The world championships are held by the International Judo Federation annually, except the calendar years of the Summer Olympics.

The last edition of the World Judo Championships (2024) was held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

There were no weight classes at the time and Japanese judoka Shokichi Natsui became the first world champion in history, defeating fellow countryman Yoshihiko Yoshimatsu in the final.

The second world championship was also held in Tokyo two years later, with the Japanese winning the top two spots in the competition for the second time.

Since 2011 men's and women's team competitions became the part of World Judo Championships.

The results of promotional team events which were held during 2003 and 2005 World Judo Championships are not included into overall statistics.