High Jump World Records: The Current Record Snapshot
One mark sits at the top of the men’s high jump list, but the margin beneath it is remarkably small. Javier Sotomayor’s 2.45 m clearance remains the leading men’s senior all-time performance, with Mutaz Essa Barshim’s 2.43 m the next-highest documented mark.
Sotomayor holds the men’s high jump world record with 2.45 m. It is the number most readers are looking for in a quick record check: a clearance that has remained the benchmark against which later elite performances are measured.
The gap to second place is only 2 cm. That matters because it shows that the record is not separated from the best later performance by a large numerical jump; rather, its distinction lies in the extra bar Sotomayor cleared. In an event decided by incremental increases in height, those two centimetres are the difference between the all-time lead and the closest listed challenger.
A complete current snapshot for both men’s and women’s senior outdoor world records requires confirmation of the women’s mark, holder and performance details beyond the information presented here. The supported record reference is therefore centred on the men’s benchmark: Sotomayor at 2.45 m, followed by Barshim at 2.43 m.
That distinction is useful when reading broad high-jump lists. A list may place performances in order, but the key question is whether a jumper reached the record height itself. In the supplied men’s rankings, only Sotomayor occupies that top position. Barshim’s 2.43 m is exceptionally close, yet it remains below the 2.45 m standard.
For a simple record lookup, the central answer is clear: Javier Sotomayor is the holder of the men’s high jump world-record mark at 2.45 m.
What happened when Javier Sotomayor cleared 2.45 m?
Sotomayor cleared 2.45 m in Salamanca, Spain, on 27 July 1993. Those three details—the height, place and date—define the performance behind the record rather than leaving it as an isolated number.
The setting matters because record marks acquire their meaning through a specific competition moment. Salamanca is where Sotomayor moved the men’s high jump benchmark to 2.45 m, creating the performance that still leads the senior all-time list.
The date also places the jump firmly in a particular era. It was not a recently established standard that has only had a short period to be challenged; it was achieved in 1993 and has continued to frame comparisons between the leading men’s high jump performances.
When checking record references, it helps to keep the performance details together: Javier Sotomayor, 2.45 m, Salamanca, 27 July 1993. That is the defining record-setting jump in this snapshot.
How long has the men’s record stood?
As of 14 September 2026, Sotomayor’s 2.45 m mark had stood for 33 years, 1 month and 18 days. That duration is a dated measure rather than a fixed label: it increases with every day the record remains unbeaten.
The longevity gives the number extra weight. A world-leading height can look like a narrow advantage when reduced to centimetres, especially alongside Barshim’s 2.43 m. But sustaining the lead over more than three decades makes Sotomayor’s clearance a defining reference point in the event’s all-time standings.
The practical way to read the figure is to separate the permanent record details from the changing age of the record. The jump was made on 27 July 1993; the 33-year, 1-month and 18-day calculation applies specifically to 14 September 2026.
Who has come closest to the men’s record?
Mutaz Essa Barshim is second on the men’s senior all-time high jump list with 2.43 m. He cleared that height on 5 September 2014, placing him 2 cm behind Sotomayor’s leading 2.45 m mark.
It is a close comparison, but it should not be blurred into a tie or near-identical record. Barshim’s performance is the nearest documented men’s challenger in this reference, while Sotomayor remains alone at 2.45 m. The difference is small enough to underline how difficult the record is to surpass: a jumper must do more than match the level of an outstanding all-time performance and instead clear the next height above it.
For readers tracking future attempts at the mark, the useful number to keep in view is 2.45 m. Any performance below it can strengthen an athlete’s all-time standing, but only a higher clearance changes the record benchmark set in Salamanca.