Get A Good Birds-Eye View
If you live in a city centre, no doubt you regularly come into contact with a building that seems larger than life. Many skyscrapers have worked their way into their city’s silhouette to a point where you can recognize a city by whatever super-tall building is featured on a keychain. This list covers the 20 tallest buildings worldwide, and some may not be what you think.
1. Burj Khalifa
Located in Dubai, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. It has a total height of 2,272 ft, or 829.8 m. The building was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and has held the record of the tallest building in the world since 2009.
2. Merdeka 118
Located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Merdeka 118 is the second-tallest building worldwide. It’s 2,227 ft or 678.9 m tall. Completed in 2023, the building was entirely funded by Permodalan Nasional Berhad, a company owned by the Malaysian government.
3. Shanghai Tower
Shockingly located in Shanghai, this tower is a 2,073 ft (or 632 m) tall skyscraper located in Lujiazui, Shanghai’s financial district. It was designed by the firm Gensler and was the second-tallest building from 2015 to 2023.
4. The Clock Towers
Formally known as Abraj al-Bait, the Clock Towers are a complex of seven skyscraper hotels located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Mecca Clock Royal Tower is 1,972 ft, or 601 meters tall, and was built by the Saudi Binladin Group from 2002-2011.
5. Ping An International Finance Centre
Located in Guangdong, China, Ping An is a 1,966 ft or 599.1 m tall skyscraper that contains offices, a hotel, a conference center, and a shopping mall. It’s the second-tallest building in China and the fifth-tallest building worldwide.
6. Lotte World Tower
Located in the Songpa District of Seoul, South Korea, Lotte World Tower stands tall at 1,821 ft (555 m). It’s the first building in South Korea to be over 100 stories tall. The building opened to the public on April 3, 2017.
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7. One World Trade Center
Also known as the Freedom Tower, One World Trade Center is located in Lower Manhattan, New York, New York. It’s currently the tallest building in the United States and the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. It has a height of 1776 ft, or 541 m. The exact height was chosen as a reference to the year the Declaration of Independence was signed.
8. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre
This skyscraper is located in Guangdong, China, and holds the record as China’s third-tallest building. Standing at 1,739 ft or 530 m, this building has over 115 floors and is home to a shopping mall, offices, apartments, and a hotel.
9. Tianjin CTF Finance Centre
Located in Tianjin, China, this finance centre first opened to the public in 2019. It’s 1,739 ft (530 m) tall, and is considered the tallest building in the world with fewer than 100 floors. The skyscraper was a collaboration between Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Ronal Lu & Partners.
10. CITIC Tower
Also known as China Zun, this tower is located in the Central Business District of Beijing. Designed by China Construction Third Engineering Bureau, and is 1,732 ft (528 m) tall. The nickname “zun” comes from an ancient Chinese wine vessel that inspired the building’s design.
11. Taipei 101
Formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center, Taipei 101 is a 1,667 ft (508 m) tall building in Taiwan. It was the world’s tallest building when completed in 2004, but was beaten by the Burj Khalifa five years later. It’s the first skyscraper in the world to exceed half a kilometer.
12. Shanghai World Financial Center
Located in the Pudong district of Shanghai, this skyscraper stands tall at 1,614.2 ft, or 492 meters. The unique building design was developed by the Mori Building Company, which features an exterior observation deck 1,555 ft (474 m) above ground level.
13. International Commerce Centre
The International Commerce Centre is a 1,588 ft (484 m) tall skyscraper located in West Kowloon, Hong Kong. It’s Hong Kong’s tallest building, and the only building in the city with over 100 floors. The building has an odd level system, as most numbers ending with 3 or 4 were skipped.
14. Wuhan Greenland Center
Located in Wuhan, China, the Greenland Center stands tall at 1,562 ft or 476 meters. The building was designed by Gordon Gill Architecture and was completed in 2022 after being put on hold multiple times since breaking ground in 2012.
15. Central Park Tower
Located on West 57th Street, appropriately on Billionaires’ Row, this Manhattan skyscraper is the second-tallest building in New York City, the United States, and the Western Hemisphere. It is 1,550 feet (472.4 m) tall, and holds the title as the tallest primarily residential building worldwide.
16. Lakhta Center
Located in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the Lakhta Centre holds the title of the tallest building in both Russia and Europe. Standing at 1,516 ft (462 m) tall, the building opened to the public in 2019. The centre is primarily used for public facilities and offices, and was certified for ecological efficiency at LEED Platinum in 2021.
17. Landmark 81
Located in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Landmark 81 is the tallest building in Vietnam and the second-tallest building in Southeast Asia. It's 1,513 ft (461.2 m) tall, and it holds a hotel, conference facilities, luxury apartments, retail spaces, restaurants, bars, and an observation deck.
18. Chongqing International Land-Sea Center
The main building of China’s Chongqing International Trade and Commerce Center, this tower stands tall at 1,503 ft (458.2 m). Its design, developed by Shui On Group, is inspired by the sailing ships that were commonly seen on the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers.
19. The Exchange 106
Formerly known as the TRX Signature Tower, this 1,462 ft (445.5 m) tall skyscraper is located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The building was completed in 2019 and is currently owned by Mulia Property Development Sdn Bhd.
20. Changsha IFS Tower 1
A sibling to its slightly smaller Tower 2, Changsha IFS Tower 1 is a 1482.9 ft (452 m) tall skyscraper in the Hunan province of China. The build started in 2013 and was completed in 2017. Tower 2 is over 400 feet shorter than Tower 1, standing at 1,033 ft, or 315 m.
