Dubai skyline. Image © Kirill Neiezhmakov via Shutterstock
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Humanity has become obsessed with breaking its limits, creating new records only to break them again and again. In fact, our cities’ skylines have always been defined by those in power during every period in history. At one point churches left their mark, followed by public institutions and in the last few decades, it’s commercial skyscrapers that continue to stretch taller and taller.
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has developed its own system for classifying tall buildings, stating that the Burj Khalifa (828 m.) is the world’s tallest building right now. Read on for the 25 tallest buildings in the world today.
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For a complete view of this constant architectural evolution, explore the updated list of the world’s tallest buildings, where you can discover the latest additions and changes in the global ranking.
Related Article 1. Burj Khalifa / SOM (828 m / 2,717 ft) 2. Merdeka 118 / Fender Katsalidis Architects (678.9 m / 2,227 ft) 3. Shanghai Tower / Gensler (632 m / 2,073 ft) 4. Makkah Royal Clock Tower / Dar al-Handasah Shair & Partners + SL Rasch (601 m / 1,972 ft) 5. Ping An Finance Center / KPF (599.1 m / 1,965 ft) 6. Lotte World Tower / KPF (554.5 m / 1,819 ft) 7. One World Trade Center / SOM (541.3 m / 1,776 ft) 8. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre / KPF (530 m / 1,739 ft) 8. Tianjin CTF Finance Centre / SOM (530 m / 1,739 ft) 10. CITIC Tower / KPF (Design) + TFP Farrells (Concept) (527.7 m / 1,731 ft) 11. TAIPEI 101 / C.Y. Lee & Partners Architects/Planners (508 m / 1,667 ft) 12. Shanghai World Financial Center / KPF + Mori Building + Irie Miyake Architects and Engineers (492 m / 1,614 ft) 13. International Commerce Centre / KPF (484 m / 1,588 ft) 14. Wuhan Greenland Center / Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (476 m / 1,560 ft) 15. Central Park Tower / Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (472.4 m / 1,550 ft) 16. Lakhta Center / Gorproject (462 m / 1,516 ft) 17. Vincom Landmark 81 / Atkins (461.2 m / 1,513 ft) 18. Changsha IFS Tower T1 / Wong Tung & Partners (452.1 m / 1,483 ft) 19. Petronas Tower 1 / Cesar Pelli & Associates (452.1 m / 1,483 ft) 19. Petronas Tower 2 / Cesar Pelli & Associates (451.9 m / 1,483 ft) 21. Suzhou IFS / KPF (450 m / 1,476 ft) 21. Zifeng Tower / SOM (450 m / 1,476 ft) 23. The Exchange 106 / Beca Group (445 m / 1,462 ft) 24. Wuhan Tower / East China Architectural Design & Research Institute (443 m / 1,454 ft) 25. Willis Tower (Sears Tower) / SOM (442 m / 1,451 ft)
Related Article
The 10 Different Ways to Measure a Skyscraper’s Height
1. Burj Khalifa / SOM (828 m / 2,717 ft)
Dubai, UAE
Burj Khalifa / Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (828 m / 2,717 ft) Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Image © Kirill Neiezhmakov via Shutterstock
2. Merdeka 118 / Fender Katsalidis Architects (678.9 m / 2,227 ft)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Merdeka 118 / Fender Katsalidis Architects . Image © creativetan via Shutterstock
3. Shanghai Tower / Gensler (632 m / 2,073 ft)
Shanghai, China
Shanghai Towers Cityscape on Bund. Image © Vladimir ZH via Shutterstock
4. Makkah Royal Clock Tower / Dar al-Handasah Shair & Partners + SL Rasch (601 m / 1,972 ft)
Makkah, Saudi Arabia
Makkah Royal Clock Tower / Dar al-Handasah Shair & Partners + SL Rasch (601 m / 1,972 ft) Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Image © Ayman Zaid via Shutterstock
5. Ping An Finance Center / KPF (599.1 m / 1,965 ft)
Shenzhen, China
Ping An Finance Centre / KPF. Image © Tim Griffith
6. Lotte World Tower / KPF (554.5 m / 1,819 ft)
Seoul, South Korea
Lotte World Tower / KPF. Image © CTBUH
7. One World Trade Center / SOM (541.3 m / 1,776 ft)
New York, United States
One World Trade Center. Image © James Ewing
8. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre / KPF (530 m / 1,739 ft)
Guangzhou, China
CTF Guangzhou / KPF. Image © KPF
8. Tianjin CTF Finance Centre / SOM (530 m / 1,739 ft)
Tianjin, China
CTF Tianjin Tower / SOM. Image © terimma via Shutterstock
10. CITIC Tower / KPF (Design) + TFP Farrells (Concept) (527.7 m / 1,731 ft)
Beijing, China
CITIC Tower / Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (Diseño) + TFP Farrells (Land Bid Concept) . Image © KPF
11. TAIPEI 101 / C.Y. Lee & Partners Architects/Planners (508 m / 1,667 ft)
Taipei, Taiwan
TAIPEI 101. Image © Chris [Flickr] under license CC BY 2.0
12. Shanghai World Financial Center / KPF + Mori Building + Irie Miyake Architects and Engineers (492 m / 1,614 ft)
Shanghai, China
Shanghai World Financial Center . Image © Ferox Seneca [Wikipedia] under license CC BY 3.0
13. International Commerce Centre / KPF (484 m / 1,588 ft)
Hong Kong
International Commerce Centre. Image © Isaac Torrontera [Flickr] under license CC BY 2.0
14. Wuhan Greenland Center / Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (476 m / 1,560 ft)
Wuhan, China
Wuhan Greenland Center – skyscraper under construction in 2019. Image © Keitma via Shutterstock
15. Central Park Tower / Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (472.4 m / 1,550 ft)
New York, Unites States
Central Park Tower. Image © Paul Clemence
16. Lakhta Center / Gorproject (462 m / 1,516 ft)
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Lakhta Center. Image © Ninara [Wikipedia] under license CC BY 2.0
17. Vincom Landmark 81 / Atkins (461.2 m / 1,513 ft)
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Vincom Landmark 81. Image © ngoc tran / Shutterstock
18. Changsha IFS Tower T1 / Wong Tung & Partners (452.1 m / 1,483 ft)
Changsha, China
Changsha IFS Tower T1 / Wong Tung & Partners (452.1 m / 1,483 ft) Changsha, China. Image © DreamArchitect via Shutterstock
19. Petronas Tower 1 / Cesar Pelli & Associates (452.1 m / 1,483 ft)
Kuala Lumpur, Malasia
Petronas Twin Towers / Cesar Pelli & Associates (452.1 m / 1,483 ft) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Image © Krunja via Shutterstock
19. Petronas Tower 2 / Cesar Pelli & Associates (451.9 m / 1,483 ft)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Petronas Twin Towers / Cesar Pelli & Associates (452.1 m / 1,483 ft) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Image © Maria Arencibia Prieto via Shutterstock
21. Suzhou IFS / KPF (450 m / 1,476 ft)
Suzhou, China
Suzhou IFS. Image © Milkomède [Wikipedia], under license CC BY-SA 4.0
21. Zifeng Tower / SOM (450 m / 1,476 ft)
Nanjing, China
Zifeng Tower. Image © Tomchen1989 [Wikipedia] under license CC BY 2.0
23. The Exchange 106 / Beca Group (445 m / 1,462 ft)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Exchange 106 / Mulia Group . Image © Abdul Razak Latif
24. Wuhan Tower / East China Architectural Design & Research Institute (443 m / 1,454 ft)
Wuhan, China
Wuhan Tower . Image © Baycrest via Wikipedia under license CC BY-SA 2.5
25. Willis Tower (Sears Tower) / SOM (442 m / 1,451 ft)
Chicago, United States
Willis Tower (former Sears Tower). Image © TonyTheTiger [Wikipedia] under license CC BY 2.0
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on December 14, 2015, by Nicolás Valencia. It was last updated on December 2, 2024, by Maria-Cristina Florian.