The 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship Division I was played in two groups of six teams each. In each group the first-placed team is promoted to a higher level, while the last-placed team is relegated to a lower level. Divisions I A and I B represent the second and the third tier of the IIHF World U20 Championship. To be eligible as a "junior" a player cannot be born earlier than 1996. The winners of Division I B, France, was promoted to the 2017 Division I A, and the winners of Division I A, Latvia, was promoted to the 2017 top division.