Although it stages a World Youth Championships in odd-numbered years, World Athletics does not maintain official World Youth Records. These are the best known statistically-acceptable performances by athletes who remain no older than 17 in the year in which the mark is set, as ratified by the T&FN Records Committee. Implements are Youth, unless noted otherwise.
Symbols: (A) = altitude-aided mark—over 1000m of altitude (in affected events only); i = made indoors; p = mark still pending ratification
| Track Events | ||||
| 100 | 10.94 | Briana Williams (Jamaica) | Kingston, Jamaica | 6/21/19 |
| 200 | 22.42 | Amy Hunt (Great Britain) | Mannheim, Germany | 6/30/19 |
| 400 | 50.48 | Grit Breuer (East Germany) | Neubrandenburg, Germany | 7/22/89 |
| 800 | 1:59.51 | Mary Cain (US) | Eugene, Oregon | 6/01/13 |
| 1500 | 4:02.83 | Gudaf Tesegay (Ethiopia) | Beijing, China | 5/21/14 |
| Mile | 4:28.25 | Mary Cain (US) | New York, New York | 2/16/13 |
| 2000 Steeple | 6:11.83 | Korahubsh Itaa (Ethiopia) | Bressanone, Italy | 7/10/09 |
| Steeple | 9:24.73 | Celphine Chespol (Kenya) | Shanghai, China | 5/14/16 |
| 3000 | 8:39.00 | Zola Pieterse (South Africa) | Durban, South Africa | 4/02/83 |
| 5000 | 14:49.90 | Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) | Berlin, Germany | 6/06/02 |
| 100 Hurdles | 12.84Sr | Tia Jones (US) | Clovis, California | 6/25/16 |
| Senior 100 Hurdles | 12.84 | Tia Jones (US) | Clovis, California | 6/25/16 |
| 400 Hurdles | 54.15 | Sydney McLaughlin (US) | Eugene, Oregon | 7/10/16 |
| Relay Events | ||||
| 4 x 100 | 44.05 | East Germany | Athens, Greece | 8/24/75 |
| (Petra Koppetsch, Marlies Göhr, Margit Sinzel, Christina Lathan) | ||||
| 1000 Medley | 2:03.42 | Jamaica | Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France | 7/10/11 |
| (Christiania Williams, Shericka Jackson, Chris-Ann Gordon, Olivia James) | ||||
| Field Events | ||||
| High Jump | 1.96 | 6-5 | Charmaine Gale (South Africa) | Bloemfontein, South Africa | 4/04/81 |
| 1.96 | 6-5 | Olga Turchak (Soviet Union) | Donets’k, Ukraine | 9/07/84 | |
| 1.96 | 6-5 | Eleanor Patterson (Australia) | Townsville, Australia | 12/07/13 | |
| 1.96 | 6-5 | Vashti Cunningham (US) | Edmonton, Alberta | 8/01/15 | |
| 1.96 | 6-5i | Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine) | Minsk, Belarus | 12/22/18 | |
| Pole Vault | 4.50 | 14-9 | Lisa Gunnarsson (Sweden) | Pézenas, France | 5/28/16 |
| 4.50 | 14-9 | Lisa Gunnarsson (Sweden) | Angers, France | 6/25/16 | |
| Long Jump | 6.91 | 22-8 | Heike Drechsler (East Germany) | Jena, Germany | 8/09/81 |
| Triple Jump | 14.25 | 46-9 | Dailenys Alcántra (Cuba) | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 7/10/08 |
| Shot | 20.52 | 67-4 | Corrie de Bruin (Holland) | Assen, Holland | 6/13/93 |
| Senior Shot | 19.08 | 62-7¼ | Ilke Wyludda (East Germany) | Chemnitz, Germany | 8/09/86 |
| Discus | 65.86 | 216-1Sr | Ilke Wyludda (East Germany) | Neubrandenburg, Germany | 8/01/86 |
| Senior Discus | 65.86 | 216-1 | Ilke Wyludda (East Germany) | Neubrandenburg, Germany | 8/01/86 |
| Hammer | 76.04 | 249-6 | Réka Gyurátz (Hungary) | Zalaegerszeg, Hungary | 6/23/13 |
| Senior Hammer | 70.60 | 231-7 | Wenxiu Zhang (China) | Nanning, China | 4/05/03 |
| Javelin | 65.90 | 216-2 | Elína Tzénggo (Greece) | Ioánnina, Greece | 5/08/19 |
| 68.76 | 225-7p | Adriana Vilagoš (Serbia) | Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia | 3/07/20 | |
| Senior Javelin | 62.93 | 206-5 | Juan Xue (China) | Changsha, China | 10/27/03 |
| Multi Events | ||||
| Heptathlon | 6221 | María Vicente (Spain) | Győr, Hungary | 7/05-06/18 |
| (13.25, 1.72/5-7¾, 13.77/45-2¼, 23.78 [3747], 6.37/20-10¾, 43.28/142-0, 2:23.29 [2474]) | ||||
| Senior Heptathlon | 6148 | Morgan Lake (Great Britain) | Eugene, Oregon | 7/22-23/14 |
| (14.29, 1.94/6-4¼, 14.17/46-6, 24.64 [3821], 5.90/19-4¼, 41.66/136‑8, 2:21.06 [2327]) | ||||
| Walk Event | ||||
| 5000 Walk | 20:28.05 | Tatyana Kalmykova (Russia) | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 7/12/07 |
as of December 14, 2020