Tallest Building in the World: Burj Khalifa & Top 10 2026

Stand at the base of any major city and look up — your neck starts to ache before you’ve actually clocked the height. Dubai’s Burj Khalifa has held the global height record since 2010, but a Saudi challenger has been climbing toward it for years. With Jeddah Tower now back under construction and adding floors every few days, the race is on again.

Current Tallest: Burj Khalifa (828 m) · Location: Dubai, UAE · Year Completed: 2010 · Next Challenger: Jeddah Tower · Height in Feet: 2,717 ft

What is the current tallest building in the world?

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai has held the title of world’s tallest building since its completion in 2010. At 828 meters, it towers over every other completed structure on the planet by a margin that no other record holder has ever commanded. The tower rises 163 floors above the desert, with its tip visible from roughly 95 kilometers away.

Architect Adrian Smith designed the tower for Emaar Properties, creating a structure that blends Islamic architecture with modern engineering. Only four completed buildings in the world exceed 600 meters in height — the Burj Khalifa’s lead is substantial by any measure.

Burj Khalifa details

• Standard height: 828 meters
• Total height including spire: 829.8 meters
• 163 floors across residential, hotel, and office spaces
• Completed in 2010 after three years of construction

Height and location

The Burj Khalifa’s record over Taipei 101 sets the benchmark for what a true height advantage looks like in supertall construction.

What are the top 10 tallest buildings in the world?

As of 2026, only a handful of buildings have broken the 600-meter barrier. The rankings are verified by organizations like the Council on Tallest Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), and the list remains stable until new completions occur.

The top 10 list shows a clear geographic concentration in Asia and the Middle East. North America appears through One World Trade Center, while Europe’s contribution remains modest by global standards.

Ranked list with heights

Regional leaders stand out: One World Trade Center is the tallest in the United States and Western Hemisphere at 541.3 meters. Lakhta Center in Saint Petersburg holds the European record at 462 meters. Asia dominates the upper ranks, with multiple Chinese towers and Kuala Lumpur’s Merdeka 118 filling spots 2 through 5.

What is taller than the Burj Khalifa?

Only one project comes close to dethroning the Burj Khalifa: Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia. Designed by the same firm, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, the tower is planned to exceed 1,000 meters — making it the first structure to crack the one-kilometer threshold.

Construction began in 2013, stalled around 2018 due to political shifts in Saudi Arabia, then resumed in earnest in January 2025. By November 2025, the tower had reached nearly 80 floors, with crews reportedly adding new floors every 3 to 4 days during the accelerated phase. The project aims for completion by 2028 as part of Saudi Vision 2030.

Jeddah Tower status

• Planned height: over 1,000 meters
• Construction resumed: November 2025
• Floors reached by November 2025: approximately 80
• Expected completion: 2028
• Part of Jeddah Economic City development

If completed on schedule, Jeddah Tower would surpass the Burj Khalifa by roughly 172 to 180 meters — an advantage measured not just in height but in engineering ambition. The implication: this would reshape how the world thinks about vertical construction.

Other challengers

Beyond Jeddah Tower, several other mega-tall projects have been proposed — Rise Tower and others in the Gulf region have appeared in renderings. None have broken ground with confirmed timelines, making Jeddah Tower the only credible challenger for the foreseeable future.

Who owns the Burj Khalifa?

Emaar Properties, a publicly listed developer based in Dubai, owns and developed the Burj Khalifa. The company has been a dominant force in UAE real estate, expanding internationally with properties across the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia.

The tower’s development was a direct bet on Dubai’s ambition to position itself as a global hub. Even with market fluctuations in UAE real estate, Emaar has maintained its position as one of the region’s most valuable property developers.

Emaar Properties

• Headquarters: Dubai, UAE
• Publicly traded on Dubai Financial Market
• Major projects include Dubai Mall, Downtown Dubai
• International portfolio spans multiple continents

For investors and observers tracking Middle East real estate, Emaar’s ownership of the world’s tallest building carries symbolic weight alongside financial significance.

What is the tallest building in the world in 2026?

The answer remains unchanged from 2010: the Burj Khalifa at 828 meters. No completed building has surpassed it, and Jeddah Tower remains under construction. As long as the Saudi project continues toward its 2028 target, Dubai keeps the crown.

The rankings for 2026 are locked until new completions occur. Only four buildings exceed 600 meters, and none threaten the Burj Khalifa’s lead.

Current status 2026

• Burj Khalifa: 828 m, tallest since 2009
• Merdeka 118: 678.9 m, second place
• Shanghai Tower: 632 m, third place
• Jeddah Tower: under construction, not ranked

Future projections

The next significant change to the rankings hinges entirely on Jeddah Tower. If completed by 2028, the tower would immediately claim the top spot by a margin never before recorded. Beyond that, proposals exist but timelines remain speculative.

Tallest Buildings: Top 10 Comparison

The comparison below shows how the top 10 towers stack up against each other in height and completion timeline.

What this means: Asia and the Middle East account for 9 of the top 10 spots, leaving only One World Trade Center to represent North America in the upper tier.

Building Specifications

Ten major skyscrapers, spanning five countries and four continents — the data reveals how regional ambitions shape the skylines we recognize globally. The Burj Khalifa has held the global height record since 2010, but a Saudi challenger has been climbing toward it for years, as detailed at Kosten für das Guinness-Buch der Rekorde.

Only Shanghai Tower among the top buildings integrates wind power generation directly into its structure — a feature that distinguishes it architecturally and environmentally.

Timeline: Burj Khalifa’s Record and the Coming Challenge

The timeline below traces the evolution of skyscraper height records from Taipei 101 through the Burj Khalifa era and into the Jeddah Tower challenge.

The pattern is clear: when construction resumes on a mega-tall project, it moves fast. The Burj Khalifa’s record lasted 16 years without a credible challenger — until Jeddah Tower reappeared on the skyline.

What We Know — and What We Don’t

Verified facts anchor the picture, but gaps remain as of 2026.

What Experts and Sources Say

“Only completed buildings make this list, because until construction is finished and officially recognized, a tower is still a contender rather than a record holder.”

— Travel Pirates (travel publication)

“The Jeddah Tower is set for completion by 2028 as part of Saudi Arabia’s bid to claim the title of the world’s tallest building from Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.”

— NDTV (news outlet)

“Burj Khalifa didn’t merely surpass the previous record holder, Taipei 101. It obliterated it.”

— YouTube analysis (architecture and engineering channel)

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Burj Khalifa holds its crown at 828 meters, with Burj Khalifa rankings highlighting its dominance amid 2026 challengers like Jeddah Tower.

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