Ranked: The 20 Tallest Buildings in the World

Ranked: The 20 Tallest Buildings in the World

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The race to build higher has produced some of the most recognizable skylines on Earth, but one tower still stands far above the rest. At 2,717 feet, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa remains nearly 500 feet taller than the second-place building.

This graphic ranks the 20 tallest buildings in the world as of April 2026, using data from the Council on Vertical Urbanism (formerly known Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat).

Heights include architectural features such as spires, but exclude changeable additions like antennae and flagpoles.

The Tallest Building in the World

Dubai’s Burj Khalifa has held the title of world’s tallest building since 2010, and it still leads by a remarkable margin. At 2,717 feet, it stands nearly 500 feet taller than second-place Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, underscoring how far ahead it remains even as new supertall towers continue to rise.

The table below shows the 20 tallest buildings in the world as of April 2026, highlighting just how concentrated these megatall towers are in Asia.

Rank	Building	City	Height (feet)
1	Burj Khalifa	Dubai	2,717
2	Merdeka 118	Kuala Lumpur	2,227
3	Shanghai Tower	Shanghai	2,073
4	Makkah Royal Clock Tower	Mecca	1,972
5	Ping An Finance Center	Shenzhen	1,965
6	Lotte World Tower	Seoul	1,819
7	One World Trade Center	New York City	1,776
8	Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre	Guangzhou	1,739
8	Tianjin CTF Finance Centre	Tianjin	1,739
10	CITIC Tower	Beijing	1,731
11	TAIPEI 101	Taipei	1,667
12	Shanghai World Financial Center	Shanghai	1,614
13	International Commerce Centre	Hong Kong	1,588
14	Wuhan Greenland Center	Wuhan	1,560
15	Central Park Tower	New York City	1,550
16	Lakhta Center	St. Petersburg	1,516
17	Vincom Landmark 81	Ho Chi Minh City	1,513
18	The Exchange 106	Kuala Lumpur	1,488
19	Changsha IFS Tower T1	Changsha	1,483
19	Petronas Twin Tower 1	Kuala Lumpur	1,483
19	Petronas Twin Tower 2	Kuala Lumpur	1,483

The Burj Khalifa is not alone in the Middle East. The Makkah Royal Clock Tower, located in the Saudi religious city of Mecca, stands at 1,972 feet tall and is thus the fourth-tallest building in the world.

In fact, Saudi Arabia is eager to replace the Burj Khalifa at the top of the leaderboard. The Gulf monarchy has been building the Jeddah Tower on and off since 2013, with the aims of having it opened by early 2028. This one-kilometer-tall tower, to be built in the western port city of the same name, will be upon completion the tallest building in the world.

Asia’s Dominance Since the 1990s

Asia has led the global skyscraper race for decades. A major turning point came in 1998, when Kuala Lumpur’s Petronas Twin Towers (1,483 feet) overtook Chicago’s Sears Tower and shifted the title of world’s tallest building to Asia.

Malaysia has seen two taller buildings open in the years since, joined by Asian peers like South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. But none can compare to China, which today has more skyscrapers than the next 11 countries combined. Including the International Commerce Centre (1,588 feet) in Hong Kong, China houses nearly half of the world’s top 20 buildings.

Built in 2015, the Shanghai Tower (2,073 feet) is China’s tallest building and the third-tallest building worldwide. Since 2021, it’s been home to the world’s highest luxury hotel above ground level, the J Hotel Shanghai Tower.

Tallest Non-Asian Skyscrapers Around the World

Only three of the world’s top 20 tallest buildings are located outside of Asia, with two of these in New York and one in the Russian city of St. Petersburg.

One World Trade Center, locally nicknamed the Freedom Tower owing to its association with the September 11th attacks which destroyed its predecessors, stands as the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere at 1,776 feet tall, its height an allusion to the year of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

Also in New York is the Central Park Tower, the tallest residential building in the world at 1,550 feet. Meanwhile, the Lakhta Center in St. Petersburg, at 1,516 feet, is Europe’s tallest building.

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• Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-the-worlds-tallest-buildings/