| 1 | Sabine Brehm (Neo) | GDR | 4:43.70 | TR | - |
| 2 | Andrea Schöne-Mitscherlich (Neo) | GDR | 4:43.75 | | +0.050 |
| 3 | Gabi Schönbrunn (Neo) | GDR | 4:43.88 | | +0.180 |
| 4 | Erwina Rys-Ferens (Senior) | POL | 4:52.51 | | +8.810 |
| 5 | Marina Koltsova (Neo) | URS | 4:54.14 | | +10.440 |
| 6 | Svetlana Katsjuk (Senior) | URS | 4:54.50 | | +10.800 |
| 7 | Birgit Czak (Neo) | GDR | 4:56.13 | | +12.430 |
| 8 | Gum-Hyon Park (A1) | PRK | 4:57.22 | | +13.520 |
| 9 | Anna Kanatova-Bugrejeva (Neo) | URS | 4:57.41 | | +13.710 |
| 10 | Sijtje Tjepkema-van der Lende (M30) | NED | 5:01.37 | | +17.670 |
| 11 | Angelika Haßmann (Neo) | FRG | 5:01.53 | | +17.830 |
| 12 | Hwa-Seon Song (C2) | PRK | 5:02.81 | | +19.110 |
| 13 | Ewa Białkowska-Krysiak (Senior) | POL | 5:05.75 | | +22.050 |
| 14 | Natalja Zaborskikh (Senior) | URS | 5:05.92 | | +22.220 |
| 15 | Irina Mikhajlova (Senior) | URS | 5:07.53 | | +23.830 |
| 16 | Sandy Chobot (Neo) | USA | 5:09.26 | | +25.560 |
| 17 | Kathryn Ann Lunda (Senior) | USA | 5:11.54 | | +27.840 |
| 18 | Elske van der Meer (Neo) | NED | 5:11.91 | | +28.210 |
| 19 | Doetie Vos-van der Meulen (Neo) | NED | 5:11.99 | | +28.290 |
| 20 | Susan Sandvig (Neo) | USA | 5:12.38 | | +28.680 |
| 21 | Tilly Bakker-Alderts (Neo) | NED | 5:13.58 | | +29.880 |
| 22 | Ljudmila Kostjukevitsj (A1) | URS | 5:13.61 | | +29.910 |
| 23 | Lilianna Jezierska-Morawiec (Neo) | POL | 5:14.04 | | +30.340 |
| 24 | Trijnie Semplonius-Nieuwenhuis (Senior) | NED | 5:16.55 | | +32.850 |
| 25 | Mihaela Timiş (C2) | ROU | 5:20.67 | | +36.970 |
| 26 | Reina de Hey (Neo) | NED | 5:23.75 | | +40.050 |
| 27 | Simona Todoruţ (B2) | ROU | 5:25.27 | | +41.570 |