compiled by Howard Willman
(as of October 06, 2020)
WR = mark was a World Record
i = mark made indoors (if best for year was indoors, outdoor best is also listed)
Sadly, yet not surprisingly, Matthew Ramsden’s 3:51.23 2020-leading mark is the slowest leader since 1978, a clear artifact of the COVID19 pandemic.
 he also ran the fastest mile of the year at the Millrose Games (see chart). Centro became the first U.S. miler to lead the world list since ’07. And ’16 was also the first year of the sub-4:00 era in which the fastest mile was run indoors.
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| View American Best Chart | View U.S. Soil (All-Comers) Chart | |||||||
| 1954 | 3:57.9 | WR | John | Landy | AUS | Turku | 6/21/54 |
| 1955 | 3:59.0 | László | Tábori | HUN | London | 5/28/55 | |
| 1956 | 3:58.6 | John | Landy | AUS | Melbourne | 1/28/56 | |
| John | Landy | AUS | Melbourne | 4/07/56 | |||
| Jim | Bailey | AUS | Los Angeles | 5/05/56 | |||
| 1957 | 3:57.2 | WR | Derek | Ibbotson | GBR | London | 7/19/57 |
| 1958 | 3:54.5 | WR | Herb | Elliott | AUS | Dublin | 8/06/58 |
| 1959 | 3:56.5 | Siegfried | Valentin | GDR | Potsdam | 5/28/59 | |
| 1960 | 3:57.0 | Herb | Elliott | AUS | Dublin | 9/23/60 | |
| 1961 | 3:57.6 | Dyrol | Burleson | USA | Eugene | 5/24/61 | |
| 1962 | 3:54.4 | WR | Peter | Snell | NZL | Wanganui | 1/27/62 |
| 1963 | 3:54.9 | Peter | Snell | NZL | Modesto | 5/25/63 | |
| 1964 | 3:54.03 | WR | Peter | Snell | NZL | Auckland | 11/17/64 |
| 1965 | 3:53.6 | WR | Michel | Jazy | FRA | Rennes | 6/09/05 |
| 1966 | 3:51.3 | WR | Jim | Ryun | USA | Berkeley | 7/17/66 |
| 1967 | 3:51.1 | WR | Jim | Ryun | USA | Bakersfield | 6/23/67 |
| 1968 | 3:53.8 | Bodo | Tümmler | FRG | Karlskrona | 8/22/68 | |
| 1969 | 3:55.9 | Jim | Ryun | USA | Los Angeles | 6/07/69 | |
| 1970 | 3:56.3 | Roscoe | Divine | USA | Eugene | 6/05/70 | |
| 1971 | 3:54.4 | Kip | Keino | KEN | Stockholm | 7/06/71 | |
| 1972 | 3:52.8 | Jim | Ryun | USA | Toronto | 7/29/72 | |
| 1973 | 3:52.17 | Ben | Jipcho | KEN | Stockholm | 7/02/73 | |
| 1974 | 3:53.2 | Tony | Waldrop | USA | Philadelphia | 4/27/74 | |
| 1975 | 3:49.4 | WR | John | Walker | NZL | Gothenburg | 8/12/75 |
| 1976 | 3:53.07 | John | Walker | NZL | Stockholm | 8/09/76 | |
| 1977 | 3:52.0 | John | Walker | NZL | Dublin | 7/11/77 | |
| 1978 | 3:52.50 | Thomas | Wessinghage | FRG | Stockholm | 7/03/78 | |
| 1979 | 3:48.95 | WR | Seb | Coe | GBR | Oslo | 7/17/79 |
| 1980 | 3:48.8 | WR | Steve | Ovett | GBR | Oslo | 7/01/80 |
| 1981 | 3:47.33 | WR | Seb | Coe | GBR | Brussels | 8/28/81 |
| 1982 | 3:47.69 | Steve | Scott | USA | Oslo | 7/07/82 | |
| 1983 | 3:49.21 | Steve | Scott | USA | Berlin | 8/17/83 | |
| 1984 | 3:49.54 | Saïd | Aouita | MAR | Zürich | 8/22/84 | |
| 1985 | 3:46.32 | WR | Steve | Cram | GBR | Oslo | 7/27/85 |
| 1986 | 3:48.31 | Steve | Cram | GBR | Oslo | 7/05/86 | |
| 1987 | 3:46.76 | Saïd | Aouita | MAR | Helsinki | 7/02/87 | |
| 1988 | 3:48.85 | Steve | Cram | GBR | Oslo | 7/02/88 | |
| 1989 | 3:49.90 | Abdi | Bile | SOM | Oslo | 7/01/89 | |
| 1990 | 3:49.31 | Joe | Falcon | USA | Oslo | 7/14/90 | |
| 1991 | 3:49.12 | Noureddine | Morceli | ALG | Lausanne | 7/10/91 | |
| 1992 | 3:48.80 | William | Kemei | KEN | Berlin | 8/21/92 | |
| 1993 | 3:44.39 | WR | Noureddine | Morceli | ALG | Rieti | 9/05/93 |
| 1994 | 3:48.67 | Noureddine | Morceli | ALG | St. Petersburg | 7/26/94 | |
| 1995 | 3:45.19 | Noureddine | Morceli | ALG | Zürich | 8/16/95 | |
| 1996 | 3:48.15 | Noureddine | Morceli | ALG | Oslo | 7/05/96 | |
| 1997 | 3:44.90 | Hicham | El Guerrouj | MAR | Oslo | 7/04/97 | |
| 1998 | 3:44.60 | Hicham | El Guerrouj | MAR | Nice | 7/16/98 | |
| 1999 | 3:43.13 | WR | Hicham | El Guerrouj | MAR | Rome | 7/07/99 |
| 2000 | 3:45.96 | Hicham | El Guerrouj | MAR | London | 8/05/00 | |
| 2001 | 3:44.95 | Hicham | El Guerrouj | MAR | Rome | 6/29/01 | |
| 2002 | 3:48.28 | Hicham | El Guerrouj | MAR | Rome | 7/12/02 | |
| 2003 | 3:48.17 | Paul | Korir | KEN | London | 8/08/03 | |
| 2004 | 3:49.84 | Paul | Korir | KEN | London | 7/30/04 | |
| 2005 | 3:47.97 | Dahame | Bashir | QAT | Oslo | 7/29/05 | |
| 2006 | 3:50.32 | Alex | Kipchirchir | KEN | Oslo | 6/02/06 | |
| 2007 | 3:46.91 | Alan | Webb | USA | Brasschaat | 7/21/07 | |
| 2008 | 3:49.38 | Andrew | Baddeley | GBR | Oslo | 6/06/08 | |
| 2009 | 3:48.50 | Asbel | Kiprop | KEN | Eugene | 6/07/09 | |
| 2010 | 3:49.56 | Asbel | Kiprop | KEN | Oslo | 6/04/10 | |
| 2011 | 3:49.09 | Haron | Keitany | KEN | Eugene | 6/04/11 | |
| 2012 | 3:49.22 | Asbel | Kiprop | KEN | Oslo | 6/07/12 | |
| 2013 | 3:49.48 | Silas | Kiplagat | KEN | Eugene | 6/01/13 | |
| 2014 | 3:47.32 | Ayanleh | Souleiman | DJI | Eugene | 5/31/14 | |
| 2015 | 3:51.10 | Ayanleh | Souleiman | DJI | Eugene | 5/30/15 | |
| 2016 | 3:50.63i 3:51.48 |
Matthew Asbel |
Centrowitz Kiprop |
USA KEN |
New York Oslo |
2/20/16 6/09/16 |
|
| 2017 | 3:49.04 | Ronald | Kwemoi | KEN | Eugene | 5/27/17 | |
| 2018 | 3:49.44i 3:49.87 |
Edward Timothy |
Cheserek Cheruiyot |
KEN KEN |
Boston Eugene |
2/09/18 5/26/18 |
|
| 2019 | 3:47.01i 3:49.45 |
WRi | Yomif Samuel |
Kechelcha Tefera |
ETH ETH |
Boston London |
3/03/19 7/21/19 |
| 2020 | 3:51.23 | Matthew | Ramsden | AUS | San Donato Milanese | 9/05/20 | |