The Burj Khalifa has been the tallest building in the world since 2010, and 16 years later nothing has come close. At 828 meters it stands 149 meters clear of second place, a gap larger than most skyscrapers are tall in total.
That is about to change. Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia passed 100 floors in April 2026, stood at 107 floors and 430 meters by early August, and is on course to become the first building to reach a full kilometer. Below are the 10 tallest completed buildings in the world today, followed by the next 10, the towers under construction that will reshuffle the list, and the observation decks you can actually visit.
| Rank | Building | Location | Height | Floors | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burj Khalifa | Dubai, UAE | 828 m (2,717 ft) | 163 | 2010 |
| 2 | Merdeka 118 (Menara Merdeka Maybank) | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 678.9 m (2,227 ft) | 118 | 2024 |
| 3 | Shanghai Tower | Shanghai, China | 632 m (2,073 ft) | 128 | 2015 |
| 4 | Mecca Royal Clock Tower | Mecca, Saudi Arabia | 601 m (1,972 ft) | 120 | 2012 |
| 5 | Ping An Finance Centre | Shenzhen, China | 599.1 m (1,966 ft) | 115 | 2017 |
| 6 | Lotte World Tower | Seoul, South Korea | 554.5 m (1,819 ft) | 123 | 2017 |
| 7 | One World Trade Center | New York City, USA | 541.3 m (1,776 ft) | 94 | 2014 |
| 8 | Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre | Guangzhou, China | 530 m (1,739 ft) | 111 | 2016 |
| 9 | Tianjin CTF Finance Centre | Tianjin, China | 530 m (1,739 ft) | 97 | 2019 |
| 10 | CITIC Tower | Beijing, China | 527.7 m (1,731 ft) | 109 | 2018 |
The 10 Tallest Buildings Ranked
1. Burj Khalifa: 828 m
The Burj Khalifa opened in Dubai in January 2010 and has held the title for 16 years, the longest unbroken reign of any building since the Empire State Building. It has 163 floors, more than any other building on this list, and was designed by Adrian Smith at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill for developer Emaar at a cost of about $1.5 billion.
Its dominance is the striking part. The tallest building completed since reaches just 82% of its height, and the 149-meter gap to second place would itself rank among the taller buildings in most cities. Inside are a 304-room Armani Hotel, around 900 apartments and 57 elevators, with three public observation levels topping out at The Lounge on floors 152 to 154, about 585 meters up.
2. Merdeka 118: 678.9 m
Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur was officially inaugurated in January 2024, taking second place from the Shanghai Tower. Its 118 floors give the tower its name, and its faceted glass facade, by Australian firm Fender Katsalidis, draws on traditional Malaysian patterns. The 160-meter spire accounts for almost a quarter of the total height.
It stands near the stadium where Malaysian independence was declared in 1957, which is what merdeka means. It is the tallest building in Southeast Asia. Since 28 July 2026 the tower has officially been called Menara Merdeka Maybank, after the bank moved its headquarters into 33 of its floors. A Park Hyatt hotel occupies floors 75 to 112, and The View at 118 observation deck sits at 519 meters, with a higher viewing point at 566 meters inside the spire.
3. Shanghai Tower: 632 m
The Shanghai Tower is China’s tallest building at 632 meters across 128 floors. Its twisting form is not decorative, since the 120-degree rotation reduces wind loads on the structure by roughly a quarter.
That aerodynamic shaping saved a substantial amount of structural steel. The Gensler-designed tower cost about $2.4 billion and holds the highest observation deck in the world, Top of Shanghai, on the 121st floor at 562 meters. Its Mitsubishi shuttle elevators run at 20.5 meters per second and held the world speed record for several years.
4. Mecca Royal Clock Tower: 601 m
The Mecca Royal Clock Tower is the centerpiece of the Abraj Al-Bait complex overlooking the Great Mosque of Mecca. Completed in 2012, it serves the millions of pilgrims who visit each year, and the whole complex is reported to have cost around $15 billion, making it one of the most expensive buildings ever constructed.
Its four clock faces measure 43 meters across and sit about 450 meters above the ground, the largest and highest clock in the world by a wide margin, visible from around 17 kilometers away. By floor area rather than height, the complex is among the largest buildings ever built.
5. Ping An Finance Centre: 599.1 m
The Ping An Finance Centre in Shenzhen was completed in 2017 and reaches 599.1 meters over 115 floors. It was originally designed to be taller, but a 60-meter antenna was dropped in 2015 over flight path concerns.
That decision cost it a higher position on this list, and would have taken it past the Shanghai Tower. Its facade uses about 1,700 tonnes of stainless steel cladding rather than the glass typical of towers at this scale. The Free Sky observation deck on floor 116 sits at 562.5 meters, a few meters above its rival in Shanghai depending on how you measure.
6. Lotte World Tower: 554.5 m
Seoul’s Lotte World Tower opened in 2017 after 13 years of planning and construction. At 123 floors it is South Korea’s tallest building and the only one in the country anywhere near this height.
Its tapering form narrows continuously from base to tip, a shape drawn from Korean ceramics and calligraphy. The Seoul Sky observation deck occupies floors 117 to 123 and includes a glass-floored section on floor 118. The Signiel hotel and residences run from floors 42 to 101, and the tower has 61 elevators.
7. One World Trade Center: 541.3 m
One World Trade Center is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and the only entry on this list outside Asia. Its height of 1,776 feet deliberately references the year of the Declaration of Independence. At $3.9 billion it was the most expensive office building in the world when it opened.
The floor count is deceptive. The building has 94 actual stories, but the top floor is numbered 104, chosen to reinforce the same symbolism. It was completed in 2014 on the site of the original World Trade Center, and One World Observatory on floors 100 to 102 opened the following year.
8. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre: 530 m
The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre reaches 530 meters across 111 floors, mixing offices, 355 serviced apartments, a shopping mall and a 251-room Rosewood hotel on the top 16 floors. It was completed in 2016.
It shares its exact height with the Tianjin tower below, making them the only pair on this list tied to the meter. Its two Hitachi shuttle elevators hit 21 meters per second, or about 75 km/h, and were certified as the fastest in the world in 2019.
9. Tianjin CTF Finance Centre: 530 m
The Tianjin CTF Finance Centre matches Guangzhou at 530 meters but does so with 97 floors rather than 111, meaning noticeably taller floor-to-floor heights. It was completed in 2019.
Its curved, tapering profile, by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, has no vertical surfaces at all, a design chosen to cut wind loads. Both CTF towers were developed by the same Hong Kong group, New World Development, which explains the shared name and matching height.
10. CITIC Tower: 527.7 m
CITIC Tower, widely known as China Zun, is Beijing’s tallest building at 527.7 meters and 109 floors. It was completed in 2018.
Its silhouette is modeled on the zun, an ancient Chinese wine vessel that is wider at the top and bottom than the middle. Building at this height in Beijing required extensive seismic engineering, and the tower is one of the tallest anywhere in a high-earthquake zone.
Buildings 11 to 20
The next 10 are where the list gets more varied. Taipei 101 is the oldest tower in the top 20 and held the world title until the Burj Khalifa, and the group includes the tallest buildings in Europe, Vietnam and the newest supertall in New York.
| Rank | Building | Location | Height | Floors | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Taipei 101 | Taipei, Taiwan | 508 m (1,667 ft) | 101 | 2004 |
| 12 | Shanghai World Financial Center | Shanghai, China | 492 m (1,614 ft) | 101 | 2008 |
| 13 | International Commerce Centre | Hong Kong | 484 m (1,588 ft) | 108 | 2010 |
| 14 | Wuhan Greenland Center | Wuhan, China | 475.6 m (1,560 ft) | 101 | 2023 |
| 15 | Central Park Tower | New York City, USA | 472.4 m (1,550 ft) | 98 | 2021 |
| 16 | Lakhta Center | St. Petersburg, Russia | 462 m (1,516 ft) | 87 | 2019 |
| 17 | Landmark 81 | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | 461.2 m (1,513 ft) | 81 | 2018 |
| 18 | International Land-Sea Center | Chongqing, China | 458 m (1,503 ft) | 98 | 2024 |
| 19 | The Exchange 106 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 453.6 m (1,488 ft) | 95 | 2019 |
| 20 | Changsha IFS Tower T1 | Changsha, China | 452.1 m (1,483 ft) | 94 | 2018 |
Central Park Tower is the tallest residential building in the world, and Lakhta Center, the Gazprom headquarters, is the only European entry in the top 50. The Petronas Twin Towers, which held the world title from 1998 to 2004, sit just outside this group at 451.9 meters.
China Holds Half the List
Five of the 10 tallest buildings are in China, spread across Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Tianjin, and Beijing. No other country has more than one. That concentration mirrors the country’s corporate rise, visible in our ranking of the largest companies in the world.
Nine of the 10 are in Asia, with One World Trade Center the sole exception. The shift is recent and decisive, because for most of the 20th century the tallest buildings were almost all American. Every building on this list was completed in 2010 or later, which shows how thoroughly the record has been rewritten in a single generation.
The Tallest Building on Each Continent
Asia and North America are covered by the top 10, but the other continents are much further down the global list.
| Continent | Building | Location | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | Burj Khalifa | Dubai, UAE | 828 m |
| North America | One World Trade Center | New York City, USA | 541.3 m |
| Europe | Lakhta Center | St. Petersburg, Russia | 462 m |
| Africa | Iconic Tower | New Administrative Capital, Egypt | 393.8 m |
| Oceania | Q1 Tower | Gold Coast, Australia | 322.5 m |
| South America | Gran Torre Santiago | Santiago, Chile | 300 m |
Two of those records are about to fall. Torre Rise in Monterrey, Mexico, is designed to reach 484 meters and passed its 74th floor in early 2026, which will make it the tallest building in Latin America. Senna Tower in Balneário Camboriú, Brazil, is planned at 544 meters for around 2030 and would become the tallest residential building in the world.
Jeddah Tower Will Break the Kilometer Barrier
The Burj Khalifa’s reign has a visible end date. Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia is designed to exceed 1,000 meters, making it the first building to reach a full kilometer. It was designed by Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill, the same architect behind the Burj Khalifa, and is being built by the Saudi Binladin Group for the Jeddah Economic Company.
Construction stalled for seven years from 2018 before resuming in January 2025, when the tower stood at 63 floors. Progress since has been rapid. It reached 80 floors in January 2026, passed its 100th floor and 400 meters in April, and stood at 107 floors and 430 meters by early August 2026, with the core rising about one storey and four meters a week. Completion is targeted for 2028.
The finished tower will have at least 157 floors, 59 elevators and an observation deck at around 630 meters, higher than the roof of any building except the Burj Khalifa. At its planned height it would stand roughly 180 meters above the Burj Khalifa, a bigger jump than the gap currently separating first and second place.
Other Skyscrapers Under Construction That Will Change This List
Jeddah Tower is not the only project that will push buildings out of the top 10 before 2030. Several towers over 500 meters are now rising, most of them in the Gulf and China.
- Burj Azizi, Dubai (725 m, 133 floors): restarted in August 2024 on the foundations of a stalled earlier project. It is aiming for 2030 and would become the second-tallest building in the world.
- Goldin Finance 117, Tianjin (597 m, 128 floors): topped out in 2015 and then sat empty for a decade as the world’s tallest unoccupied building. Work resumed in 2025 with completion planned for 2027, which would place it just below the Ping An Finance Centre.
- Burj Binghatti Jacob & Co Residences, Dubai (557 m): due in 2027 and set to become the tallest residential tower in the world.
- Senna Tower, Brazil (544 m): planned for 2030 and the first South American building likely to crack the top 10.
- Tiger Sky Tower and Six Senses Residences, Dubai (532 m and 517 m): both residential, both due by 2029, and both taller than CITIC Tower.
If everything finishes on schedule, the list of the 10 tallest buildings in 2030 will include at least four towers that do not exist yet, and Dubai alone could hold three of the top six. The Skyscraper Center database maintained by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat tracks every one of these projects.
How the Title Has Changed Hands
The Burj Khalifa’s 16-year reign is long, but not the longest. The Empire State Building held the title for 39 years.
| Building | City | Height | Years as tallest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chrysler Building | New York | 319 m | 1930 to 1931 |
| Empire State Building | New York | 381 m | 1931 to 1970 |
| Original World Trade Center | New York | 417 m | 1970 to 1973 |
| Sears Tower (now Willis Tower) | Chicago | 442 m | 1973 to 1998 |
| Petronas Towers | Kuala Lumpur | 452 m | 1998 to 2004 |
| Taipei 101 | Taipei | 508 m | 2004 to 2010 |
| Burj Khalifa | Dubai | 828 m | 2010 to present |
Each handover before 2010 added between 10 and 60 meters. The Burj Khalifa added 320 meters in one step, which is why nothing built since has come close, and why it took a kilometer-tall design to challenge it.
Which Tallest Buildings You Can Go Up
Six of the top 10 sell tickets to a public observation deck, and three of those decks sit within a few meters of each other in height.
| Building | Observation deck | Floor | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burj Khalifa | At the Top Sky | 148 | 555 m |
| Shanghai Tower | Top of Shanghai | 121 | 562 m |
| Ping An Finance Centre | Free Sky | 116 | 562.5 m |
| Merdeka 118 | The View at 118 | 115 to 118 | 519 m |
| Lotte World Tower | Seoul Sky | 117 to 123 | About 500 m |
| One World Trade Center | One World Observatory | 100 to 102 | 386 m |
The Burj Khalifa’s deck is on a lower floor than the Shanghai and Shenzhen decks but only a few meters below them, because its top 200 meters is a narrow spire with no public floors. Jeddah Tower’s planned deck at around 630 meters will beat all of them by a wide margin when it opens.
Measuring “Tallest” Is Not Straightforward
Heights here follow the standard architectural measurement, taken from the lowest significant open-air pedestrian entrance to the architectural top. Spires count toward that figure, but antennas and flagpoles do not, and the distinction decides rankings.
One World Trade Center is the clearest case. Its 1,776-foot height depends on a 124-meter mast being classified as a spire rather than an antenna, a ruling that was formally contested before being settled in the building’s favor in November 2013. Without it, the tower measures about 417 meters to its roof and would not appear on this list at all.
Usable space tells another story. Critics use the term vanity height for the portion of a skyscraper above its highest occupied floor, and on several of these towers that unoccupied top section runs to a fifth of the total. Ranking by floors gives a different order again, which is why the Burj Khalifa’s 163 leads while the 94-story One World Trade Center places seventh.
How We Ranked the Tallest Buildings
Buildings are ranked by architectural height in meters, counting only completed structures. Towers under construction, including Jeddah Tower, are excluded regardless of current height. Free-standing structures that are not buildings, such as broadcast towers, are also excluded.
Foot measurements are converted from the meter figures and rounded to the nearest foot. Floor counts reflect actual stories rather than marketing numbers, which is why One World Trade Center appears with 94 rather than the 104 shown on its top floor. Comparable engineering scale appears in our look at the largest stadiums in the world.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the tallest building in the world?
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, at 828 meters or 2,717 feet across 163 floors. It has held the title since opening in 2010.
Will anything be taller than the Burj Khalifa?
Yes. Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia is designed to exceed 1,000 meters and is targeted for completion in 2028, which would make it the first kilometer-tall building. It had reached 107 floors and 430 meters by August 2026.
What is the tallest building in the United States?
One World Trade Center in New York, at 541.3 meters or 1,776 feet. It is seventh globally and the only building outside Asia in the top 10.
Which country has the most of the tallest buildings?
China, with five of the top 10, located in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Tianjin, and Beijing. Nine of the 10 are in Asia.
What is the tallest building in Europe?
The Lakhta Center in St. Petersburg, Russia, at 462 meters. It ranks 16th in the world and is the only European building in the global top 50.
How many buildings are over 600 meters tall?
Four. The Burj Khalifa, Merdeka 118, the Shanghai Tower and the Mecca Royal Clock Tower are the only completed buildings past 600 meters, a class the industry calls megatall. Jeddah Tower and Burj Azizi will be the fifth and sixth.
Which building has the highest observation deck?
The Shanghai Tower’s Top of Shanghai deck on the 121st floor, at 562 meters, with the Ping An Finance Centre’s Free Sky deck a close second. Jeddah Tower’s planned deck at about 630 meters will take the record when it opens.
How is a building’s height measured?
From the lowest significant open-air pedestrian entrance to the architectural top. Spires count but antennas and flagpoles do not, a distinction that determines several rankings including One World Trade Center’s.
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