Men · World record

Pole Vault

The current record and its documented progression: 122 ratified records from 1849 to 2025, with 1 pending ratification shown in place.

Current record

6.31

Armand DuplantisSWEUppsala · 12 Mar 2026

0 years standing0.02 m improvementAll-time top 50 →

Record progression

Each step is a documented record; hollow marks were rescinded, not ratified or are pending

1849 · 3.15 Francis Temple1868 · 3.21 Robert Mitchell1872 · 3.225 Edwin Woodburn1873 · 3.225 Edwin Woodburn1873 · 3.225 William Kelsey1873 · 3.225 John Wigfull1874 · 3.225 Edwin Woodburn1875 · 3.225 John Wigfull1876 · 3.38 A. Hammond1876 · 3.38 Edwin Woodburn1879 · 3.42 Thomas Ray1881 · 3.43 Thomas Ray1882 · 3.455 Thomas Ray1883 · 3.455 Thomas Ray1883 · 3.465 Thomas Ray1885 · 3.48 Thomas Ray1886 · 3.485 Thomas Ray1887 · 3.505 Thomas Ray1887 · 3.52 Thomas Ray1888 · 3.53 Ernest Stones1888 · 3.555 Thomas Ray1889 · 3.57 Ernest Stones1891 · 3.58 Richard Dickenson1898 · 3.62 Raymond Clapp1904 · 3.69 Norman Dole1904 · 3.69 Fernand Gonder1905 · 3.74 Fernand Gonder1906 · 3.78 Leroy Samse1907 · 3.79 Walter Dray1908 · 3.82 Walter Dray1908 · 3.855 Alfred Gilbert1908 · 3.86 Alfred Gilbert1908 · 3.90 Walter Dray1910 · 3.91 Leland Scott1910 · 3.93 Leland Scott1912 · 3.985 Robert Gardner1912 · 4.02 Marc Wright1920 · 4.09 Frank Foss1922 · 4.12 Charles Hoff1923 · 4.21 Charles Hoff1925 · 4.23 Charles Hoff1925 · 4.25 Charles Hoff1927 · 4.27 Sabin Carr1928 · 4.30 Lee Barnes1932 · 4.37 William Graber1935 · 4.39 Keith Brown1936 · 4.43 George Varoff1937 · 4.54 Bill Sefton1937 · 4.54 Earle Meadows1940 · 4.60 Cornelius Warmerdam1941 · 4.72 Cornelius Warmerdam1942 · 4.77 Cornelius Warmerdam1957 · 4.78 Robert Gutowski1960 · 4.80 Don Bragg1961 · 4.83 George Davies1962 · 4.89 John Uelses1962 · 4.93 Dave Tork1962 · 4.94 Pentti Nikula1963 · 5.00 Brian Sternberg1963 · 5.08 Brian Sternberg1963 · 5.13 John Pennel1963 · 5.20 John Pennel1964 · 5.23 Fred Hansen1964 · 5.28 Fred Hansen1966 · 5.32 Bob Seagren1966 · 5.34 John Pennel1967 · 5.36 Bob Seagren1967 · 5.38 Paul Wilson1968 · 5.41 Bob Seagren1969 · 5.44 John Pennel1970 · 5.45 Wolfgang Nordwig1970 · 5.46 Wolfgang Nordwig1970 · 5.49 Christos Papanikolaou1972 · 5.51 Kjell Isaksson1972 · 5.54 Kjell Isaksson1972 · 5.55 Kjell Isaksson1972 · 5.63 Bob Seagren1975 · 5.65 David Roberts1976 · 5.67 Earl Bell1976 · 5.70 David Roberts1980 · 5.72 Władysław Kozakiewicz1980 · 5.75 Thierry Vigneron1980 · 5.75 Thierry Vigneron1980 · 5.77 Philippe Houvion1980 · 5.78 Władysław Kozakiewicz1981 · 5.80 Thierry Vigneron1981 · 5.81 Vladimir Polyakov1983 · 5.82 Pierre Quinon1983 · 5.83 Thierry Vigneron1984 · 5.85 Sergey Bubka1984 · 5.88 Sergey Bubka1984 · 5.90 Sergey Bubka1984 · 5.91 Thierry Vigneron1984 · 5.94 Sergey Bubka1985 · 6.00 Sergey Bubka1986 · 6.01 Sergey Bubka1987 · 6.03 Sergey Bubka1988 · 6.05 Sergey Bubka1988 · 6.06 Sergey Bubka1991 · 6.07 Sergey Bubka1991 · 6.08 Sergey Bubka1991 · 6.09 Sergey Bubka1991 · 6.10 Sergey Bubka1992 · 6.11 Sergey Bubka1992 · 6.12 Sergey Bubka1992 · 6.13 Sergey Bubka1994 · 6.14 Sergey Bubka2014 · 6.16 Renaud Lavillenie2020 · 6.17 Armand Duplantis2020 · 6.18 Armand Duplantis2022 · 6.19 Armand Duplantis2022 · 6.20 Armand Duplantis2022 · 6.21 Armand Duplantis2023 · 6.22 Armand Duplantis2023 · 6.23 Armand Duplantis2024 · 6.24 Armand Duplantis2024 · 6.25 Armand Duplantis2024 · 6.26 Armand Duplantis2025 · 6.27 Armand Duplantis2025 · 6.28 Armand Duplantis2025 · 6.29 Armand Duplantis2025 · 6.30 Armand Duplantis2026 · 6.31 Armand Duplantis (Pending) 6.3103.150

18491908 · Gilbert 3.8551963 · Pennel 5.201984 · Vigneron 5.912026 · Duplantis 6.31

Documented records

122 ratified · 1 pending · 2 at altitude · most recent first · Wikipedia (EN) revision 1372027424, imported 2 Sep 2026

MarkAthleteNationVenueDateStood
6.31 Armand Duplantis Pending SWE Uppsala, Sweden 12 Mar 2026
6.30 Armand Duplantis SWE Tokyo, Japan 15 Sep 2025 354 d
6.29 Armand Duplantis SWE Budapest, Hungary 12 Aug 2025 34 d
6.28 Armand Duplantis SWE Stockholm, Sweden 15 Jun 2025 58 d
6.27 Armand Duplantis SWE Clermont-Ferrand, France 28 Feb 2025 107 d
6.26 Armand Duplantis SWE Chorzów, Poland 25 Aug 2024 187 d
6.25 Armand Duplantis SWE Paris, France 5 Aug 2024 20 d
6.24 Armand Duplantis SWE Xiamen, China 20 Apr 2024 107 d
6.23 Armand Duplantis SWE Eugene, U.S. 17 Sep 2023 216 d
6.22 Armand Duplantis SWE Clermont-Ferrand, France 25 Feb 2023 204 d
6.21 Armand Duplantis SWE Eugene, U.S. 24 Jul 2022 216 d
6.20 Armand Duplantis SWE Belgrade, Serbia 20 Mar 2022 126 d
6.19 Armand Duplantis SWE Belgrade, Serbia 7 Mar 2022 13 d
6.18 Armand Duplantis SWE Glasgow, UK 15 Feb 2020 2 yrs
6.17 Armand Duplantis SWE Toruń, Poland 8 Feb 2020 7 d
6.16 Renaud Lavillenie FRA Donetsk, Ukraine 15 Feb 2014 5 yrs
6.14A Sergey Bubka"From 2000, IAAF Rule 260.18s (formerly 260.6.a) was amended to say world records (as opposed to indoor world records) can be set in a facility 'with or without a roof.' So far, only one event - the women's pole vault - has been affected by this change, which was not applied retrospectively." Sergey Bubka set an indoor record of 6.15 m (20 ft 2 in) on February 21, 1993, in excess of the outdoor record, before this rule came into effect. UKR Sestriere, Italy 31 Jul 1994 19 yrs
6.13 Sergey Bubka UKR Tokyo, Japan 19 Sep 1992 1 yr
6.12 Sergey Bubka UKR Padua, Italy 30 Aug 1992 20 d
6.11 Sergey Bubka UKR Dijon, France 13 Jun 1992 78 d
6.10 Sergey Bubka URS Malmö, Sweden 5 Aug 1991 313 d
6.09 Sergey Bubka URS Formia, Italy 8 Jul 1991 28 d
6.08 Sergey Bubka URS Moscow, Soviet Union 9 Jun 1991 29 d
6.07 Sergey Bubka URS Shizuoka, Japan 6 May 1991 34 d
6.06 Sergey Bubka URS Nice, France 10 Jul 1988 2 yrs
6.05 Sergey Bubka URS Bratislava, Czechoslovakia 9 Jun 1988 31 d
6.03 Sergey Bubka URS Prague, Czechoslovakia 23 Jun 1987 352 d
6.01 Sergey Bubka URS Moscow, Soviet Union 8 Jul 1986 350 d
6.00 Sergey Bubka URS Paris, France 13 Jul 1985 360 d
5.94 Sergey Bubka URS Rome, Italy 31 Aug 1984 316 d
5.91 Thierry Vigneron FRA Rome, Italy 31 Aug 1984 0 d
5.90 Sergey Bubka URS London, England 13 Jul 1984 49 d
5.88 Sergey Bubka URS Paris, France 2 Jun 1984 41 d
5.85 Sergey Bubka URS Bratislava, Czechoslovakia 26 May 1984 7 d
5.83 Thierry Vigneron FRA Rome, Italy 1 Sep 1983 268 d
5.82 Pierre Quinon FRA Cologne, Germany 28 Aug 1983 4 d
5.81 Vladimir Polyakov URS Tbilisi, Soviet Union 26 Jun 1981 2 yrs
5.80 Thierry Vigneron FRA Mâcon, France 20 Jun 1981 6 d
5.78 Władysław Kozakiewicz POL Moscow, Soviet Union 30 Jul 1980 325 d
5.77 Philippe Houvion FRA Paris, France 17 Jul 1980 13 d
5.75 Thierry Vigneron FRA Lille, France 29 Jun 1980 18 d
5.75 Thierry Vigneron FRA Paris, France 1 Jun 1980 28 d
5.72 Władysław Kozakiewicz POL Milan, Italy 11 May 1980 21 d
5.70 David Roberts USA Eugene, U.S. 22 Jun 1976 3 yrs
5.67 Earl Bell USA Wichita, U.S. 29 May 1976 24 d
5.65 David Roberts USA Gainesville, U.S. 28 Mar 1975 1 yr
5.63 Bob Seagren USA Eugene, U.S. 2 Jul 1972 2 yrs
5.55 Kjell Isaksson SWE Helsingborg, Sweden 12 Jun 1972 20 d
5.54 Kjell Isaksson SWE Los Angeles, U.S. 15 Apr 1972 58 d
5.51 Kjell Isaksson SWE Austin, U.S. 8 Apr 1972 7 d
5.49 Christos Papanikolaou GRE Athens, Greece 24 Oct 1970 1 yr
5.46 Wolfgang Nordwig GDR Turin, Italy 3 Sep 1970 51 d
5.45 Wolfgang Nordwig GDR Berlin, Germany 17 Jun 1970 78 d
5.44 John Pennel USA Sacramento, U.S. 21 Jun 1969 361 d
5.41A Bob Seagren USA Echo Summit, U.S. 12 Sep 1968 282 d
5.38 Paul Wilson USA Bakersfield, U.S. 23 Jun 1967 1 yr
5.36 Bob Seagren USA San Diego, U.S. 10 Jun 1967 13 d
5.34 John Pennel USA Los Angeles, U.S. 23 Jul 1966 322 d
5.32 Bob Seagren USA Fresno, U.S. 14 May 1966 70 d
5.28 Fred Hansen USA Los Angeles, U.S. 25 Jul 1964 1 yr
5.23 Fred Hansen USA San Diego, U.S. 13 Jun 1964 42 d
5.20 John Pennel USA Coral Gables, U.S. 24 Aug 1963 294 d
5.13 John Pennel USA London, England 5 Aug 1963 19 d
5.08 Brian Sternberg USA Compton, U.S. 7 Jun 1963 59 d
5.00 Brian Sternberg USA Philadelphia, U.S. 27 Apr 1963 41 d
4.94 Pentti Nikula FIN Kauhava, Finland 22 Jun 1962 309 d
4.93 Dave Tork USA Walnut, U.S. 28 Apr 1962 55 d
4.89 John Uelses USA Santa Barbara, U.S. 31 Mar 1962 28 d
4.83 George Davies USA Boulder, U.S. 20 May 1961 315 d
4.80 Don Bragg USA Palo Alto, U.S. 2 Jul 1960 322 d
4.78 Robert Gutowski USA Palo Alto, U.S. 27 Apr 1957 3 yrs
4.77 Cornelius Warmerdam USA Modesto, U.S. 23 May 1942 14 yrs
4.72 Cornelius Warmerdam USA Compton, U.S. 26 Jun 1941 331 d
4.60 Cornelius Warmerdam USA Fresno, U.S. 29 Jun 1940 362 d
4.54 Earle Meadows USA Los Angeles, U.S. 29 May 1937 3 yrs
4.54 Bill Sefton USA Los Angeles, U.S. 29 May 1937 0 d
4.43 George Varoff USA Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. 4 Jul 1936 329 d
4.39 Keith Brown USA Boston, U.S. 1 Jun 1935 1 yr
4.37 William Graber USA Palo Alto, U.S. 16 Jul 1932 2 yrs
4.30 Lee Barnes USA Fresno, U.S. 28 Apr 1928 4 yrs
4.27 Sabin Carr USA Philadelphia, U.S. 28 May 1927 336 d
4.25 Charles Hoff NOR Turku, Finland 27 Sep 1925 1 yr
4.23 Charles Hoff NOR Oslo, Norway 13 Aug 1925 45 d
4.21 Charles Hoff NOR Copenhagen, Denmark 22 Jul 1923 2 yrs
4.12 Charles Hoff NOR Copenhagen, Denmark 22 Sep 1922 303 d
4.09 Frank Foss USA Antwerp, Belgium 20 Aug 1920 2 yrs
4.02 Marc Wright USA Cambridge, U.S. 8 Jun 1912 8 yrs
3.985 Robert Gardner USA Philadelphia 1 Jun 1912 7 d
3.93 Leland Scott USA Boulder 27 May 1910 2 yrs
3.91 Leland Scott USA Berkeley 30 Apr 1910 27 d
3.90 Walter Dray USA Danbury 13 Jun 1908 1 yr
3.86 Alfred Gilbert USA New Haven 12 Jun 1908 1 d
3.855 Alfred Gilbert USA Philadelphia 6 Jun 1908 6 d
3.82 Walter Dray USA Philadelphia 25 Apr 1908 42 d
3.79 Walter Dray USA New Haven 18 May 1907 343 d
3.78 Leroy Samse USA Chicago 2 Jun 1906 350 d
3.74 Fernand Gonder FRA Gradignan 4 Jun 1905 363 d
3.69 Fernand Gonder FRA Paris 26 Jun 1904 343 d
3.69 Norman Dole USA Berkeley 23 Apr 1904 64 d
3.62 Raymond Clapp USA Chicago 16 Jun 1898 5 yrs
3.58 Richard Dickenson GBR Kidderminster 4 Jul 1891 6 yrs
3.57 Ernest Stones GBR Grasmere 23 Aug 1889 1 yr
3.555 Thomas Ray GBR Barrow 22 Sep 1888 335 d
3.53 Ernest Stones GBR Southport 2 Jun 1888 112 d
3.52 Thomas Ray GBR Whitehaven 19 Aug 1887 288 d
3.505 Thomas Ray GBR Grasmere 18 Aug 1887 1 d
3.485 Thomas Ray GBR Whitehaven 13 Aug 1886 1 yr
3.48 Thomas Ray GBR Grasmere 20 Aug 1885 358 d
3.465 Thomas Ray GBR Preston 18 Aug 1883 2 yrs
3.455 Thomas Ray GBR Nottingham 16 Jun 1883 63 d
3.455 Thomas Ray GBR Bradford 12 Aug 1882 308 d
3.43 Thomas Ray GBR Birmingham 16 Jul 1881 1 yr
3.42 Thomas Ray GBR Ulverston 19 Sep 1879 1 yr
3.38 Edwin Woodburn GBR Ulverston 21 Jul 1876 3 yrs
3.38 A. Hammond GBR Bury St.Edmunds 30 Mar 1876 113 d
3.225 John Wigfull GBR Sheffield 5 Jul 1875 269 d
3.225 Edwin Woodburn GBR London 30 Mar 1874 1 yr
3.225 John Wigfull GBR Sheffield 7 Jul 1873 266 d
3.225 William Kelsey GBR Sheffield 7 Jul 1873 0 d
3.225 Edwin Woodburn GBR Lancaster 2 Jun 1873 35 d
3.225 Edwin Woodburn GBR Newton 31 Aug 1872 275 d
3.21 Robert Mitchell GBR London 19 Jun 1868 4 yrs
3.15 Francis Temple GBR Woolwich 6 Oct 1849 18 yrs

Rows link to a profile only where the athlete appears on a published list. Struck marks were rescinded or never ratified, and A marks a performance at altitude; both come from the source article's own key and markers, and eras are kept as it lists them. Nothing is inferred.