15 Tallest Buildings in the World

Historically, the world’s tallest man-made structure was the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, which held the position for over 3,800 years until the construction of Lincoln Cathedral in 1311. The Strasbourg Cathedral in France, completed in 1439, was the world’s tallest building until 1874. The first skyscraper was pioneered in Chicago with the 138 ft (42.1 m) Home Insurance Building in 1885. The United States would hold the position of the world’s tallest building throughout the 20th century until 1998, when the Petronas Towers were completed. Since then, two other buildings have gained the title: Taipei 101 in 2004 and Burj Khalifa in 2010. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the Middle East, China, and Southeast Asia have experienced booms in skyscraper construction.

1. Burj Khalifa (Dubai)(2010)(828m)

The Burj Khalifa (/ˈbɜːrdʒ kəˈliːfə/; Arabic: برج خليفة, Arabic pronunciation: [bʊrd͡ʒ xaˈliːfa], Khalifa Tower), known as the Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration in 2010, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With a total height of 829.8 m (2,722 ft) (just over half a mile) and a roof height (excluding antenna, but including a 244 m spire of 828 m (2,717 ft), the Burj Khalifa has been the tallest structure and building in the world since its topping out in 2009, supplanting Taipei 101, the previous holder of that status.

2. Merdeka 118 (Malaysia)(2022)(678.9m)

Merdeka 118, also known as Merdeka PNB 118, Warisan Merdeka Tower and KL 118 is a 118-story, 678.9-meter-tall megatall skyscraper in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the world's second-tallest building. The building's name, Merdeka (which means 'independence'), is inspired by its proximity to two stadiums: Stadium Merdeka and Stadium Negara. The spire of the building was completed in November 2021. The building is expected to be finished by the end of 2022

3. Shanghai Tower (China)(2015)(632m)

Shanghai Tower (simplified Chinese: 上海中心大厦; traditional Chinese: 上海中心大廈; pinyin: Shànghǎi Zhōngxīn Dàshà; Shanghainese: Zånhe Tsonsin Dusa; lit. 'Shanghai Center Building') is a 128-story, 632-meter-tall (2,073 ft) megatall skyscraper in Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai. It is the world's third-tallest building by height to architectural top and it shares the record (along with the Ping An Finance Center) of having the world's highest observation deck within a building or structure at 562 m. It had the world's second-fastest elevators at a top speed of 20.5 meters per second (74 km/h; 46 mph) until 2017, when it was surpassed by the Guangzhou CTF Finance Center, with its top speed of 21 meters per second (76 km/h; 47 mph).

4. Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower (Saudi Arabia)(2012)(601m)

The Abraj Al-Bait (Arabic: أبراج البيت, romanized: ʾAbrāǧ al-Bayt "Towers of the House") is a government-owned complex of seven skyscraper hotels in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. These towers are a part of the King Abdulaziz Endowment Project that aims to modernize the city in catering to its pilgrims. The central hotel tower, the Makkah Clock Royal Tower, has the world's largest clock face and is the fourth-tallest building and sixth-tallest freestanding structure in the world. The clock tower contains the Clock Tower Museum that occupies the top four floors of the tower.

5. Ping An International Finance Centre (China)(2017)(599.1m)

The Ping An Finance Center (Chinese: 平安金融中心) is a 115-story, 599 m (1,965 ft) supertall skyscraper in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. The building was commissioned by Ping An Insurance and designed by the American architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. It was completed in 2017, becoming the tallest building in Shenzhen, the 2nd tallest building in China and the 4th tallest building in the world. It also broke the record of having the highest observation deck in a building at 562 m (1,844 ft).

7. One World Trade Center (US)(2014)(541,3m)

One World Trade Center (also known as One World Trade, One WTC, and formerly Freedom Tower)[note 1] is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City. One WTC is the tallest building in the United States, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, and the seventh-tallest in the world. The supertall structure has the same name as the North Tower of the original World Trade Center, which was destroyed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The new skyscraper stands on the northwest corner of the 16-acre (6.5 ha) World Trade Center site, on the site of the original 6 World Trade Center. The building is bounded by West Street to the west, Vesey Street to the north, Fulton Street to the south, and Washington Street to the east.

8. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre (China)(2016)(530m)

The Guangzhou Chow Tai Fook Finance Centre (also called East Tower) is a 530-metre (1,739 ft) tall mixed-use skyscraper in Guangzhou, Guangdong, which was completed in October 2016. It is the tallest completed building in Guangzhou, the third-tallest in China, and the seventh-tallest in the world. The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre has a total of 111 above ground and five below ground floors and houses a shopping mall, offices, apartments, and a hotel. The skyscraper has a gross floor area of 507,681.0 m2 (5,464,633 sq ft), of which a little over 20% is not part of the skyscraper itself, but of the podium connected to it.

9. Taipei 101 (Taiwan)(2004)(508m)

Taipei 101 stylized as TAIPEI 101), formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center, is a skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan. This building was officially classified as the world's tallest from its opening in 2004 until the 2009 completion of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE. Upon completion, it became the world's first skyscraper to exceed a height of half a kilometer. The elevators that transport passengers from the 5th to the 89th floor in 37 seconds (attaining 60.6 km/h (37.7 mph)) set speed records. In 2011 Taipei 101 received a Platinum rating under the LEED certification system, becoming the tallest and largest green building in the world. The structure regularly appears as an icon of Taipei in international media, and the Taipei 101 fireworks displays are a regular feature of New Year's Eve broadcasts.

10. Shanghai World Financial Center (China)(2008)(492m)

Bo Dai, or the laughing Buddha, is popular in homes and with children in Vietnam. He is famous for his big grin and even bigger belly, but it is rare you to see this incarnation of Buddha writ large. When you do, the effect can be a little unnerving. To all intents and purposes, the Vinh Trang Pagoda in My Tho is your typical Buddhist temple : serene, silent, worshipful. But that is shattered when you stand before the giant Bo Dai. You can’t help but laugh out loud, which is perhaps its purpose.

11. International Commerce Centre (China)(2010)(484m)

The International Commerce Centre (abbreviated ICC) is a 108-storey, 484 m (1,588 ft) commercial skyscraper completed in 2010 in West Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is a part of the Union Square project on top of Kowloon station. It was the 4th tallest building in the world (third in Asia) when its construction was completed in 2010. As of June 2019, it is the world's 12th tallest building by height, world's ninth tallest building by number of floors, as well as the tallest building in Hong Kong and also the 6th tallest building within China if territories are included.

12. Wuhan Greenland Center (China)(2022)(475.6m)

Wuhan Greenland Center is an under construction skyscraper in Wuhan, China. Due to airspace regulations, it has been redesigned so its height does not exceed 500 metres (1,600 ft) above sea level. Another Chinese building, Ping An Finance Center, was also scaled down for similar reasons. In June 2011, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architects in conjunction with Thornton Tomasetti Engineers won the design competition to build an energy-efficient tower for Greenland Group, a real estate developer owned by the Shanghai city government.

13. Central Park Tower (US)(2021)(472.2m)

Central Park Tower, also known as the Nordstrom Tower, is a residential supertall skyscraper at 225 West 57th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, along Billionaires' Row. Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, the building rises 1,550 feet (472 m) with 98 above-ground stories and three basement stories, although the top story is numbered 136. Central Park Tower is the second-tallest building in New York City, the United States, and the Western Hemisphere; the 14th tallest building in the world; the tallest primarily residential building in the world; and the tallest building outside Asia by roof height.

14. Lakhta Center (Russia)(2019)(461m)

The Lakhta Center (Russian: Ла́хта це́нтр, tr. Lakhta tsentr) is an 87-story skyscraper built in the northwestern neighbourhood of Lakhta in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Standing 462 meters (1,516 ft) tall, it is the tallest building in Russia, the tallest building in Europe, and the sixteenth-tallest building in the world. It is also the second-tallest structure in Russia and Europe, behind the Ostankino Tower in Moscow, in addition to being the second-tallest twisted building and the northernmost skyscraper in the world.