Special Report

These Are the 25 Tallest Buildings in the World

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The last few years have seen a dramatic increase in the number of supertall buildings — those over 1,000 feet — around the world. Many of them are in China and other emerging countries and proclaim “We’ve arrived.” Foremost among these is the Burj Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates, which soars to a whopping 2,717 ft.

Among the factors driving the proliferation of supertall buildings are rapid economic growth in some countries, advances in design, materials, and construction techniques, and perhaps income inequality, as the super-rich seek trophy homes. 

An example of this is New York’s Billionaires’ Row, although it’s represented by only one building on 24/7 Tempo’s list of the world’s tallest buildings — Central Park Tower. (You might also be interested to see the grandest historic mansion in each state.)

The United States was the original home of the skyscraper, but now has only one entry among the world’s top 10 tallest buildings — New York’s One World Trade Center, which replaced the Twin Towers destroyed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks and which topped out at a symbolic 1,776 ft. Way down the list at No. 22 is Willis Tower, previously known as Sears Tower. When it was completed in 1974 it was the tallest building in the world and held that title for almost 25 years.

Click here to see the tallest buildings in the world

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25. Wuhan Center Tower, Wuhan, China
> Height: 1,437 ft
> Completed: 2019

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そらみみ / Wikimedia Commons

24. Guangzhou International Finance Center, Guangzhou, China
> Height: 1,439 ft
> Completed: 2010

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23. KK100, Shenzhen, China
> Height: 1,449 ft
> Completed: 2011

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22. Willis Tower, Chicago, United States
> Height: 1,451 ft
> Completed: 1974

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21. The Exchange 106, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
> Height: 1,462 ft
> Completed: 2019

gionnixxx / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

19. Suzhou IFS, Suzhou, China
> Height: 1,476 ft
> Completed: 2019

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19. Zifeng Tower, Nanjing, China
> Height: 1,476 ft
> Completed: 2010

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17. Petronas Twin Tower 1, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
> Height: 1,483 ft
> Completed: 1998

Konstantin Aksenov / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

17. Petronas Twin Tower 2, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
> Height: 1,483 ft
> Completed: 1998

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Yinsanhen / Wikimedia Commons

16. Changsha IFS Tower T1, Changsha, China
> Height: 1,483 ft
> Completed: 2018

ClaudineVM / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

15. Vincom Landmark 81, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
> Height: 1,513 ft
> Completed: 2018

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14. Lakhta Center, Saint Petersburg, Russia
> Height: 1,516 ft
> Completed: 2019

Courtesy of centralparktower.com

13. Central Park Tower, New York, United States
> Height: 1,550 ft
> Completed: 2020

volvob12b / Flickr

12. International Commerce Centre, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
> Height: 1,588 ft
> Completed: 2010

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11. Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, China
> Height: 1,614 ft
> Completed: 2008

SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images

10. TAIPEI 101, Taipei, Taiwan
> Height: 1,667 ft
> Completed: 2004

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9. CITIC Tower, Beijing, China
> Height: 1,731 ft
> Completed: 2018

gionnixxx / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

7. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, Guangzhou, China
> Height: 1,739 ft
> Completed: 2016

BD2412 / Wikimedia Commons

7. Tianjin CTF Finance Centre, Tianjin, China
> Height: 1,739 ft
> Completed: 2019

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ozgurdonmaz / iStock via Getty Images

6. One World Trade Center, New York, United States
> Height: 1,776 ft
> Completed: 2014

Mlenny / E+ via Getty Images

5. Lotte World Tower, Seoul, Korea, South
> Height: 1,819 ft
> Completed: 2017

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4. Ping An Finance Center, Shenzhen, China
> Height: 1,965 ft
> Completed: 2017

clicksbyabrar / iStock via Getty Images

3. Makkah Royal Clock Tower, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
> Height: 1,972 ft
> Completed: 2012

ansonmiao / E+ via Getty Images

2. Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, China
> Height: 2,073 ft
> Completed: 2015

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1. Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
> Height: 2,717 ft
> Completed: 2010

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