# Men's high jump world record progression

The first world record in the men's high jump was recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 1912.
As of June, 2009, the IAAF has ratified 40 world records in the event.
Fourteen of the 16 records from 1912 to 1960 were set in the United States and were originally measured in feet and inches; they were converted to metric before being ratified as world records. As of January 1, 1963, records were accepted as metric marks, with marks measured in feet and inches to the nearest quarter-inch and rounded down to the nearest centimetre.$^{:vii,155–157}$ When measurements were taken in feet and inches the bar could be raised, for record-attempt purposes, in increments of one-quarter inch. Under the metric system, a new record must be (at least) one centimeter higher. In 1973, American Dwight Stones was the first Fosbury Flop jumper to set a world record. The namesake of the technique, Dick Fosbury impressed the world by winning the 1968 Olympics with the flop, but never held the world record. The last Straddle style jumper to hold the World Record was Vladimir Yashchenko (Soviet Union/Ukraine) in 1978; all record-setters since then have used the Flop technique.
The world record of 2.45 metres (8.04 ft) by Cuban Javier Sotomayor in 1993 has never been surpassed.

## Progression

* Ratified
* Ratified but later rescinded

### Pre-IAAF

| Mark | Athlete | Venue | Date |
| 1.575 m (5 ft 2 in) | Adam Wilson (GBR) | Innerleithen | September 26, 1827 |
| 1.60 m (5 ft 2+3⁄4 in) | Thomas Anderson (GBR) | Innerleithen | July 24, 1829 |
| 1.60 m (5 ft 2+3⁄4 in) | John Pattison (GBR) | Mount Benger | May 6, 1837 |
| 1.675 m (5 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | Richard Armstrong (GBR) | Dalkeith | August 5, 1839 |
| 1.675 m (5 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | Thomas Roper (GBR) | Newcastle | April 1, 1850 |
| 1.675 m (5 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | Francis Temple (GBR) | Woolwich | September 21, 1850 |
| 1.675 m (5 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | Hanmer Webb (GBR) | Cambridge | March 17, 1857 |
| 1.675 m (5 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | Henry Powell (GBR) | Oxford | March 15, 1860 |
| 1.70 m (5 ft 6+3⁄4 in) | Robert Burton (GBR) | Harrow | March 27, 1860 |
| 1.675 m (5 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | Henry Sampson (GBR) | Liverpool | June 13, 1863 |
| 1.675 m (5 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | T. Bailey (GBR) | Liverpool | June 13, 1863 |
| 1.675 m (5 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | Francis Gooch (GBR) | Durham | September 2, 1863 |
| 1.70 m (5 ft 6+3⁄4 in) | Tom Mitchell (GBR) | Liverpool | July 9, 1864 |
| 1.725 m (5 ft 7+3⁄4 in) | John Roupell (GBR) | Cambridge | March 5, 1866 |
| 1.75 m (5 ft 8+3⁄4 in) | John Roupell (GBR) | London | March 23, 1866 |
| 1.75 m (5 ft 8+3⁄4 in) | Thomas Little (GBR) | London | March 23, 1866 |
| 1.75 m (5 ft 8+3⁄4 in) | J.A. Harwood (GBR) | London | November 26, 1866 |
| 1.75 m (5 ft 8+3⁄4 in) | Herbert Brooks (GBR) | London | November 26, 1866 |
| 1.75 m (5 ft 8+3⁄4 in) | Thomas Little (GBR) | London | April 12, 1867 |
| 1.75 m (5 ft 8+3⁄4 in) | Ronald Mitchell (GBR) | London | April 9, 1870 |
| 1.755 m (5 ft 9 in) | Ronald Mitchell (GBR) | London | April 3, 1871 |
| 1.785 m (5 ft 10+1⁄4 in) | Tom Davin (IRE) | Dublin | July 7, 1873 |
| 1.80 m (5 ft 10+3⁄4 in) | Marshall Brooks (GBR) | London | March 30, 1874 |
| 1.80 m (5 ft 10+3⁄4 in) | Michael Glazebrook (GBR) | London | March 22, 1875 |
| 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | Marshall Brooks (GBR) | Oxford | March 17, 1876 |
| 1.89 m (6 ft 2+1⁄4 in) | Marshall Brooks (GBR) | London | April 7, 1876 |
| 1.90 m (6 ft 2+3⁄4 in) | Patrick Davin (IRE) | Carrick | July 5, 1880 |
| 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | William Page (USA) | Stourbridge | August 15, 1887 |
| 1.93 m (6 ft 3+3⁄4 in) | William Page (USA) | Philadelphia | October 7, 1887 |
| 1.968 m (6 ft 5+1⁄4 in) | George Rowdon (GBR) | Haytor Camp | August 6, 1890 |
| 1.935 m (6 ft 4 in) | Michael Sweeney (USA) | New York City | October 8, 1892 |
| 1.945 m (6 ft 4+1⁄2 in) | James Ryan (IRE) | Tipperary | August 19, 1895 |
| 1.955 m (6 ft 4+3⁄4 in) | Michael Sweeney (USA) | New York City | August 28, 1895 |
| 1.955 m (6 ft 4+3⁄4 in) | Michael Sweeney (USA) | Bayonne | September 2, 1895 |
| 1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | Michael Sweeney (USA) | New York City | September 21, 1895 |
| 1.98 m (6 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | George Horine (USA) | Palo Alto | March 29, 1912 |
| 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | George Horine (USA) | United States | April/May 1912 |

### Post-IAAF

| Mark | Athlete | Venue | Date |
| 2.00 m (6 ft 6+1⁄2 in) | George Horine (USA) | Palo Alto, California | 18 May 1912 |
| 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) | Edward Beeson (USA) | Berkeley, California | 2 May 1914 |
| 2.03 m (6 ft 7+3⁄4 in) | Harold Osborn (USA) | Urbana, Illinois | 27 May 1924 |
| 2.04 m (6 ft 8+1⁄4 in) | Walter Marty (USA) | Fresno, California | 13 May 1933 |
| 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) | Walter Marty (USA) | Palo Alto, California | 28 April 1934 |
| 2.07 m (6 ft 9+1⁄4 in) | Cornelius Johnson (USA) | New York | 12 July 1936 |
| 2.07 m (6 ft 9+1⁄4 in) | Dave Albritton (USA) | New York | 12 July 1936 |
| 2.09 m (6 ft 10+1⁄4 in) | Mel Walker (USA) | Malmö, Sweden | 12 August 1937 |
| 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) | Lester Steers (USA) | Los Angeles | 17 June 1941 |
| 2.12 m (6 ft 11+1⁄4 in) | Walt Davis (USA) | Dayton, Ohio | 27 June 1953 |
| 2.15 m (7 ft 1⁄2 in) | Charles Dumas (USA) | Los Angeles | 29 June 1956 |
| 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in) | Yuriy Stepanov (URS) | Leningrad, Soviet Union | 13 July 1957 |
| 2.17 m (7 ft 1+1⁄4 in) | John Thomas (USA) | Philadelphia | 30 April 1960 |
| 2.17 m (7 ft 1+1⁄4 in) | John Thomas (USA) | Cambridge, Massachusetts | 21 May 1960 |
| 2.18 m (7 ft 1+3⁄4 in) | John Thomas (USA) | Bakersfield, California | 24 June 1960 |
| 2.22 m (7 ft 3+1⁄4 in) | John Thomas (USA) | Palo Alto, California | 1 July 1960 |
| 2.23 m (7 ft 3+3⁄4 in) | Valeriy Brumel (URS) | Moscow | 18 June 1961 |
| 2.24 m (7 ft 4 in) | Valeriy Brumel (URS) | Moscow | 16 July 1961 |
| 2.25 m (7 ft 4+1⁄2 in) | Valeriy Brumel (URS) | Sofia, Bulgaria | 31 August 1961 |
| 2.26 m (7 ft 4+3⁄4 in) | Valeriy Brumel (URS) | Palo Alto, California | 22 July 1962 |
| 2.27 m (7 ft 5+1⁄4 in) | Valeriy Brumel (URS) | Moscow | 29 September 1962 |
| 2.28 m (7 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | Valeriy Brumel (URS) | Moscow | 21 July 1963 |
| 2.29 m (7 ft 6 in) | Pat Matzdorf (USA) | Berkeley, California | 3 July 1971 |
| 2.30 m (7 ft 6+1⁄2 in) | Dwight Stones (USA) | Munich | 11 July 1973 |
| 2.31 m (7 ft 6+3⁄4 in) | Dwight Stones (USA) | Philadelphia | 5 June 1976 |
| 2.32 m (7 ft 7+1⁄4 in) | Dwight Stones (USA) | Philadelphia | 4 August 1976 |
| 2.33 m (7 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | Vladimir Yashchenko (URS) | Richmond, Virginia | 2 June 1977 |
| 2.34 m (7 ft 8 in) | Vladimir Yashchenko (URS) | Tbilisi, Soviet Union | 16 June 1978 |
| 2.35 m (7 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | Jacek Wszoła (POL) | Eberstadt, West Germany | 25 May 1980 |
| 2.35 m (7 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | Dietmar Mögenburg (FRG) | Rehlingen, West Germany | 26 May 1980 |
| 2.36 m (7 ft 8+3⁄4 in) | Gerd Wessig (GDR) | Moscow, Soviet Union | 1 August 1980 |
| 2.37 m (7 ft 9+1⁄4 in) | Zhu Jianhua (CHN) | Beijing, China | 11 June 1983 |
| 2.38 m (7 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | Zhu Jianhua (CHN) | Shanghai, China | 22 September 1983 |
| 2.39 m (7 ft 10 in) | Zhu Jianhua (CHN) | Eberstadt, West Germany | 10 June 1984 |
| 2.40 m (7 ft 10+1⁄4 in) | Rudolf Povarnitsyn (URS) | Donetsk, Soviet Union | 11 August 1985 |
| 2.41 m (7 ft 10+3⁄4 in) | Igor Paklin (URS) | Kobe, Japan | 4 September 1985 |
| 2.42 m (7 ft 11+1⁄4 in) | Patrik Sjöberg (SWE) | Stockholm, Sweden | 30 June 1987 |
| 2.42 m (7 ft 11+1⁄4 in) i | Carlo Thränhardt (FRG) | West Berlin | 26 February 1988$^{:160}$ |
| 2.43 m (7 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | Javier Sotomayor (CUB) | Salamanca, Spain | 8 September 1988 |
| 2.44 m (8 ft 0 in) | Javier Sotomayor (CUB) | San Juan, Puerto Rico | 29 July 1989 |
| 2.45 m (8 ft 1⁄4 in) | Javier Sotomayor (CUB) | Salamanca, Spain | 27 July 1993 |