List of World Athletics Championships records

The World Athletics Championships is a biennial event which began in 1983. Organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the World Championships are a competition comprising track and field athletics events available to male and female athletes from any of the IAAF's 213 member federations. Championship records are set when an athlete achieves the best mark in an event at one of the editions of the Championships. World, area, and national records have been set at the championships over the course of its history.

Competitors at the World Championships come from around the globe and records have been broken by athletes from all six continents. The United States has been the most successful competitor at the World Championships in both medals and records.

Four athletes hold multiple records:

• Usain Bolt holds records in the 100 and 200 metres as well as the 4 × 100 relay
• Michael Johnson holds individual and relay records in the 400 metres
• Jackie Joyner-Kersee broke both the heptathlon and long jump records
• Jarmila Kratochvílová set the records in the 400 and 800 metres at the inaugural Championships in 1983, which are still unbeaten and are the two oldest records of the Championships.