The 2,722-foot-tall Burj Khalifa in Dubai has basked in the glory of being the tallest building in the world since it was opened in 2010 as part of a project called Downtown Dubai. But its days as a superlative are numbered. It would have been surpassed by now in fact, if construction delays had not beset the up-and-coming contender, the Jeddah Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Plans call for the Jeddah Tower to be 3,281 feet tall, becoming the first building in the world to reach one kilometer — almost two-thirds of a mile — into the sky. Construction began in 2013 with an anticipated completion date of 2017. But the project was delayed in 2018, with the tower about one-third complete, because of labor issues. The target date for completion was then set for 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic made that impossible.
There has long been a fascination with taller and taller buildings. From 1931 to 1970, the Empire State Building in New York held the title of tallest building on the planet after edging out the Chrysler Building by four feet, in what was known as the “Race Into the Sky.” Now the Empire State doesn’t even make the list of the top five buildings in the city, and the Chrysler Building is not in the list of the top 10.
In 1956, Frank Lloyd Wright unveiled his design for a mile-high skyscraper called The Illinois that was intended for Chicago. It was never built, but Chicago did hold the world’s tallest building title from 1973 to 1998 with the 1,450-foot Sears Tower, now called the Willis Tower. (These are now the tallest buildings in every state.)
In terms of fascination with height, China is currently the leader, with 35 of the 50 tallest buildings under construction. The United Arab Emirates and Malaysia have three each, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. each have two, and Thailand, Russia, Egypt, Indonesia, and India have one apiece. And the race into the sky isn’t stopping: In addition to those already under construction, these are the tallest proposed buildings in the world.
Click here to see the tallest buildings under construction in the world.
50. 9 DeKalb Avenue, New York, United States
> Height: 1,099 ft, 73 floors
> Estimated completion: 2022
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49. Poly 335 Financial Center Tower 1, Guangzhou, China
> Height: 1,100 ft, 64 floors
> Estimated completion: 2023
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48. Wanling Global Center, Zhuhai, China
> Height: 1,106 ft, 70 floors
> Estimated completion: N/A
47. Oxley Tower 1, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
> Height: 1,111 ft, 84 floors
> Estimated completion: 2022
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46. Uptown Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
> Height: 1,112 ft, 78 floors
> Estimated completion: 2022
45. Junkang Center, Wenzhou, China
> Height: 1,112 ft, 71 floors
> Estimated completion: N/A
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44. Skyfame Center Landmark Tower, Nanning, China
> Height: 1,135 ft, 72 floors
> Estimated completion: 2023
43. Hengfeng Guiyang Center Tower 1, Guiyang, China
> Height: 1,145 ft, 77 floors
> Estimated completion: 2021
42. SUNAC A-ONE Tower 2, Chongqing, China
> Height: 1,145 ft, 0 floors
> Estimated completion: N/A
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41. Glory·Xi’an International Financial Center, Xi’an, China
> Height: 1,148 ft, 75 floors
> Estimated completion: 2021
40. Il Primo Tower 1, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
> Height: 1,168 ft, 88 floors
> Estimated completion: 2021
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39. Greenland Group Suzhou Center, Suzhou, China
> Height: 1,175 ft, 77 floors
> Estimated completion: 2021
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38. Huiyun Center, Shenzhen, China
> Height: 1,178 ft, 80 floors
> Estimated completion: 2022
37. Ping An Finance Center Tower 1, Jinan, China
> Height: 1,181 ft, 62 floors
> Estimated completion: 2022
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36. Three Sixty West Tower B, Mumbai, India
> Height: 1,185 ft, 90 floors
> Estimated completion: N/A
35. Ciel Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
> Height: 1,199 ft, 81 floors
> Estimated completion: 2023
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34. Galaxy Tower 1, Shenzhen, China
> Height: 1,211 ft, 84 floors
> Estimated completion: 2022
33. Galaxy Tower 2, Shenzhen, China
> Height: 1,211 ft, 84 floors
> Estimated completion: 2022
32. Haitian Center Tower 2, Qingdao, China
> Height: 1,211 ft, 74 floors
> Estimated completion: 2021
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31. Coronation Square Tower 1, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
> Height: 1,214 ft, 78 floors
> Estimated completion: N/A
30. Xujiahui Center Tower 1, Shanghai, China
> Height: 1,214 ft, 70 floors
> Estimated completion: 2023
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29. Guangdong Business Center, Guangzhou, China
> Height: 1,232 ft, 60 floors
> Estimated completion: 2022
28. Shenzhen Center, Shenzhen, China
> Height: 1,232 ft, 70 floors
> Estimated completion: 2021
27. Greenland Star City Light Tower, Changsha, China
> Height: 1,246 ft, 83 floors
> Estimated completion: N/A
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26. Guiyang World Trade Center Landmark Tower, Guiyang, China
> Height: 1,247 ft, 0 floors
> Estimated completion: 2021
25. Wuhan Yangtze River Center Tower 1, Wuhan, China
> Height: 1,247 ft, 80 floors
> Estimated completion: N/A
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24. Thamrin Nine Tower 1, Jakarta, Indonesia
> Height: 1,256 ft, 75 floors
> Estimated completion: 2021
23. Iconic Tower, Cairo, Egypt
> Height: 1,263 ft, 80 floors
> Estimated completion: 2022
22. PIF Tower, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
> Height: 1,263 ft, 72 floors
> Estimated completion: 2021
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21. Chengmai Center, Shenzhen, China
> Height: 1,273 ft, 70 floors
> Estimated completion: 2022
20. Haiyun Plaza Tower 1, Rizhao, China
> Height: 1,280 ft, 86 floors
> Estimated completion: N/A
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19. Evergrande Center, Shenzhen, China
> Height: 1,292 ft, 71 floors
> Estimated completion: 2024
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18. One Tower, Moscow, Russia
> Height: 1,330 ft, 108 floors
> Estimated completion: 2024
17. Ningbo Center Tower 1, Ningbo, China
> Height: 1,342 ft, 80 floors
> Estimated completion: 2023
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16. Nanjing Olympic Suning Tower, Nanjing, China
> Height: 1,377 ft, 99 floors
> Estimated completion: N/A
15. Nanjing Financial City Phase II Plot C Tower 1, Nanjing, China
> Height: 1,398 ft, 88 floors
> Estimated completion: N/A
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14. Dongguan International Trade Center 1, Dongguan, China
> Height: 1,401 ft, 88 floors
> Estimated completion: 2021
13. Greenland Shandong International Financial Center, Jinan, China
> Height: 1,404 ft, 88 floors
> Estimated completion: 2022
12. 111 West 57th Street, New York, United States
> Height: 1,428 ft, 84 floors
> Estimated completion: 2021
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11. Riverview Plaza A1, Wuhan, China
> Height: 1,430 ft, 73 floors
> Estimated completion: 2021
10. One Bangkok O4H4, Bangkok, Thailand
> Height: 1,431 ft, 92 floors
> Estimated completion: 2025
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9. Tianshan Gate of the World Plots 27 and 28, Shijiazhuang, China
> Height: 1,476 ft, 106 floors
> Estimated completion: 2025
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8. Corporate Avenue 1, Chongqing, China
> Height: 1,503 ft, 99 floors
> Estimated completion: 2022
7. Chengdu Greenland Tower, Chengdu, China
> Height: 1,535 ft, 101 floors
> Estimated completion: 2022
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6. Wuhan Greenland Center, Wuhan, China
> Height: 1,560 ft, 97 floors
> Estimated completion: 2022
5. Greenland Centre, Xi’an, China
> Height: 1,634 ft, 101 floors
> Estimated completion: 2024
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4. Suzhou Zhongnan Center, Suzhou, China
> Height: 1,638 ft, 103 floors
> Estimated completion: N/A
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3. Greenland Jinmao International Financial Center, Nanjing, China
> Height: 1,640 ft, 102 floors
> Estimated completion: 2025
2. Merdeka PNB118, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
> Height: 2,113 ft, 118 floors
> Estimated completion: 2022
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1. Jeddah Tower, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
> Height: 3,281 ft, 167 floors
> Estimated completion: N/A
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