Evolution of the world record 3000 meters Women
| # | name | time | place | track type | date | |||
| 1 | Zofia Nehringowa | POL | 6:52.8 | Warsaw | POL | outdoor - natural | 8 Feb 1931 | |
| 2 | Zofia Nehringowa | POL | 6:22.4 | Warsaw | POL | outdoor - natural | 9 Feb 1935 | |
| 3 | Kit Klein | USA | 6:12.0 | Stockholm | SWE | outdoor - natural | 1 Feb 1936 | |
| 4 | Laila Schou Nilsen | NOR | 5:29.6 | Davos | SUI | outdoor - natural | 30 Jan 1937 | |
| 5 | Zoya Kholshchevnikova | URS | 5:29.1 | Moscow | URS | outdoor - natural | 30 Jan 1949 | |
| 6 | Tatyana Karelina | URS | 5:26.7 | Medeo | URS | outdoor - natural | 11 Feb 1951 | |
| 7 | Olga Akifyeva | URS | 5:22.2 | Medeo | URS | outdoor - natural | 16 Feb 1951 | |
| 8 | Rimma Zhukova | URS | 5:21.3 | Medeo | URS | outdoor - natural | 8 Jan 1952 | |
| 9 | Rimma Zhukova | URS | 5:13.8 | Medeo | URS | outdoor - natural | 23 Jan 1953 | |
| 10 | Inga Voronina-Artamonova | URS | 5:06.0 | Medeo | URS | outdoor - natural | 28 Jan 1962 | |
| 11 | Lidiya Skoblikova | URS | 5:05.9 | Oslo | NOR | outdoor - natural | 15 Jan 1967 | |
| 12 | Stien Kaiser | NED | 5:04.8 | Davos | SUI | outdoor - natural | 29 Jan 1967 | |
| 13 | Stien Kaiser | NED | 4:56.8 | Inzell | FRG | outdoor - artificial | 5 Mar 1967 | |
| 14 | Stien Kaiser | NED | 4:54.6 | Davos | SUI | outdoor - natural | 3 Feb 1968 | |
| 15 | Ans Schut | NED | 4:52.0 | Grenoble | FRA | outdoor - artificial | 2 Feb 1969 | |
| 16 | Ans Schut | NED | 4:50.4 | Davos | SUI | outdoor - natural | 9 Feb 1969 | |
| 17 | Ans Schut | NED | 4:50.3 | Inzell | FRG | outdoor - artificial | 23 Feb 1969 | |
| 18 | Stien Kaiser | NED | 4:46.5 | Davos | SUI | outdoor - natural | 16 Jan 1971 | |
| 19 | Tamara Kuznetsova | URS | 4:44.69 | Medeo | URS | outdoor - artificial | 12 Jan 1975 | |
| 20 | Nancy Swider | USA | 4:40.85 | Inzell | FRG | outdoor - artificial | 13 Mar 1976 | |
| 21 | Galina Stepanskaya | URS | 4:40.59 | Medeo | URS | outdoor - artificial | 16 Mar 1976 | |
| 22 | Galina Stepanskaya | URS | 4:31.00 | Medeo | URS | outdoor - artificial | 23 Mar 1976 | |
| 23 | Gabi Schönbrunn | GDR | 4:21.70 | Medeo | URS | outdoor - artificial | 28 Mar 1981 | |
| 24 | Andrea Schöne-Mitscherlich | GDR | 4:20.91 | Medeo | URS | outdoor - artificial | 23 Mar 1984 | |
| 25 | Karin Kania-Enke | GDR | 4:18.02 | Medeo | URS | outdoor - artificial | 21 Mar 1986 | |
| 26 | Yvonne van Gennip | NED | 4:16.85 | Heerenveen | NED | indoor - artificial | 19 Mar 1987 | |
| 27 | Gabi Zange-Schönbrunn | GDR | 4:16.76 | Calgary | CAN | indoor - artificial | 5 Dec 1987 | |
| 28 | Yvonne van Gennip | NED | 4:11.94 | Calgary | CAN | indoor - artificial | 23 Feb 1988 | |
| 29 | Gunda Kleemann | GER | 4:10.80 | Calgary | CAN | indoor - artificial | 9 Dec 1990 | |
| 30 | Gunda Niemann | GER | 4:09.32 | Calgary | CAN | indoor - artificial | 25 Mar 1994 | |
| 31 | Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann | GER | 4:07.80 | * | Heerenveen | NED | indoor - artificial | 7 Dec 1997 |
| 32 | Claudia Pechstein | GER | 4:07.13 | * | Hamar | NOR | indoor - artificial | 13 Dec 1997 |
| 33 | Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann | GER | 4:05.08 | * | Heerenveen | NED | indoor - artificial | 14 Mar 1998 |
| 34 | Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann | GER | 4:01.67 | * | Calgary | CAN | indoor - artificial | 27 Mar 1998 |
| 35 | Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann | GER | 4:00.51 | * | Calgary | CAN | indoor - artificial | 30 Jan 2000 |
| 36 | Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann | GER | 4:00.26 | * | Hamar | NOR | indoor - artificial | 17 Feb 2001 |
| 37 | Claudia Pechstein | GER | 3:59.26 | * | Calgary | CAN | indoor - artificial | 2 Mar 2001 |
| 38 | Claudia Pechstein | GER | 3:57.70 | * | Salt Lake City | USA | indoor - artificial | 10 Feb 2002 |
| 39 | Cindy Klassen | CAN | 3:55.75 | * | Calgary | CAN | indoor - artificial | 12 Nov 2005 |
| 40 | Cindy Klassen | CAN | 3:53.34 | * | Calgary | CAN | indoor - artificial | 18 Mar 2006 |
| 41 | Martina Sáblíková | CZE | 3:53.31 | * | Calgary | CAN | indoor - artificial | 2 Mar 2019 |
| 42 | Martina Sáblíková | CZE | 3:52.02 | * | Salt Lake City | USA | indoor - artificial | 9 Mar 2019 |
| * | = record skated on klap skates | |||||||
