compiled by Howard Willman
(as of September 08, 2019)
WR = mark was a World Record
i = mark made indoors (if best for year was indoors, outdoor best is also listed)
 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 |