World Athletics Championships
Biennial international athletics competition
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The World Athletics Championships, known as the IAAF World Championships in Athletics until 2019, are a biennial athletics competition organized by World Athletics, formerly International Association of Athletics Federations. Alongside the Olympic Games, the championships represents the highest level of senior international outdoor athletics competition for track and field athletics globally, including marathon running and race walking. Separate World Championships are held by World Athletics for certain other outdoor events, including cross-country running and half-marathon, as well as indoor and age-group championship.
| World Athletics Championships | |
|---|---|
| |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Athletics World Championships |
| Date | Varying |
| Frequency | Biennial |
| Country | Varying |
| Inaugurated | 1983 |
| Previous event | Tokyo 2025 |
| Next event | Beijing 2027 |
| Organised by | World Athletics |
| Website | worldathletics.org |
The World Championships were started in 1976 in response to the International Olympic Committee dropping the men's 50 km walk from the Olympic programme for the 1976 Montreal Olympics, despite its constant presence at the games since 1932. The IAAF chose to host its own world championship event, a month and a half after the Olympics.[1][2] It was the first World Championships that the IAAF had hosted separately from the Olympic Games.
A second limited event was held in 1980, and the inaugural championships in 1983, with all the events, is considered the official start of the competition. Until 1980, the Olympic champions were also considered as reigning world champions.[3]
At their debut, these championships were then held every four years, until 1991 when they switched to a two-year cycle.[4] In 2024, World Athletics announced that the new biennial competition, World Athletics Ultimate Championship, featuring only up to 16 of the world's top-ranked athletes per discipline, would be held every even year from 2026 onwards.[5]
History
The idea of having an Athletics World Championships was around well before the competition's first event in 1983. In 1913, the IAAF decided that the Olympic Games would serve as the World Championships for athletics. This was considered suitable for over 50 years until in the late 1960s the desire of many IAAF members to have their own World Championships began to grow. In 1976 at the IAAF Council Meeting in Puerto Rico an Athletics World Championships separate from the Olympic Games was approved.
Following bids from both Stuttgart, West Germany and Helsinki, Finland, the IAAF Council awarded the inaugural competition to Helsinki, to take place in 1983 and be held in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium (where the 1952 Summer Olympics had been held).
Two IAAF world championship events preceded the inaugural edition of the World Championships in Athletics in 1983. The 1976 World Championships had just one event – the men's 50 kilometres walk which was dropped from the Olympic programme for the 1976 Summer Olympics and the IAAF responded by setting up their own contest. Four years later, the 1980 World Championships contained only two newly approved women's events, (400 metres hurdles and 3000 metres), neither of which featured on the programme for the 1980 Summer Olympics.[6][7]
Over the years the competition has grown in size. In 1983 1,333 athletes from 153 countries participated.[8] By the 2003 competition, in Paris, it had grown to 1,679 athletes from 198 countries with coverage being transmitted to 179 countries.
From 2019 to 2022 the championships were sponsored by Qatar National Bank,[9] which has been described as being part of Qatar's soft power policy.[10]
There has also been a change in composition over the years, with several new events, all for women, being added. By 2005, the only differences were men's competition in the 50 km walk, and equivalent events in women's 100 m hurdles and heptathlon to men's 110 m hurdles and decathlon.
Changes in the list of events were as follows:
- 1987: women's 10,000 m and 10 km walk added
- 1993: women's triple jump added
- 1995: women's 3,000 m replaced by 5000 m
- 1999: women's pole vault and hammer added; women's 20 km walk replaced 10 km walk
- 2005: women's 3000 m steeplechase added
- 2017: women's 50 km walk added
- 2019: mixed 4 × 400 m relay added
- 2022: men's and women's 35 km walk replaced 50 km walk
Championships
All-time medal table
Updated after the 2025 World Athletics Championships.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States | 211 | 139 | 119 | 469 |
| 2 |  Kenya | 72 | 60 | 50 | 182 |
| 3 |  Russia | 42 | 52 | 48 | 142 |
| 4 |  Jamaica | 41 | 67 | 51 | 159 |
| 5 |  Germany | 40 | 39 | 49 | 128 |
| 6 |  Ethiopia | 35 | 40 | 33 | 108 |
| 7 |  Great Britain & Northern Ireland | 33 | 43 | 50 | 126 |
| 8 |  Soviet Union | 23 | 27 | 28 | 78 |
| 9 |  Cuba | 23 | 25 | 18 | 66 |
| 10 |  China | 22 | 28 | 29 | 79 |
| 11 |  East Germany | 21 | 19 | 16 | 56 |
| 12 |  Poland | 20 | 21 | 25 | 66 |
| 13 |  Australia | 16 | 16 | 17 | 49 |
| 14 |  France | 15 | 19 | 24 | 58 |
| 15 |  Czech Republic | 15 | 5 | 9 | 29 |
| 16 |  Italy | 14 | 21 | 23 | 58 |
| 17 |  Canada | 14 | 19 | 18 | 51 |
| 18 |  Sweden | 14 | 7 | 9 | 30 |
| 19 |  Spain | 13 | 19 | 17 | 49 |
| 20 |  Ukraine | 12 | 15 | 17 | 44 |
| 21 |  Morocco | 12 | 13 | 9 | 34 |
| 22 |  South Africa | 12 | 7 | 9 | 28 |
| 23 |  Norway | 12 | 6 | 6 | 24 |
| 24 |  Belarus | 10 | 11 | 12 | 33 |
| 25 |  Netherlands | 9 | 11 | 14 | 34 |
| 26 |  Bahamas | 9 | 9 | 8 | 26 |
| 27 |  Portugal | 9 | 7 | 9 | 25 |
| 28 |  Japan | 8 | 9 | 20 | 37 |
| 29 |  Bahrain | 8 | 4 | 4 | 16 |
| 30 |  New Zealand | 8 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| 31 |  Finland | 7 | 8 | 8 | 23 |
| 32 |  Uganda | 7 | 2 | 4 | 13 |
| 33 |  Greece | 6 | 8 | 12 | 26 |
| 34 |  Algeria | 6 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| 35 |  Romania | 5 | 8 | 12 | 25 |
| 36 |  Bulgaria | 5 | 3 | 8 | 16 |
| 37 |  Qatar | 5 | 2 | 5 | 12 |
| 38 |  Switzerland | 5 | 0 | 5 | 10 |
| 39 |  Trinidad and Tobago | 4 | 6 | 7 | 17 |
| 40 | Czechoslovakia | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| 41 |  Croatia | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10 |
| 42 |  Colombia | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 43 |  Dominican Republic | 4 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| 44 |  Ireland | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 45 |  Ecuador | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 46 |  Venezuela | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 47 |  Brazil | 3 | 8 | 8 | 19 |
| – |  Authorised Neutral Athletes[1] | 3 | 8 | 1 | 12 |
| 48 |  Mexico | 3 | 6 | 7 | 16 |
| 49 | West Germany | 3 | 6 | 3 | 12 |
| 50 |  Lithuania | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| 51 |  Botswana | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
 Grenada | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | |
| 53 |  Mozambique | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 54 |  Denmark | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 55 |  Estonia | 2 | 6 | 2 | 10 |
| 56 |  Belgium | 2 | 3 | 8 | 13 |
| 57 |  Slovenia | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| 58 |  Peru | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
 Tajikistan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| 60 |  Nigeria | 1 | 6 | 5 | 12 |
| 61 |  Namibia | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| 62 |  Kazakhstan | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
| 63 |  Turkey | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 64 |  Zambia | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 65 |  Burkina Faso | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
 India | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
 Tanzania | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
 Tunisia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| 69 |  Eritrea | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
 Panama | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 71 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
 Serbia | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | |
 Slovakia | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | |
| 74 |  Barbados | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
 Syria | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| 76 |  Senegal | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
 Somalia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 78 |  North Korea | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 79 |  Hungary | 0 | 7 | 9 | 16 |
| 80 |  Ivory Coast | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
 Puerto Rico | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | |
| 82 |  Israel | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 83 |  Burundi | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
 Djibouti | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
 Latvia | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
 South Korea | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 87 |  Cameroon | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 88 |  Austria | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 89 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Cyprus | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
 Dominica | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
 Ghana | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
 Philippines | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
 Sri Lanka | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
 Suriname | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 96 |  Bermuda | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 British Virgin Islands | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Egypt | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Pakistan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Sudan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 101 |  American Samoa | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Cayman Islands | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Haiti | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Iran | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Saint Lucia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Samoa | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Saudi Arabia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Uruguay | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Zimbabwe | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (109 entries) | 927 | 933 | 931 | 2,791 | |
Source: World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 – Statistical Booklet 2023 Medal Table 2025 Medal Table
- Notes
^[1] ANA is the name under which Russian athletes competed in the 2017 and 2019 Championships. Their medals were not included in the official medal table.[11][12]
All-time placing table
In the IAAF placing table the total score is obtained from assigning eight points to the first place and so on to one point for the eight placed finalists. Points are shared in situations where a tie occurs. However, the IAAF site shows all points rounded to the nearest integer.
Updated after the 2022 Championships[13]
| Rank | Country |  |  |  | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Medals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States | 183 | 125+1= | 103+2= | 77+5= | 90+3= | 84+3= | 74+2= | 80+4= | 414 | 4240.5 |
| 2 | Germany[a] | 63 | 61 | 65+2= | 78+2= | 66+2= | 61+2= | 53+5= | 45+1= | 191 | 2347.5 |
| 3 | Russia[b] | 45 | 54+6= | 47+2= | 56+2= | 39+3= | 43+2= | 35+1= | 40+1= | 154 | 1771.5 |
| 4 | Kenya | 62 | 55 | 44 | 48 | 40 | 28 | 47 | 21 | 161 | 1744 |
| 5 | Jamaica | 37 | 56 | 43+1= | 34 | 31 | 29 | 31 | 24 | 137 | 1418.5 |
| 6 | Great Britain & N.I. | 31 | 37 | 43 | 43+2= | 50+1= | 34+1= | 31+1= | 21 | 111 | 1381 |
| 7 | Ethiopia | 33 | 34 | 28 | 26 | 21 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 95 | 998 |
| 8 | China | 22 | 25+1= | 25 | 20 | 34+1= | 21+1= | 21 | 24+1= | 73 | 879 |
| 9 | France | 14 | 18 | 21+2= | 27 | 28+2= | 31+1= | 24+1= | 32+1= | 55 | 804.1 |
| 10 | Poland | 20 | 17+1= | 21+4= | 23+1= | 24 | 22+2= | 27 | 21+2= | 63 | 794.8 |
| 11 | Soviet Union | 23 | 25+2= | 28 | 21+1= | 17 | 12 | 11 | 17+1= | 78 | 793 |
| 12 | Cuba | 22 | 23+1= | 13+1= | 33 | 10+2= | 17+1= | 23 | 19 | 60 | 757.5 |
| 13 | Italy | 12 | 15+1= | 19 | 15 | 17+2= | 24+1= | 32+2= | 30+2= | 47 | 642.5 |
| 14 | Spain | 7 | 17+1= | 15+1 | 19 | 20 | 24 | 18 | 20 | 41 | 580 |
| 15 | Ukraine | 11 | 12+2= | 16 | 19 | 21 | 16+1= | 21+1= | 9 | 41 | 561.6 |
- Notes
- ^[a] including points earned by athletes from East Germany (510 pts) and West Germany (191.5 pts) at the 1976, 1980, 1983 and 1987 Championships.
- ^[b] including points earned by Authorised Neutral Athletes (103.5 pts) at the 2017 and 2019 Championships.
Multiple winners
Boldface denotes active athletes and highest medal count among all athletes (including these who not included in these tables) per type.
Men
All events
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Events | From | To | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | 100 m / 200 m / 4 × 100 m relay | 2007 | 2017 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 14 |
| 2 | LaShawn Merritt | United States | 400 m / 4 × 400 m relay | 2005 | 2015 | 8 * | 3 | – | 11 * |
| 3 | Carl Lewis | United States | 100 m / 200 m / 4 × 100 m relay / Long jump | 1983 | 1993 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Noah Lyles | United States | 100 m / 200 m / 4 × 100 m relay | 2019 | 2025 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |
| 5 | Michael Johnson | United States | 200 m / 400 m / 4 × 400 m relay | 1991 | 1999 | 8 | – | – | 8 |
| 6 | Mo Farah | Great Britain & N.I. | 5000 m / 10,000 m | 2011 | 2017 | 6 | 2 | – | 8 |
| 7 | Sergey Bubka | Soviet Union Ukraine | Pole vault | 1983 | 1997 | 6 | – | – | 6 |
| 8 | Jeremy Wariner | United States | 400 m / 4 × 400 m relay | 2005 | 2009 | 5 | 1 | – | 6 |
| 9 | Kenenisa Bekele | Ethiopia | 5000 m / 10,000 m | 2003 | 2009 | 5 | – | 1 | 6 |
| Lars Riedel | Germany | Discus throw | 1991 | 2001 | 5 | – | 1 | 6 |
* including one medal in the relay event in which he participated in the heats only
Individual events
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Events | From | To | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | 100 m / 200 m | 2007 | 2017 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 2 | Mo Farah | Great Britain & N.I. | 5000 m / 10,000 m | 2011 | 2017 | 6 | 2 | – | 8 |
| 3 | Sergey Bubka | Soviet Union Ukraine | Pole vault | 1983 | 1997 | 6 | – | – | 6 |
| Michael Johnson | United States | 200 m / 400 m | 1991 | 1999 | 6 | – | – | 6 | |
| 5 | Carl Lewis | United States | 100 m / 200 m / Long jump | 1983 | 1993 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 6 | Kenenisa Bekele | Ethiopia | 5000 m / 10,000 m | 2003 | 2009 | 5 | – | 1 | 6 |
| Noah Lyles | United States | 100 m / 200 m | 2019 | 2025 | 5 | – | 1 | 6 | |
| Lars Riedel | Germany | Discus throw | 1991 | 2001 | 5 | – | 1 | 6 | |
| 9 | Paweł Fajdek | Poland | Hammer throw | 2013 | 2022 | 5 | – | – | 5 |
| 10 | Ezekiel Kemboi | Kenya | 3000 m steeplechase | 2003 | 2015 | 4 | 3 | – | 7 |
Women
All events
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Events | From | To | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Allyson Felix | United States | 200 m / 400 m / 4 × 100 m relay / 4 × 400 m relay / 4 × 400 m mixed relay | 2005 | 2022 | 14 ** | 3 | 3 | 20 ** |
| 2 | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce | Jamaica | 100 m / 200 m / 4 × 100 m relay | 2007 | 2025 | 10 | 6 * | 1 | 17 * |
| 3 | Gail Devers | United States | 100 m / 100 m hurdles / 4 × 100 m relay | 1991 | 2001 | 5 | 3 | – | 8 |
| Faith Kipyegon | Kenya | 1500 m / 5000 m | 2015 | 2025 | 5 | 3 | – | 8 | |
| 5 | Sanya Richards-Ross | United States | 400 m / 4 × 400 m relay | 2003 | 2015 | 5 | 2 | – | 7 |
| 6 | Jessica Beard | United States | 4 × 400 m relay / 4 × 400 m mixed relay | 2009 | 2019 | 5 *** | 1 * | – | 6 **** |
| Tirunesh Dibaba | Ethiopia | 5000 m / 10,000 m | 2003 | 2017 | 5 | 1 | – | 6 | |
| Natasha Hastings | United States | 4 × 400 m relay | 2007 | 2017 | 5 **** | 1 | – | 6 **** | |
| Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone | United States | 400 m / 400 m hurdles / 4 × 400 m relay | 2019 | 2025 | 5 | 1 | – | 6 | |
| 10 | Melissa Jefferson-Wooden | United States | 100 m / 200 m / 4 × 100 m relay | 2022 | 2025 | 5 * | – | – | 5 * |
* including one medal in the relay event in which she participated in the heats only
** including two medals in the relay events in which she participated in the heats only
*** including three medals in the relay events in which she participated in the heats only
**** including four medals in the relay events in which she participated in the heats only
Individual events
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Events | From | To | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce | Jamaica | 100 m / 200 m | 2009 | 2023 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 2 | Faith Kipyegon | Kenya | 1500 m / 5000 m | 2015 | 2025 | 5 | 3 | – | 8 |
| 3 | Tirunesh Dibaba | Ethiopia | 5000 m / 10,000 m | 2003 | 2017 | 5 | 1 | – | 6 |
| 4 | Gail Devers | United States | 100 m / 100 m hurdles | 1991 | 2001 | 4 | 2 | – | 6 |
| 5 | Allyson Felix | United States | 200 m / 400 m | 2005 | 2017 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 6 | Valerie Adams (Vili) | New Zealand | Shot put | 2005 | 2013 | 4 | 1 | – | 5 |
| Vivian Cheruiyot | Kenya | 5000 m / 10,000 m | 2007 | 2015 | 4 | 1 | – | 5 | |
| Liu Hong | China | 20 km walk | 2009 | 2019 | 4 | 1 | – | 5 | |
| 9 | Yulimar Rojas | Venezuela | Triple jump | 2017 | 2025 | 4 | – | 1 | 5 |
| 10 | Jackie Joyner-Kersee | United States | Heptathlon / Long jump | 1987 | 1993 | 4 | – | – | 4 |
| María Pérez | Spain | 20 km walk / 35 km walk | 2023 | 2025 | 4 | – | – | 4 | |
| Brittney Reese | United States | Long jump | 2009 | 2017 | 4 | – | – | 4 | |
| Anita Włodarczyk | Poland | Hammer throw | 2009 | 2017 | 4 | – | – | 4 |
Multiple medalists
There are 49 athletes (21 men and 28 women) that have won at least 6 medals.[13]
Athletes with most appearances
There are 28 athletes (12 men and 16 women) that have competed in at least nine editions.[13]
| App. | Name | Country | Years contested | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | João Vieira | Portugal | 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23, 25 | 20 km walk / 35 km walk / 50 km walk |
| 13 | Jesús Ángel García | Spain | 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 19 | 50 km walk |
| 12 | Bat-Ochir Ser-Od |  Mongolia | 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23, 25 | Marathon |
| 11 | Susana Feitor | Portugal | 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11 | 10 km walk / 20 km walk |
| Mélina Robert-Michon | France | 01, 03, 07, 09, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23, 25 | Discus throw | |
| Inês Henriques | Portugal | 01, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23 | 20 km walk / 35 km walk / 50 km walk | |
| 10 | Franka Dietzsch | Germany | 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09 | Discus throw |
| Nicoleta Grasu | Romania | 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13 | Discus throw | |
| Virgilijus Alekna | Lithuania | 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13 | Discus throw | |
| Kim Collins | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 15 | 100 m / 200 m / 4x100 m | |
| Allyson Felix | United States | 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22 | 200 m / 400 m / 4x100 m / 4x400 m / 4x400 m mixed | |
| Gong Lijiao | China | 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23, 25 | Shot put | |
| Donald Thomas | Bahamas | 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23, 25 | High jump | |
| 9 | Laverne Eve | Bahamas | 87, 91, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07 | Javelin throw |
| Tim Berrett | Canada | 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07 | 20 km walk / 50 km walk | |
| Jackie Edwards | Bahamas | 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07 | Long jump / Triple jump | |
| Maria Mutola | Mozambique | 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07 | 800 m | |
| Elisângela Adriano | Brazil | 91, 93, 97, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11 | Shot put / Discus throw | |
| Venelina Veneva-Mateeva | Bulgaria | 91, 95, 99, 01, 03, 05, 09, 11, 15 | High jump | |
| Danny McFarlane | Jamaica | 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09 | 400 m / 400 m hurdles / 4x400 m | |
| Hatem Ghoula | Tunisia | 93, 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 13 | 20 km walk | |
| Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie | Bahamas | 95, 97, 99, 01, 03, 07, 09, 11, 13 | 100 m / 200 m / 4x100 m | |
| Nicola Vizzoni | Italy | 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13 | Hammer throw | |
| Chris Brown | Bahamas | 99, 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15 | 400 m / 4x400 m | |
| Zhang Wenxiu | China | 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17 | Hammer throw | |
| Andrés Chocho | Ecuador | 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23 | 20 km walk / 35 km walk / 50 km walk | |
| Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce | Jamaica | 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 19, 22, 23, 25 | 100 m / 200 m / 4x100 m | |
| Bianca Ghelber (Perie) | Romania | 07, 09, 11, 13, 17, 19, 22, 23, 25 | Hammer throw |
World records
A total of 37 world records have been set or equalled at the competition: 19 by men, 15 by women, and 3 in the mixed relay.
The first world record to be set at the World Championships was by Jarmila Kratochvílová of Czechoslovakia, who ran 47.99 seconds to win the 1983 women's 400 m final.
A peak of five world records came at the 1993 Championships.
The most recent world record was in the men's pole vault final in 2025, when the Swedish Armand Duplantis cleared 6.30 m. World records have become less common as the history of the event has expanded, with no world records set in the 1997, 2001, 2007 or 2013 editions.
American athletes have been the most successful with fifteen world records, followed by Jamaica and Great Britain on four each. Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt has broken the most world records at the competition, at four, while American Carl Lewis set three. Jonathan Edwards holds the distinction of breaking the world record twice in one championships: improving upon his own newly-set world record in the 1995 men's triple jump final while Armand Duplantis broke the men's pole vault world record twice on two separate championships, first in 2022 and later in 2025. The men's 4 × 100 metres relay has yielded the most world records, with five set between 1983 and 2011.
Ben Johnson's time of 9.83 seconds at the 1987 World Championships men's 100 m final was initially considered to be a world record, but this was rescinded in 1989 after Johnson admitted to steroid use between 1981 and 1988.
Also, the 2009 Jamaican men's 4 × 100 metres relay team time of 37.31 seconds was retrospectively recognised to as the world record after the team's time of 37.10 at the 2008 Olympics was rescinded after the disqualification of Nesta Carter (who was not present in the World Championships team).
| Sex | Event | Record | Athlete | Nation | Date | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women | 400 metres | 47.99 | Jarmila Kratochvílová | Czechoslovakia | 10 August | 1983 |
| Men | 4 × 100 metres relay | 37.86 | Emmit King Willie Gault Calvin Smith Carl Lewis | United States | 10 August | 1983 |
| Women | High jump | 2.09 m | Stefka Kostadinova | Bulgaria | 30 August | 1987 |
| Men | 100 metres | 9.86 | Carl Lewis | United States | 25 August | 1991 |
| Men | Long jump | 8.95 m | Mike Powell | United States | 30 August | 1991 |
| Men | 4 × 100 metres relay | 37.50 | Andre Cason Leroy Burrell Dennis Mitchell Carl Lewis | United States | 1 September | 1991 |
| Women | 400 metres hurdles | 52.74 | Sally Gunnell | Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) | 19 August | 1993 |
| Men | 110 metres hurdles | 12.91 | Colin Jackson | Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) | 20 August | 1993 |
| Men | 4 × 100 metres relay | 37.40 | Jon Drummond Andre Cason Dennis Mitchell Leroy Burrell | United States | 21 August | 1993 |
| Women | Triple jump | 15.09 m | Anna Biryukova | Russia | 21 August | 1993 |
| Men | 4 × 400 metres relay | 2:54.29 | Andrew Valmon Quincy Watts Butch Reynolds Michael Johnson | United States | 22 August | 1993 |
| Men | Triple jump | 18.16 m | Jonathan Edwards | Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) | 7 August | 1995 |
| Men | Triple jump | 18.29 m | Jonathan Edwards | Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) | 7 August | 1995 |
| Women | Triple jump | 15.50 m | Inessa Kravets | Ukraine | 10 August | 1995 |
| Women | 400 metres hurdles | 52.61 | Kim Batten | United States | 11 August | 1995 |
| Women | Pole vault | 4.60 m | Stacy Dragila | United States | 21 August | 1999 |
| Men | 400 metres | 43.18 | Michael Johnson | United States | 26 August | 1999 |
| Men | 20 kilometres race walk | 1:17:21 | Jefferson Pérez | Ecuador | 23 August | 2003 |
| Men | 50 kilometres race walk | 3:36:03 | Robert Korzeniowski | Poland | 27 August | 2003 |
| Women | 20 kilometres race walk | 1:25:41 | Olimpiada Ivanova | Russia | 7 August | 2005 |
| Women | Pole vault | 5.01 m | Yelena Isinbaeva | Russia | 12 August | 2005 |
| Women | Javelin throw | 71.70 m | Osleidys Menéndez | Cuba | 14 August | 2005 |
| Men | 100 metres | 9.58 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | 16 August | 2009 |
| Men | 200 metres | 19.19 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | 20 August | 2009 |
| Women | Hammer throw | 77.96 m | Anita Włodarczyk | Poland | 22 August | 2009 |
| Men | 4 × 100 metres relay | 37.31 | Steve Mullings Michael Frater Usain Bolt Asafa Powell | Jamaica | 22 August | 2009 |
| Men | 4 × 100 metres relay | 37.04 | Nesta Carter Michael Frater Yohan Blake Usain Bolt | Jamaica | 4 September | 2011 |
| Men | Decathlon | 9,045 pts | Ashton Eaton | United States | 29 August | 2015 |
| Women | 50 kilometres race walk | 4:05:56 | Inês Henriques | Portugal | 13 August | 2017 |
| Mixed | 4 × 400 metres relay | 3:12.42 | Tyrell Richard Jessica Beard Jasmine Blocker Obi Igbokwe | United States | 28 September | 2019 |
| Mixed | 4 × 400 metres relay | 3:09.34 | Wilbert London III Allyson Felix Courtney Okolo Michael Cherry | United States | 29 September | 2019 |
| Women | 400 metres hurdles | 52.16 | Dalilah Muhammad | United States | 4 October | 2019 |
| Women | 400 metres hurdles | 50.68 | Sydney McLaughlin | United States | 22 July | 2022 |
| Women | 100 metres hurdles | 12.12 | Tobi Amusan | Nigeria | 24 July | 2022 |
| Men | Pole vault | 6.21 m | Armand Duplantis | Sweden | 24 July | 2022 |
| Mixed | 4 × 400 metres relay | 3:08.80 | Justin Robinson Rosey Effiong Matthew Boling Alexis Holmes | United States | 19 August | 2023 |
| Men | Pole vault | 6.30 m | Armand Duplantis | Sweden | 15 September | 2025 |
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