The women's 200 metre breaststroke event at the 1996 Summer Olympics took place on 21 July at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center in Atlanta, United States.

[1] Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.

The following records were established during the competition: Rule: The eight fastest swimmers advance to final A (Q), while the next eight to final B (q).

[3] [4]