Burj Khalifa Retains Title as World’s Tallest Building Beside Other 19 Amid Asia’s Skyscraper Dominance
Dubai’s iconic Burj Khalifa continues to hold its position as the tallest building on Earth, standing at 2,717 feet—nearly 500 feet taller than Kuala Lumpur’s Merdeka 118, the second-tallest tower. The rankings, compiled as of April 2026 using data from the Council on Vertical Urbanism, highlight the concentration of supertall skyscrapers in Asia.
“Dubai’s Burj Khalifa has held the title of world’s tallest building since 2010, and it still leads by a remarkable margin,” the report notes.
Seventeen of the world’s 20 tallest buildings are located in Asia, with China and Malaysia leading the pack. Only three buildings outside Asia appear in the top 20: New York’s One World Trade Center and Central Park Tower in the U.S., and Russia’s Lakhta Center in St. Petersburg.
The Burj Khalifa remains far ahead of the rest. “At 2,717 feet, it stands nearly 500 feet taller than second-place Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur,” the data shows. The tower continues to define Dubai’s skyline, even as new supertall structures emerge globally.
The Middle East also hosts the Makkah Royal Clock Tower in Saudi Arabia, which ranks fourth at 1,972 feet. Saudi Arabia has ambitions to surpass the Burj Khalifa with the Jeddah Tower, planned to reach one kilometer in height upon its projected completion in early 2028.
Asia’s dominance in skyscraper construction traces back to 1998, when Kuala Lumpur’s Petronas Twin Towers (1,483 feet) overtook Chicago’s Sears Tower. Since then, Asian countries, particularly China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam, have produced multiple megatall towers. China alone accounts for nearly half of the world’s top 20 buildings, including Shanghai Tower at 2,073 feet—the tallest building in China and the third-tallest globally.
Outside Asia, New York City hosts the Western Hemisphere’s tallest building, One World Trade Center, locally called the Freedom Tower. It reaches 1,776 feet, a height symbolizing the year of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Central Park Tower in New York is the tallest residential building worldwide at 1,550 feet. Europe’s tallest building is the Lakhta Center in St. Petersburg, standing at 1,516 feet.
The rankings underline how the race for height has transformed city skylines across the globe. With ongoing megaprojects like Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Tower, the world’s tallest building title may soon shift once again.
