Take a deep breath and dive into the fully updated and revised Guinness World Records 2024! This year’s edition compiles the very best of the thousands of new records approved over the past year, confirming once again that the public have an insatiable appetite for superlatives! And with lockdowns and quarantines a distant memory for much of the world, the claims have been flooding in…

As you'll see from the cover by award-winning artist Rod Hunt, the theme of year’s book is the Blue Planet, so join us on a deep-sea odyssey to the bottom of the oceans. Encounter the most bizarre, beautiful and deadly sea creatures, swim through the largest coral reefs and kelp forests, explore the seabed for shipwrecks and lost treasure, and meet the ocean’s most fearless pioneers.

You’ll also find plenty of new and classic records to explore once you’re back on dry land, with topics as diverse as rollercoasters, robots, movie props and manga. And as ever, you’ll discover the latest record-breaking successes in music, TV, gaming and sports.

In the BLUE PLANET chapter, marvel at the physical wonders of our watery world, from rivers, lakes and oceans to icescapes and hot springs. This deep-dive into superlatives from the natural world is followed by AQUATIC LIFE, which continues our global survey of the Earth’s most remarkable creatures. As we descend from the coast to the abyssal trenches, we pass through the ocean’s various layers, getting up close to the fish, mammals, crustaceans and molluscs that fill the oceans.
In HUMANS, we meet the super seniors, body modifiers and fantastic families that make up the most popular section of the book. You’ll hear how the new holder of the record for the largest feet finds shoes to fit, what it takes to win at competitive mullet-growing (as in the hairstyle, not the fish!), and just how much blood one person can donate in a lifetime.
RECORDOLOGY lists all the new extreme achievements across the widest spectrum of human activity, from Rubik’s Cubing (whether upright, upside down or underwater) and pogosticking to throwing paper airplanes and playing mini golf. Plus, in a GWR first, we dedicate a feature to the Merfolk – the real-life mermaids and -men who are literally making a big splash!
The ADVENTURES chapter whisks us around the world in the company of the ocean-rowers, open-water swimmers, polar explorers and mountaineers who continue to push the boundaries of human endeavour and exploration.
A new feature chapter for GWR 2024 is HISTORY, which takes a more quirky look at our record-breaking past. Egyptians, pirates, catapulting knights and even real-life witches, vampires and ghosts all vie for your attention in this crazy chronicle of the past 2,000 years.
Our SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY boffins have compiled all the latest superlative news across computing, space exploration, rollercoasters and robots. Keeping to our watery theme, you’ll also find all-new features on the world’s biggest ships, deepest submarines and tallest lighthouses.
Whether you’re a fan of TV, movies, pop music, manga or anime – or all of the above! – you’ll find all your favourite stars in ARTS & MEDIA. Look out, too, for brand-new features on comedy, puppetry and magic, plus a special 12-page section dedicated to gaming.
And finally, we end the book with every significant new sporting achievement logged in the 30-page SPORTS chapter.