The ten tallest completed buildings on Earth, ranked by CTBUH architectural height from the record-shattering Burj Khalifa down to Beijing's China Zun.
These are the ten tallest completed buildings in the world, ranked by architectural height as measured by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), the standards body that arbitrates skyscraper height records. Together they span the era of the modern megatall tower, from the Burj Khalifa's 2010 debut to Merdeka 118's completion in 2023. The list is heavily concentrated in East Asia and the Gulf: five of the ten are in China, and the Middle East supplies the world's two tallest towers. It's a snapshot for anyone curious how high humans have actually built and where the tallest structures stand today.
The tallest building in the world since its 2010 completion, and the only megatall to exceed 800 m. It holds a long list of height records and has stood unrivalled for well over a decade.
The world's second-tallest building and the tallest in Southeast Asia, completed in Kuala Lumpur in 2023. It is the most recent tower to break into the global top ten.
China's tallest building and the third-tallest in the world, distinctive for its twisting form. It was completed in 2015.
The centerpiece of the Abraj Al-Bait complex in Mecca, carrying the world's largest clock face. It was completed in 2012.
The tallest building in Shenzhen and fifth-tallest in the world, completed in 2017.
South Korea's tallest building, completed in Seoul in 2017 and the sixth-tallest worldwide.
The tallest building in the United States and the Western Hemisphere, completed in 2014. Its architectural height of 541.3 m equals 1,776 ft, a deliberate reference to the year 1776.
Completed in Guangzhou in 2016 and tied at 530 m with Tianjin CTF; CTBUH ranks it eighth on its tie-break ordering.
Also 530 m tall and ranked ninth by CTBUH's tie-break, completed in Tianjin in 2019.
The tallest building in Beijing, completed in 2018, rounding out the world's top ten.
| # | Name | City | Country | Floors | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burj Khalifa | Dubai | United Arab Emirates | 163 | 2010 |
| 2 | Merdeka 118 | Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | 118 | 2023 |
| 3 | Shanghai Tower | Shanghai | China | 128 | 2015 |
| 4 | Makkah Royal Clock Tower | Mecca | Saudi Arabia | 120 | 2012 |
| 5 | Ping An Finance Centre | Shenzhen | China | 115 | 2017 |
| 6 | Lotte World Tower | Seoul | South Korea | 123 | 2017 |
| 7 | One World Trade Center | New York City | United States | 104 | 2014 |
| 8 | Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre | Guangzhou | China | 111 | 2016 |
| 9 | Tianjin CTF Finance Centre | Tianjin | China | 97 | 2019 |
| 10 | CITIC Tower (China Zun) | Beijing | China | 109 | 2018 |
Buildings are ranked by CTBUH architectural height in metres — the height from the lowest significant open-air pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires but excluding antennae, signage, flagpoles, and other functional-technical equipment. Only completed, fully constructed buildings are included; structures under construction, topped-out but unfinished, or freestanding towers that are not habitable buildings (such as broadcast towers) are excluded. Where two buildings share an identical architectural height (Guangzhou CTF and Tianjin CTF, both 530 m), CTBUH's published tie-break ordering is followed. Heights are drawn from CTBUH's Skyscraper Center database and cross-checked against CTBUH-sourced Wikipedia records; rank 1 is the tallest.
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, at 828 m (2,717 ft) architectural height. Completed in 2010, it remains the only building to exceed 800 m and has held the title of world's tallest ever since.
These rankings use CTBUH architectural height: the distance from the lowest significant open-air pedestrian entrance to the architectural top, including spires but excluding antennae, signage, and flagpoles. It is one of three official CTBUH height categories, alongside height to highest occupied floor and height to tip.
China, with five of the ten tallest buildings: Shanghai Tower, Ping An Finance Centre, Guangzhou CTF, Tianjin CTF, and CITIC Tower (China Zun).
Both towers have an identical architectural height of 530 m. When heights tie, CTBUH applies a published tie-break ordering, which places the Guangzhou tower ahead of the Tianjin tower.