Science & Infrastructure1899–2026
World's Tallest Buildings
The architectural height of the world's tallest completed buildings, from the first steel-frame giants of New York to today's Gulf and Asian supertalls. New York owned this board for seven decades before the crown moved to Chicago, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei and finally Dubai, where the Burj Khalifa still towers 149 m over its nearest rival.
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Source: CTBUH Architectural height per CTBUH criteria (spires count, antennas don't). Petronas twin towers shown as one entry. Updated 2026-07-03
The race in numbers
12lead changes
128years covered
29contenders
Empire State Buildinglongest reign — 41 yrs at #1
Final standings · 2026
- 1Burj Khalifa828 m
- 2Merdeka 118679 m
- 3Shanghai Tower632 m
- 4Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower601 m
- 5Ping An Finance Centre599 m