# Women's 200 metres world record progression

The first World Record in the 200 m for women (athletics) was recognised by the Fédération Sportive Féminine Internationale (FSFI) in 1922. The FSFI was absorbed by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 1936. However, the IAAF did not maintain a record category for 200 m (bend) as opposed to 200 m (straight) until after 1951. The IAAF eliminated the 200 m (straight) record after 1976. "y" denotes times set at 220 yards (201.17 m) which were ratified as world records.
To June 21, 2009, the IAAF (and the FSFI before it) have ratified 26 world records in the event.

## Records 1922–36; 1951–76

| Time | Wind | Auto | Athlete | Nationality | Venue | Date |
| 27.8+ | | | Alice Cast | United Kingdom | Paris, France | August 20, 1922 |
| 26.8y | | | Mary Lines | United Kingdom | Waddon, United Kingdom | September 23, 1922 |
| 26.2y | | | Eileen Edwards | United Kingdom | London, United Kingdom | August 20, 1924 |
| 26.0 | | | Eileen Edwards | United Kingdom | Paris, France | October 3, 1926 |
| 25.4 | | | Eileen Edwards | United Kingdom | Berlin, Germany | June 12, 1927 |
| 24.6 | | | Tollien Schuurman | Netherlands | Brussels, Belgium | August 13, 1933 |
| 23.6 | | | Stanislawa Walasiewicz | Poland | Warsaw, Poland | August 4, 1935 |
| 23.6 | | 23.73 | Marjorie Jackson | Australia | Helsinki, Finland | July 25, 1952 |
| 23.4 | | 23.59 | Marjorie Jackson | Australia | Helsinki, Finland | July 25, 1952 |
| 23.2 | | | Betty Cuthbert | Australia | Sydney, Australia | September 16, 1956 |
| 23.2y | | | Betty Cuthbert | Australia | Hobart, Tasmania | March 7, 1960 |
| 22.9 | 1.4 | | Wilma Rudolph | United States | Corpus Christi, USA | July 9, 1960 |
| 22.9y | 0.0 | | Margaret Burvill | Australia | Perth, Australia | February 22, 1964 |
| 22.7 | 0.8 | | Irena Szewińska | Poland | Warsaw, Poland | August 8, 1965 |
| 22.5A | 2.0 | 22.58A | Irena Szewińska | Poland | Mexico City, Mexico | October 18, 1968 |
| 22.4 | 0.8 | 22.62 | Chi Cheng | Taiwan | Munich, Germany | July 12, 1970 |
| 22.4 | 1.1 | 22.40 | Renate Stecher | East Germany | Munich, Germany | September 7, 1972 |
| 22.1 | 1.6 | 22.38 | Renate Stecher | East Germany | Dresden, Germany | July 21, 1973 |
| 22.1 | 1.9 | 22.21 | Irena Szewińska | Poland | Potsdam, Germany | June 13, 1974 |
(+) denotes en route time set during longer race
The "Time" column indicates the ratified mark; the "Wind" column indicates the wind assistance in metres per second, 2.0 m/s the current maximum allowable, a negative indicates the mark was set running into a wind; the "Auto" column indicates a fully automatic time that was also recorded in the event when hand-timed marks were used for official records, or which was the basis for the official mark, rounded to the 10th or 100th of a second, depending on the rules then in place. A "y" indicates a distance measured in yards and ratified as a world record in this event.

## Records from 1977

From 1975, the IAAF accepted separate automatically electronically timed records for events up to 400 metres. Starting January 1, 1977, the IAAF required fully automatic timing to the hundredth of a second for these events.
Irena Szewińska's 22.21 from 1974 was the fastest eligible 200 metre performance at that time.
| Time | Wind | Athlete | Nationality | Venue | Date |
| 22.21 | 1.9 | Irena Szewińska | Poland | Potsdam, East Germany | June 13, 1974 |
| 22.06 | 1.2 | Marita Koch | East Germany | Erfurt, East Germany | May 28, 1978 |
| 22.02 | −1.4 | Marita Koch | East Germany | Leipzig, East Germany | June 3, 1979 |
| 21.71 | 0.7 | Marita Koch | East Germany | Karl Marx Stadt, East Germany | June 10, 1979 |
| 21.71 | 0.3 | Marita Koch | East Germany | Potsdam, East Germany | July 21, 1984 |
| 21.71 | 1.9 | Heike Drechsler | East Germany | Jena, East Germany | June 29, 1986 |
| 21.71 | −0.8 | Heike Drechsler | East Germany | Stuttgart, West Germany | August 29, 1986 |
| 21.56 | 1.7 | Florence Griffith-Joyner | United States | Seoul, South Korea | September 29, 1988 |
| 21.34 | 1.2 | Florence Griffith-Joyner | United States | Seoul, South Korea | September 29, 1988 |