, WR | Sarah Sjöström | Sweden | 23 July 2017 | 2017 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 200m freestyle | 1:52.85 | | Mollie O'Callaghan | Australia | 26 July 2023 | 2023 World Championships | Fukuoka, Japan |
| 400m freestyle | 3:55.38 | WR | Ariarne Titmus | Australia | 23 July 2023 | 2023 World Championships | Fukuoka, Japan |
| 800m freestyle | 8:07.39 | | Katie Ledecky | United States | 8 August 2015 | 2015 World Championships | Kazan, Russia |
| 1500m freestyle | 15:25.48 | | Katie Ledecky | United States | 4 August 2015 | 2015 World Championships | Kazan, Russia |
| 50m backstroke | 27.06 | | Zhao Jing | China | 30 July 2009 | 2009 World Championships | Rome, Italy |
| 100m backstroke | 57.53 | | Kaylee McKeown | Australia | 25 July 2023 | 2023 World Championships | Fukuoka, Japan |
| 200m backstroke | 2:03.35 | sf, AM | Regan Smith | United States | 26 July 2019 | 2019 World Championships | Gwangju, South Korea |
| 50m breaststroke | 29.16 | WR | Rūta Meilutytė | Lithuania | 30 July 2023 | 2023 World Championships | Fukuoka, Japan |
| 100m breaststroke | 1:04.13 | WR | Lilly King | United States | 25 July 2017 | 2017 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 200m breaststroke | 2:19.11 | sf, ER | Rikke Møller Pedersen | Denmark | 1 August 2013 | 2013 World Championships | Barcelona, Spain |
| 50m butterfly | 24.60 | | Sarah Sjöström | Sweden | 29 July 2017 | 2017 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 100m butterfly | 55.53 | | Sarah Sjöström | Sweden | 24 July 2017 | 2017 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 200m butterfly | 2:03.41 | OC | Jessicah Schipper | Australia | 30 July 2009 | 2009 World Championships | Rome, Italy |
| 200m individual medley | 2:06.12 | WR | Katinka Hosszú | Hungary | 3 August 2015 | 2015 World Championships | Kazan, Russia |
| 400m individual medley | 4:27.11 | | Summer McIntosh | Canada | 30 July 2023 | 2023 World Championships | Fukuoka, Japan |
| 4×100m freestyle relay | 3:27.96 | WR | Mollie O'Callaghan (52.08)Shayna Jack (51.69)Meg Harris (52.29)Emma McKeon (51.90) | Australia | 23 July 2023 | 2023 World Championships | Fukuoka, Japan |
| 4×200m freestyle relay | 7:37.50 | WR | Mollie O'Callaghan (1:53.66)Shayna Jack (1:55.63)Brianna Throssell (1:55.80)Ariarne Titmus (1:52.41) | Australia | 27 July 2023 | 2022 World Championships | Fukuoka, Japan |
| 4×100m medley relay | 3:50.40 | | Regan Smith (57.57)Lilly King (1:04.81)Kelsi Dahlia (56.16)Simone Manuel (51.86) | United States | 28 July 2019 | 2019 World Championships | Gwangju, South Korea |

### Mixed relay

| Event | Time | | Name | Nationality | Date | Meet | Location | Ref |
| 4×100m freestyle relay | 3:18.83 | WR | Jack Cartwright (48.14)Kyle Chalmers (47.25)Shayna Jack (51.73)Mollie O'Callaghan (51.71) | Australia | 29 July 2023 | World Championships | Fukuoka, Japan | |
| 4×100m medley relay | 3:38.56 | | Matt Grevers (52.32)Lilly King (1:04.15)Caeleb Dressel (49.92)Simone Manuel (52.17) | United States | 26 July 2017 | 2017 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | |

## Short course (25 m)
### Men

| Event | Time | | Name | Nationality | Date | Meet | Location |
| 50m freestyle | 19.90 | sf, WR | Jordan Crooks | Cayman Islands | 14 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 100m freestyle | 44.95 | h | Jordan Crooks | Cayman Islands | 11 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 200m freestyle | 1:38.61 | WR | Luke Hobson | United States | 15 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 400m freestyle | 3:34.01 | | Danas Rapšys | Lithuania | 11 December 2018 | 2018 World Championships | Hangzhou, China |
| 800m freestyle | 7:29.99 | | Gregorio Paltrinieri | Italy | 17 December 2022 | 2022 World Championships | Melbourne, Australia |
| 1500m freestyle | 14:06.88 | WR | Florian Wellbrock | Germany | 21 December 2021 | 2021 World Championships | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
| 50m backstroke | 22.22 | | Florent Manaudou | France | 6 December 2014 | 2014 World Championships | Doha, Qatar |
| 100m backstroke | 48.50 | | Ryan Murphy | United States | 14 December 2022 | 2022 World Championships | Melbourne, Australia |
| 200m backstroke | 1:45.65 | ER | Hubert Kós | Hungary | 15 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 50m breaststroke | 25.38 | AM | Nic Fink | United States | 18 December 2022 | 2022 World Championships | Melbourne, Australia |
| 100m breaststroke | 55.47 | AS | Qin Haiyang | China | 12 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 200m breaststroke | 2:00.16 | WR | Kirill Prigoda | Russia | 13 December 2018 | 2018 World Championships | Hangzhou, China |
| 50m butterfly | 21.32 | WR | Noè Ponti | Switzerland | 11 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 100m butterfly | 47.71 | WR | Noè Ponti | Switzerland | 14 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 200m butterfly | 1:48.24 | = | Daiya Seto | Japan | 11 December 2018 | 2018 World Championships | Hangzhou, China |
| 200m butterfly | 1:48.24 | =, AM | Ilya Kharun | Canada | 12 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 100m individual medley | 50.33 | | Noè Ponti | Switzerland | 13 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 200m individual medley | 1:49.51 | AM | Shaine Casas | United States | 10 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 400m individual medley | 3:55.50 | AM | Ryan Lochte | United States | 16 December 2010 | 2010 World Championships | Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| 4×50m freestyle relay | 1:21.80 | WR | Caeleb Dressel (20.43)Ryan Held (20.25)Jack Conger (20.59)Michael Chadwick (20.53) | United States | 14 December 2018 | 2018 World Championships | Hangzhou, China |
| 4×100m freestyle relay | 3:01.66 | WR | Jack Alexy (45.05)Luke Hobson (45.18)Kieran Smith (46.01)Chris Guiliano (45.42) | United States | 10 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 4×200m freestyle relay | 6:40.51 | WR | Luke Hobson (1:38.91)Carson Foster (1:40.77)Shaine Casas (1:40.34)Kieran Smith (1:40.49) | United States | 13 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 4×50m medley relay | 1:29.72 | WR | Lorenzo Mora (22.65)Nicolò Martinenghi (24.95)Matteo Rivolta (21.60)Leonardo Deplano (20.52) | Italy | 17 December 2022 | 2022 World Championships | Melbourne, Australia |
| 4×100m medley relay | 3:18.68 | WR | Miron Lifintsev (49.31)Kirill Prigoda (55.15)Andrei Minakov (48.80)Egor Kornev (45.42) | Neutral Athletes B | 15 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |

### Women

| Event | Time | | Name | Nationality | Date | Meet | Location |
| 50m freestyle | 22.83 | WR | Gretchen Walsh | United States | 15 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 100m freestyle | 50.31 | AM | Gretchen Walsh | United States | 12 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 200m freestyle | 1:50.31 | WR | Siobhán Haughey | Hong Kong | 16 December 2021 | 2021 World Championships | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
| 400m freestyle | 3:50.25 | WR | Summer McIntosh | Canada | 10 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 800m freestyle | 8:01.95 | | Lani Pallister | Australia | 11 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 1500m freestyle | 15:21.43 | OC | Lani Pallister | Australia | 16 December 2022 | 2022 World Championships | Melbourne, Australia |
| 50m backstroke | 25.23 | WR | Regan Smith | United States | 13 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 100m backstroke | 54.02 | r, WR | Regan Smith | United States | 15 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 200m backstroke | 1:58.04 | WR | Regan Smith | United States | 15 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 50m breaststroke | 28.37 | sf, WR | Rūta Meilutytė | Lithuania | 17 December 2022 | 2022 World Championships | Melbourne, Australia |
| 100m breaststroke | 1:02.36 | =WR | Alia Atkinson | Jamaica | 6 December 2014 | 2014 World Championships | Doha, Qatar |
| 200m breaststroke | 2:12.50 | WR | Kate Douglass | United States | 13 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 50m butterfly | 23.94 | sf, WR | Gretchen Walsh | United States | 10 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 100m butterfly | 52.71 | WR | Gretchen Walsh | United States | 14 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 200m butterfly | 1:59.32 | WR | Summer McIntosh | Canada | 12 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 100m individual medley | 55.11 | WR | Gretchen Walsh | United States | 13 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 200m individual medley | 2:01.63 | WR | Kate Douglass | United States | 10 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 400m individual medley | 4:15.48 | WR | Summer McIntosh | Canada | 14 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 4×50m freestyle relay | 1:33.89 | AM | Torri Huske (24.08)Claire Curzan (23.30)Erika Brown (23.74)Kate Douglass (22.77) | United States | 15 December 2022 | 2022 World Championships | Melbourne, Australia |
| 4×100m freestyle relay | 3:25.01 | WR | Kate Douglass (50.95)Katharine Berkoff (51.38)Alex Shackell (52.01)Gretchen Walsh (50.67) | United States | 10 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 4×200m freestyle relay | 7:30.13 | WR | Alex Walsh (1:53.25)Paige Madden (1:53.18)Katie Grimes (1:53.39)Claire Weinstein (1:50.31) | United States | 12 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |
| 4×50m medley relay | 1:42.35 | WR | Mollie O'Callaghan (25.49)Chelsea Hodges (29.11)Emma Mckeon (24.43)Madison Wilson (23.32) | Australia | 17 December 2022 | 2022 World Championships | Melbourne, Australia |
| 4×100m medley relay | 3:40.41 | WR | Regan Smith (54.02)Lilly King (1:03.02)Gretchen Walsh (52.84)Kate Douglass (50.53) | United States | 15 December 2024 | 2024 World Championships | Budapest, Hungary |

### Mixed relay

| Event | Time | | Name | Club | Date | Meet | Location | Ref |
| 4×50m freestyle relay | 1:27.33 | WR | Maxime Grousset (20.92)Florent Manaudou (20.26)Béryl Gastaldello (23.00)Mélanie Henique (23.15) | France | 16 December 2022 | 2022 World Championships | Melbourne, Australia | |
| 4×50m medley relay | 1:35.15 | WR | Ryan Murphy (22.37)Nic Fink (24.96)Kate Douglass (24.09)Torri Huske (23.73) | United States | 14 December 2022 | 2022 World Championships | Melbourne, Australia | |