| 1 | Lidija Skoblikova (Senior) | URS | 2:22.60 | OR, TR | - |
| 2 | Kaija Mustonen (Neo) | FIN | 2:25.50 | NR | +2.900 |
| 3 | Berta Kolokoltseva (Senior) | URS | 2:27.10 | PB | +4.500 |
| 4 | Song-Soon Kim (Senior) | PRK | 2:27.70 | NR | +5.100 |
| 5 | Helga Haase (M30) | GDR | 2:28.60 | NR | +6.000 |
| 6 | Christina Scherling (Senior) | SWE | 2:29.40 | SB | +6.800 |
| 7 | Valentina.34 Stenina (Senior) | URS | 2:29.90 | | +7.300 |
| 8 | Kaija-Liisa Keskivitikka (A1) | FIN | 2:30.00 | | +7.400 |
| 9 | Pil-Hwa Han (Neo) | PRK | 2:30.10 | SB | +7.500 |
| 10 | Hatsue Takemizawa-Nagakubo (Senior) | JPN | 2:30.90 | NR | +8.300 |
| 11 | Gunilla Jacobsson (A1) | SWE | 2:31.90 | | +9.300 |
| 12 | Inger Eriksson (Neo) | SWE | 2:32.00 | SB | +9.400 |
| 13 | Doreen McCannell (B1) | CAN | 2:32.70 | NRJ, NR | +10.100 |
| 14 | Yasuko Takano (Neo) | JPN | 2:33.10 | SB | +10.500 |
| 15 | Judy Morstein (Neo) | USA | 2:33.30 | PB | +10.700 |
| 16 | Doreen Ryan (M30) | CAN | 2:34.00 | NRM | +11.400 |
| Willy de Beer (Neo) | NED | 2:34.00 | SB | +11.400 |
| 18 | Kaneko Takahashi (Neo) | JPN | 2:34.60 | | +12.000 |
| 19 | Mary Lawler (A2) | USA | 2:34.90 | | +12.300 |
| 20 | Kornelia Ihász (Senior) | HUN | 2:35.10 | NR | +12.500 |
| 21 | Inge Lieckfeldt (Neo) | GDR | 2:36.20 | SB | +13.600 |
| 22 | Françoise Lucas (Senior) | FRA | 2:36.40 | SB | +13.800 |
| Adelhejda Mroske (Neo) | POL | 2:36.40 | SB | +13.800 |
| 24 | Janice Smith (A2) | USA | 2:37.80 | | +15.200 |
| 25 | Helena Pilejczyk (M30) | POL | 2:38.30 | | +15.700 |
| 26 | Elwira Seroczynska (M30) | POL | 2:39.30 | | +16.700 |
| 27 | Kwee-Jin Kim (A1) | KOR | 2:39.70 | NRJ, NR | +17.100 |
| 28 | Erika Heinicke (Senior) | GDR | 2:40.40 | SB | +17.800 |
| 29 | Jarmila Štastná-Königová (M30) | TCH | 2:42.90 | NRM | +20.300 |
| 30 | Sen-Za Ahn (A2) | PRK | 2:44.70 | NRJ | +22.100 |