| 1 | Yvonne van Gennip (Senior) | NED | 7:14.13 | WR | - |
| 2 | Andrea Ehrig-Mitscherlich (Senior) | GDR | 7:17.12 | NR | +2.990 |
| 3 | Gabi Zange (Senior) | GDR | 7:21.61 | PB | +7.480 |
| 4 | Svetlana Sjurova-Bojko (Neo) | URS | 7:28.39 | NR | +14.260 |
| 5 | Jelena Lapuga (Senior) | URS | 7:28.65 | PB | +14.520 |
| 6 | Seiko Hashimoto (Neo) | JPN | 7:34.43 | NR | +20.300 |
| 7 | Gunda Kleemann (Neo) | GDR | 7:34.59 | | +20.460 |
| 8 | Jasmin Krohn (Neo) | SWE | 7:36.56 | NR | +22.430 |
| 9 | Chun-Ok Han (Neo) | PRK | 7:36.81 | NR | +22.680 |
| 10 | Janet Goldman (Neo) | USA | 7:36.98 | NR | +22.850 |
| 11 | Mary Docter (Senior) | USA | 7:37.00 | PB | +22.870 |
| 12 | Elena Belci-Dal Farra (Senior) | ITA | 7:37.23 | NR | +23.100 |
| 13 | Marieke Stam (Senior) | NED | 7:38.02 | | +23.890 |
| 14 | Ingrid Paul (Neo) | NED | 7:40.67 | | +26.540 |
| 15 | Jelena Tumanova (Neo) | URS | 7:40.82 | SB | +26.690 |
| 16 | Xiaoyan Wang (A2) | CHN | 7:46.30 | WRJ, NR, TRJ | +32.170 |
| 17 | Yeong-Ok Kim (Neo) | KOR | 7:46.51 | NR | +32.380 |
| 18 | Natalie Grenier (Senior) | CAN | 7:46.96 | NR | +32.830 |
| 19 | Natsue Seki (Neo) | JPN | 7:47.43 | SB | +33.300 |
| 20 | Ariane Loignon (Neo) | CAN | 7:49.55 | | +35.420 |
| 21 | Erwina Rys-Ferens (Senior) | POL | 7:50.43 | | +36.300 |
| 22 | Nancy Swider-Peltz (M30) | USA | 7:52.12 | SB | +37.990 |
| 23 | Kathy Gordon (Neo) | CAN | 7:53.30 | PB | +39.170 |
| 24 | Minna Nystedt (Neo) | NOR | 7:54.11 | PB | +39.980 |
| 25 | Stéphanie Dumont (Neo) | FRA | 8:00.40 | NR | +46.270 |