The ten highest bridges on Earth, ranked by deck height — the vertical drop from the roadway to the ground below — led by China's record-breaking Huajiang Canyon Bridge at 625 metres.
Quick answer: 1. Huajiang Canyon Bridge, 2. Duge Bridge, 3. Sidu River Bridge, 4. Puli Bridge, 5. Jin'an Bridge, 6. Yachi River Bridge, 7. Zangkejiang Bridge, 8. Qingshui River Bridge, 9. Baluarte Bridge, 10. Liuguanghe Xiqian Expressway Bridge.
These are the ten highest completed bridges in the world, ranked by deck height — the maximum vertical distance from the bridge deck (the roadway or rail bed) down to the ground or water surface beneath the span. This is a different measure than a bridge's structural height, which is the distance from the top of its towers to the lowest point where its piers emerge. China dominates this ranking completely, with nine of the top ten bridges located in its mountainous southwestern provinces where deep river gorges demand extraordinary engineering. The current world record holder, the Huajiang Canyon Bridge, towers 625 metres above the Beipan River — nearly twice the height of the Eiffel Tower. The only non-Chinese bridge in the top ten is Mexico's Baluarte Bridge.
The current highest bridge in the world, opened in 2025 over the Beipan River in Guizhou, China. Its deck sits 625 metres above the gorge floor — nearly twice the height of the Eiffel Tower — spanning 1,420 metres as a suspension bridge on the S57 Liuzhi–Anlong Expressway.
The previous world record holder, opened in 2016 over the Beipan River between Yunnan and Guizhou. Its cable-stayed structure carries the G56 Hangzhou–Ruili Expressway 565 metres above the gorge.
Opened in 2009 in Hubei province, the Sidu River Bridge was the world's highest bridge for nearly five years. Its suspended deck crosses the Sidu River gorge at 496 metres above the water.
A suspension bridge on the G56 Hangzhou–Ruili Expressway in Yunnan, opened in 2015. Its deck crosses the Puli River at 485 metres above the valley floor.
A sweeping suspension bridge over the Jinsha River in Yunnan, opened in 2020 on the G4216 Chengdu–Lijiang Expressway. Its deck rises 461 metres above the river, with a main span of 1,386 metres.
A cable-stayed bridge over the Wu River in Guizhou, opened in 2016 on the S82 Guiyang–Qianxi Expressway. Its deck sits 434 metres above the Yachi River gorge.
A suspension bridge over the Zangke River in Guizhou, opened in 2025. Its deck height of 410 metres places it among the newly completed bridges on the list.
A suspension bridge over the Qingshui River in Guizhou, opened in 2015. Its deck height of 406 metres serves the expressway network connecting Guiyang and Weng'an.
The only non-Chinese bridge in the top ten, located in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains of Mexico. Opened in 2013, it carries the Mazatlán–Durango highway across the Baluarte River gorge at 390 metres above the valley floor.
A suspension bridge in Guizhou, China, opened in 2017 on the Xiqian Expressway. Its deck height of 375 metres crosses the Liuguanghe River in a mountainous region of the province.
| # | Name | River | Design | Main Span | Opened | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huajiang Canyon Bridge | Beipan River | Suspension | 1,420 m | 2025 | Guizhou, China |
| 2 | Duge Bridge | Beipan River | Cable-stayed | 720 m | 2016 | Yunnan–Guizhou, China |
| 3 | Sidu River Bridge | Sidu River | Suspension | 900 m | 2009 | Hubei, China |
| 4 | Puli Bridge | Puli River | Suspension | 628 m | 2015 | Yunnan, China |
| 5 | Jin'an Bridge | Jinsha River | Suspension | 1,386 m | 2020 | Yunnan, China |
| 6 | Yachi River Bridge | Wu River | Cable-stayed | 800 m | 2016 | Guizhou, China |
| 7 | Zangkejiang Bridge | Zangke River | Suspension | 1,080 m | 2025 | Guizhou, China |
| 8 | Qingshui River Bridge | Qingshui River | Suspension | 1,130 m | 2015 | Guizhou, China |
| 9 | Baluarte Bridge | Baluarte River | Cable-stayed | 520 m | 2013 | Sinaloa–Durango, Mexico |
| 10 | Liuguanghe Xiqian Expressway Bridge | Liuguanghe River | Suspension | 580 m | 2017 | Guizhou, China |
Bridges are ranked by deck height in metres — the maximum vertical drop from the lowest point of the bridge deck to the ground or water surface directly beneath the span. Only completed, publicly accessible vehicular or rail bridges with a deck height of at least 250 metres are included; bridges under construction, pipeline bridges, and footbridges are excluded. Figures are drawn from engineering records and the Wikipedia list of highest bridges, cross-checked against official project documentation. Rank 1 is the highest.
Deck height measures the vertical drop from the roadway down to the ground or water below the span. Structural height (for 'tallest') measures from the top of the bridge's towers down to the lowest point where its piers emerge. A bridge can be very high (deep gorge below the deck) without being very tall (towers on high ground). The Huajiang Canyon Bridge is the world's highest but not the tallest — the tallest is the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge at 352 metres.
China's southwestern provinces — especially Guizhou and Yunnan — feature dramatic karst gorges and deep river valleys that demand very high bridges to connect the region's expressway network. China has invested heavily in infrastructure that crosses this challenging terrain, and its bridge-building industry now sets global records in both height and span.