| 1 | Ingrid Christensen-Kristiansen | NOR | |
31:05,85 | |
| 2 | Yelena Zhupiyeva-Vyazova | URS | |
31:09,40 | NR |
| 3 | Kathrin Ullrich-Wessel | GDR | |
31:11,34 | |
| 4 | Olga Bondarenko | URS | 31:18,38 | ||
| 5 | Liz Lynch-McColgan | GBR | 31:19,82 | NR | |
| 6 | Lynn Jennings | USA | 31:45,43 | ||
| 7 | Albertina Machado | POR | 31:46,61 | ||
| 8 | Xiuting Wang | CHN | 31:48,88 | AR | |
| 9 | Angela Tooby | GBR | 31:55,30 | ||
| 10 | Kerstin Pressler | FRG | 31:56,80 | ||
| 11 | Martine Oppliger | SUI | 32:07,49 | NR | |
| 12 | Marleen Renders | BEL | 32:12,51 | NR | |
| 13 | Lynn Nelson | USA | 32:22,88 | ||
| 14 | Christine McMiken | NZL | 32:25,67 | ||
| 15 | Francie Larrieu-Smith | USA | 32:30,00 | ||
| 16 | Nancy Rooks-Tinari | CAN | 32:31,55 | ||
| 17 | Aurora Cunha | POR | 32:44,42 | ||
| 18 | Kumi Araki | JPN | 33:15,08 | ||
| 19 | Ana Isabel Alonso | ESP | 33:20,65 | ||
| 20 | Tuija Toivonen-Jousimaa | FIN | 33:25,46 | ||
| 21 | Lorraine Moller | NZL | 34:07,26 | ||
| Lieve Slegers | BEL | DNF |