The Ten Largest Skyscrapers
on Earth
From a desert tower that doubled the height of anything built before it, to a twisting glass spire in Shanghai — these are the ten tallest occupied buildings humans have ever raised, ranked by official architectural height.
See the Full Ranking ↓The Top 3, Up Close
Swipe through the three towers that broke records when they opened.
Burj Khalifa
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Merdeka 118
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Shanghai Tower
Shanghai, China
The Complete Ranking
Burj Khalifa
Dubai, United Arab EmiratesHeld the title of world's tallest building since it opened in 2010, and remains nearly 500 feet clear of its closest rival. Its Y-shaped plan, inspired by a desert flower, was engineered specifically to reduce wind load as the tower climbs.
Merdeka 118
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaSoutheast Asia's tallest structure, its diamond-faceted glass crown and 118 floors commemorate the year of Malaysian independence. It overtook Shanghai Tower to claim second place on completion.
Shanghai Tower
Shanghai, ChinaA 120-degree twisting form, refined through extensive wind-tunnel testing, cuts wind loads on the structure by roughly a quarter compared to a non-twisting tower of the same height.
Makkah Royal Clock Tower
Mecca, Saudi ArabiaAnchored beside the Grand Mosque, its four giant clock faces are visible for miles and make it the centrepiece of one of the largest hotel and pilgrim complexes ever built.
Ping An Finance Center
Shenzhen, ChinaA slender stainless-steel-clad profile that became shorthand for Shenzhen's rapid rise as a financial and technology hub, built in well under a decade from groundbreaking to opening.
Lotte World Tower
Seoul, South KoreaSouth Korea's tallest building and a dominant feature of the Seoul skyline, combining a five-storey retail base with a tapering glass tower above.
One World Trade Center
New York City, USAThe tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, rebuilt on the site of the original World Trade Center. Its height in feet, 1,776, deliberately echoes the year of American independence.
Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre
Guangzhou, ChinaHome to some of the fastest elevators ever installed in a building, capable of carrying passengers from ground level to the upper floors in under a minute.
Tianjin CTF Finance Centre
Tianjin, ChinaA near-twin in height to its Guangzhou sibling, its tapering aerodynamic form was shaped to perform well in Tianjin's coastal wind conditions.
CITIC Tower (China Zun)
Beijing, ChinaNicknamed "China Zun" after a traditional ceremonial wine vessel it resembles, its waisted silhouette is Beijing's tallest completed building and the anchor of the capital's CBD skyline.
How They Stack Up
Every bar is scaled against the Burj Khalifa.
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