Tallest Buildings in the World

A list of the top 10 tallest buildings in the world – ranked in terms of the actual height in metres.

1. Burj Khalifa  

Opened on January 4, 2010, Burj Khalifa at 1 Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard in Dubai is the tallest building in the world– 828 metres and 163 floors.

The building, owned by Emaar Properties, was built in 5 years at $1.5 billion.

It overtook the then world’s tallest skyscraper, Taipei 101, located in Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan, by 319 metres.

Taipei 101 was officially classified as the highest building in the world from 2004 to 2009.

Besides being the tallest building on earth, Burj Khalifa also holds other records, including the tallest freestanding structure, and the highest number of levels in the world.

It also hosts the world’s highest outdoor observation deck, the tallest service elevator in the world, and the highest occupied floor.

2. Shanghai Tower

Shanghai Tower, a 632-metre, 128-floor skyscraper in Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai, China, officially became the world’s second-tallest building when it topped out in 2013.

The building, owned by the Shanghai city government, was declared complete in September 2015. The tower is designed as nine cylindrical buildings placed atop each other – totalling 128 floors enclosed by the inner layer of the glass façade.

Shanghai Tower is the tallest of the world’s first triple-adjacent super-tall skyscrapers in Pudong – surpassing the Jin Mao Tower, and the Shanghai World Financial Center.  

3. Makkah Royal Clock Tower          

Completed in 2012 after a decade of work, the Makkah Royal Clock Tower (Abraj Al-Bait Towers) is a residential and hotel complex in Makkah Haram, Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

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Makkah Royal Clock Tower stands 601 m high above ground, making it the third-tallest skyscraper in the world.

As the name suggests, four giant clock faces are mounted near the top of the tower.

The 120-floor building was built as part of the King Abdulaziz Endowment Project, which sought to modernise Mecca to offer world-class accommodation to the city’s visitors and residents.

4. Ping An Finance Center

Located in Futian District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, Ping An Finance Center is a 599-metre tower comprising office, hotel, and retail spaces, a conference centre, and a mall.

As the name suggests, the 116-floor tower is the headquarters of Ping An Insurance, which commissioned the building designed by U.S. firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.

Ping An Finance Center was completed in 2017 becoming the tallest skyscraper in Shenzhen, the second-tallest building in China, and the world’s fourth-tallest building.

The tower boasts the tallest observation deck in a building at 562.2 metres.

5. Goldin Finance 117

Also known as China 117 Tower, Goldin Finance 117 is an unfinished 597-metre skyscraper under construction since 2008 in Tianjin, China.

It is designed to resemble a walking stick, earning it the nickname.

The building, owned by Goldin Properties, was initially set for completion in 2014, but work was stopped in January 2010 and restarted in 2011.

The 117-floor Goldin Finance 117 topped out on September 8, 2015, but the building remains incomplete and unoccupied. The project schedule remains unclear since the contractor, China State Construction Engineering Corporation, has already left the site.

6. Lotte World Tower

The 554-metre, 123-floor skyscraper in Seoul, South Korea is the tallest building in the country. On its completion in 2017, it became the fourth-tallest tower in the world.

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Like most other skyscrapers, Lotte World Tower is a mixed-use building with a wide range of spaces for various uses, including offices, a luxury hotel, retail stores, and observation decks.

7. One World Trade Center

One World Trade Center, which rises 541 metres, is the main building of the reconstructed World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City.

The skyscraper became the tallest building in New York City on April 30, 2012, when it exceeded the height of the Empire State Building.

It also became the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.

Reconstruction of the World Trade Center, which was destroyed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, was completed in 14 years at $3.9 billion.

Interestingly, the building’s height of 1,776 feet is a deliberate reference to the year when the U.S. Declaration of Independence was signed.

8. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre

Also known as East Tower, Guangzhou Chow Tai Fook Finance Centre – a mixed-use skyscraper in Guangzhou, China, is the tallest completed building in the city and the third-tallest in China.

Construction of the 530-metre, 111-floor building commenced in September 2009, six months after the designing process started.

It topped out in July 2014 and cladding was finished in December 2015.

The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre was completed in October 2016.

9. Tianjin CTF Finance Centre

Completed in 2019 after six years of construction, the 530-metre, 97-floor Tianjin CTF Finance Centre is the second-tallest building in Tianjin, China, after Goldin Finance 117.

It also holds the record of the tallest building in the world with less than 100 floors.

The building, which is also known as Tianjin Chow Tai Fook Binhai Center, consists of office spaces, 300 luxury serviced apartments, a five-star hotel, and a 350-room hotel.

10. CITIC Tower

Rising 528 metres into the sky, CITIC Tower is the tallest skyscraper in Beijing, China. The 109-storey building topped out in 2017 and was completed towards the end of 2018.

CITIC Tower will retain its Beijing title for the foreseeable future thanks to a tough 2018 rule that capped the height of new buildings in the city centre at a maximum of 180 metres to reduce congestion.

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