World Records — 5000 m Women

The 5000 m Women world record stands at 13:58.06, set by Beatrice Chebet (KEN) in 2025. Explore its full progression through athletics history.

Record progression

Mark over the years. The higher the curve, the better the record.

14:1015:0015:5019802000202016:17.4 · Pigni13:58.06 · Chebet

Record History

2025Beatrice ChebetCurrentKEN—Jul 5, 2025Eugene, OregonOngoing13:58.06-2.15s
2023Gudaf TsegayETH—Sep 17, 2023Eugene, Oregon22 months14:00.21-4.99s
2023Faith KipyegonKEN—Jun 9, 2023Paris, France 3 months14:05.20-1.42s
2020Letesenbet GideyETH—Oct 7, 2020Valencia, Spain2.7 years14:06.62-4.53s
2008Tirunesh DibabaETH—Jun 6, 2008Oslo, Norway12.3 years14:11.15-5.48s
2007Meseret DefarETH—Jun 15, 2007Oslo, Norway12 months14:16.63-7.90s
2006Meseret DefarETH—Jun 3, 2006New York, United States12 months14:24.53-0.15s
2004Elvan AbeylegesseTUR—Jun 11, 2004Bergen, Norway24 months14:24.68-3.41s
1997Jiang BoCHN—Oct 23, 1997Shanghai, China6.6 years14:28.09-3.18s
1997Dong YanmeiCHN—Oct 21, 1997Shanghai, China2 d14:31.27-5.18s
1995Fernanda RibeiroPOR—Jul 22, 1995Hechtel, Belgium2.3 years14:36.45-0.88s
1986Ingrid KristiansenNOR—Aug 5, 1986Stockholm, Sweden9 years14:37.33-10.74s
1985Zola BuddGBR—Aug 26, 1985London, United Kingdom11 months14:48.07-10.82s
1984Ingrid KristiansenNOR—Jun 28, 1984Oslo, Norway14 months14:58.89-2.94s
1984Zola BuddUnratifiedGBR—Jan 5, 1984Stellenbosch6 months15:01.83-6.43s
1982Mary TabbUSA—Jun 5, 1982Eugene, Oregon, United States19 months15:08.26-4.96s
1982Anne AudainNZL—Mar 17, 1982Auckland, New Zealand3 months15:13.22-1.29s
1981Paula FudgeGBR—Sep 13, 1981Knarvik, Norway6 months15:14.51-10.09s
1981Yelena SipatovaURS—Sep 6, 1981Podolsk, Soviet Union7 d15:24.6-3.83s
1981Ingrid KristiansenNOR—Jul 11, 1981Oslo, Norway57 d15:28.43-2.17s
1980Janice MerrillUSA—Mar 22, 1980Stanford, United States16 months15:30.6-3.20s
1979Janice MerrillUSA—May 19, 1979Durham, United States10 months15:33.8+25.00s
1978Loa OlafssonUnratifiedDEN—May 30, 1978Sollerod12 months15:08.8-26.72s
1978Kathy MillsUSA—May 26, 1978Knoxville, United States4 d15:35.52-1.48s
1977Janice MerrillUSA—Jul 11, 1977Mainz, Germany10 months15:37.0-4.40s
1977Natalia MărăşescuROU—Mar 16, 1977Oradea, Romania4 months15:41.4-12.20s
1969Paola PigniITA—Sep 2, 1969Milan, Italy7.5 years15:53.6-23.80s
1969Paola PigniITA—May 11, 1969Formia, Italy4 months16:17.4—
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Beatrice Chebet (Kenya) holds the 5000 m Women world record with 13:58.06, set on July 5, 2025 in Eugene, Oregon.

Gudaf Tsegay (Ethiopia) held it with 14:00.21, from September 17, 2023 until July 5, 2025 (1 years).

Elite Trackr's progression lists 27 improvements since 1969, when Paola Pigni set 16:17.4.