These are the results of the women's singles competition in badminton at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The tournament consisted of a single-elimination tournament. Matches were played using a best-of-three games format. Games were played to 21 points, using rally scoring. Each game had to be won by a margin of two points, except when the game was won by a player who reached 30 even if the lead was only 1 at that point. The top eight seeds in the tournament were placed in the bracket so as not to face each other until the quarterfinals. All other competitors were placed by draw.

Seeds

Two players for China – Zhang Ning and Xie Xingfang – took gold and silver, respectively, while Maria Kristin Yulianti of Indonesia received bronze in the women's singles tournament.

Draw

Finals

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4