Although determining the world's tallest structure has generally been straightforward, the definition of the world's tallest building or the world's tallest tower is less clear. The disputes generally centre on what should be counted as a building or a tower, and what is being measured.

In terms of absolute height, the tallest structure is the Burj Dubai, although it will not hold the official title of "Tallest Building in the World" until the building is officially opened on 4 January 2010. The official holder of the "Tallest Building in the World" is held by Taipei 101. In addition, there are dozens of radio and television broadcasting towers which measure over 600 metres (about 2,000 feet) in height. There is, however, some debate about:

• whether structures under construction should be included in the list
• whether structures rising out of water should have their below-water height included.

For towers, there is a debate over:

• whether guy-wire-supported structures should be counted

For buildings, there is debate over:

• whether communication towers with observation galleries should be considered habitable buildings.
• whether only habitable height is considered.
• whether roof-top antennas should be considered towards height of buildings; with particular interest in whether components that look like spires can be either classified as antennas or architectural detail.

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, the organization that determines the title of the "World’s Tallest Building," recognizes a building only if at least fifty percent of its height is made up of floor plates containing habitable floor area. Structures that do not meet this criterion, such as the CN Tower, are defined as "towers."

Tallest structures

The tallest man-made structure is Burj Dubai, a skyscraper under construction in Dubai that reached in height on 17 January 2009. By 7 April 2008 it had been built higher than the KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota, USA, which is still the tallest completed structure at . That September it officially surpassed Poland's Warsaw radio mast, which stood from 1974 to 1991, to become the tallest structure ever built. Guyed lattice towers such as these masts had held the world height record since 1954.

The CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, standing at , is the world's tallest completed freestanding structure on land. Opened in 1976, it was surpassed in height by the rising Burj Dubai on September 12, 2007. It has the world's second highest public observation deck at .

The Petronius Platform stands off the sea floor leading some, including Guinness World Records 2007, to claim it as the tallest freestanding structure in the world. However, it is debated whether underwater height should be discounted in the same manner as height below grade is ignored on buildings. The Troll A platform is , without any part of that height being supported by wires. The tension-leg type of oil platform has even greater below-water heights with several examples more than deep. However, these platforms are not considered constant structures as the vast majority of their height is made up of the length of the tendons attaching the floating platforms to the sea floor. Despite this, Guinness World Records 2009 listed the Ursa tension leg platform as the tallest structure in the world with a total height of 1,306 m (4,285 feet).

Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan is the world's tallest inhabited building in only one of the four main categories that are commonly measured: at as measured to its architectural height (spire). Its roof height and highest occupied floor have recently been overtaken by the Shanghai World Financial Center (roof height ; highest occupied floor ). Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) is highest in the final category: the greatest height to top of antenna of any building in the world at .

On its completion, projected for late 2009, Burj Dubai will break the height record in all four categories for completed buildings by a wide margin. The Shanghai World Financial Center has the world's highest roof, highest occupied floor, and the world's highest public observation deck at . It will retain the latter record after the completion of Burj Dubai, as Burj Dubai's observation deck will be at .

Tallest structure by category

Due to the disagreements over how to measure height and classify structures, engineers have created various definitions for categories of buildings and other structures. One measure includes the absolute height of a building, another includes only spires and other permanent architectural features, but not antennas. The tradition of including the spire on top of a building and not including the antenna dates back to the rivalry between the Chrysler Building and 40 Wall Street. A modern-day example is that the antenna on top of Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) is not considered part of its architectural height, while the spires on top of the Petronas Twin Towers are counted.

Category	Structure	Country	City	Height (m)	Height (ft)	Built
Skyscraper (Topped out) - all categories	Burj Dubai	United Arab Emirates	Dubai	818	2,684	2009
Guyed Mast	KVLY-TV mast	United States	Blanchard, N.D.	628.8	2,063	1963
Concrete tower (Topped out)	Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower	China	Guangzhou	610	2,001	2009
Concrete tower	CN Tower	Canada	Toronto	553.3	1,815	1976
Skyscraper - to top of antenna	Willis Tower	United States	Chicago	527.3	1,730	1973
Skyscraper - to top of spire	Taipei 101	Taiwan	Taipei	509.2	1,671	2004
Skyscraper - to top of roof	Shanghai World Financial Center	China	Shanghai	492	1,614	2008
Tower for scientific research	BREN Tower	United States	Nevada Test Site	462	1,516	1962
Twin towers	Petronas Twin Towers	Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur	452	1,482	1998
Chimney	GRES-2 Power Station	Kazakhstan	Ekibastusz	419.7	1,377	1987
Radar	Dimona Radar Facility	Israel	Dimona	400	1,312	2008
Guyed tubular steel mast	Belmont transmitting station	United Kingdom	Donington on Bain	387.7	1,272	1965
Lattice tower	Kiev TV Tower	Ukraine	Kiev	385	1,263	1973
Partially guyed tower	Gerbrandy Tower	Netherlands	IJsselstein	366.8	1,203	1961
Electricity pylon	Yangtze River Crossing, Jiangyin	China	Jiangyin	346.5	1,137	2004
Bridge pillar	Millau Viaduct	France	Millau	342	1,122	2004
Iron tower	Tokyo Tower	Japan	Tokyo	333	1,092	1958
Dam	Nurek Dam	Tajikistan	Nurek	300	984	1980
Concrete dam	Grande Dixence Dam	Switzerland	Val d'Hérens	285	935	1965
Clock tower	NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building	Japan	Tokyo	240	790	2000
Minaret	Hassan II Mosque	Morocco	Casablanca	210	689	1993
Wind turbine	Fuhrländer Wind Turbine Laasow	Germany	Laasow, Brandenburg	205	673	2006
Cooling tower	Niederaussem Power Station	Germany	Niederaussem	200	656	2003
Monument	Gateway Arch	United States	St. Louis, Missouri	192	630	1965
Masonry tower	Anaconda Smelter Stack	United States	Anaconda, Montana	178.3	585	1919
Inclined structure, Stadium	Olympic Stadium	Canada	Montreal	175	574	1976
Obelisk	San Jacinto Monument	United States	Deer Park, Texas	173.7	570	1939
Church building	Chicago Temple Building	United States	Chicago	173	568	1924
Masonry building	Mole Antonelliana	Italy	Torino	167	548	1889
Masonry building	Philadelphia City Hall	United States	Philadelphia	167	548	1901
Ferris wheel	Singapore Flyer	Singapore	Singapore	165	541.3	2008
Church tower	Ulm Cathedral	Germany	Ulm	162	530	1890
Industrial hall	Vehicle Assembly Building	United States	Kennedy Space Center	160	525	1966
Memorial cross	Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos	Spain	El Escorial	152.4	500	1957
Roller coaster	Kingda Ka	United States	Jackson, New Jersey	138.98	456	2005
Tomb	Great Pyramid of Giza	Egypt	Giza, Cairo	138.8	455.2	2560 BCE
Dome	St Peter's Basilica dome	Vatican City	Vatican City, Rome	136.57	448.06	1626
Air traffic control tower	Suvarnabhumi Airport control tower	Thailand	Bangkok	132.2	433.7	2006
Flagpole, free-standing	Ashgabat Flagpole	Turkmenistan	Ashgabat	133	436.4	?
Statue (including pedestal)	Ushiku Daibutsu Bronze Buddha Statue	Japan	Ushiku	120	394	1995
Storage silo	Henninger Turm	Germany	Frankfurt	120	394	1961
Sculpture	Spire of Dublin	Ireland	Dublin	120	393	2003
Wooden structure	Gliwice Radio Tower	Poland	Gliwice	118	387	1935
Aerial tramway support tower	Pillar of third section of Gletscherbahn Kaprun	Austria	Kaprun	113.6	373	1966
Lighthouse	Yokohama Marine Tower	Japan	Yokohama	106	348	1961
Sphere	Ericsson Globe	Sweden	Stockholm	85	279	1989
Statue (not including pedestal)	The Mamayev Monument	Russia	Volgograd	82	269	1967
Brick lighthouse	Torre della Lanterna	Italy	Genoa	77	253	1128
Brick minaret	Qutub Minar	India	Delhi	72.5	237.8	1386

Tallest destroyed structures by category, not surpassed by existing structures

There are some destroyed architectural structures which were taller than the tallest existing structure of their type.

Category	Structure	Country	City	Height (m)	Height (ft)	Remarks
Guyed mast	Warsaw Radio Mast	Poland	Gąbin	646.38	2,121	completed in 1974, collapsed on August 8, 1991
Guyed tubular steel mast	Shushi-Wan Omega Transmitter	Japan	Tsushima	389	1,276	completed in 1973, dismantled in 1998
Structure for destructive scientific experiment	Smoky Shot Tower	United States	Nevada Test Site	213	700	Guyed mast, which carried 44 kt yield nuclear bomb "Smoky" ( part of operation Plumbbob) on top until its explosion on August 31, 1957
Wooden structure	Mühlacker Wood Radio Tower	Germany	Mühlacker	190	623	completed in 1934, destroyed on April 6, 1945, by the Germans to prevent usage by the Allies.
Masonry building	Mole Antonelliana	Italy	Torino	167.5	549.5	spire destroyed by a tornado in 1953.
Pre-Industrial Era building	Lincoln Cathedral	United Kingdom	Lincoln	160	524	completed in 1311, spire blown off in 1549

Tallest building by function

Category	Structure	Country	City	Architectural top
				m	ft
Mixed-Use*	Burj Dubai**	United Arab Emirates	Dubai	818	2,684
Office	Taipei 101	Taiwan	Taipei	509	1,671
Mixed-Use* (completed only)	John Hancock Center	United States	Chicago	344	1,127
Hotel	Rose Tower	United Arab Emirates	Dubai	333	1,093
Residential	Q1	Australia	Gold Coast	323	1,059
Educational	Moscow State University	Russia	Moscow	240	787
Hospital	Guy's Hospital	United Kingdom	London	143	468
Library	Shanghai Library	China	Shanghai	106	348

* Mixed-Use is defined as having three of more [[real estate|RE]] uses (such as retail, office, hotel, etc.) that are physically and functionally integrated in a single property and are mutually supporting.Schwanke D. et al. (2003). ''Mixed-use Development Handbook'', 2^nd edition. Washington: Urban Land Institute ISBN 978-0874208887 ** As Burj Dubai is still under construction and not yet inhabitable, it does not serve a specific function. Upon completion, it will serve as a mixed use building.

Tallest buildings

Up until 1998 the tallest building status was essentially uncontested. Counting buildings as structures with floors throughout, and with antenna masts excluded, Sears Tower (now Willis Tower) in Chicago was considered the tallest. When the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were built, controversy arose because the spire extended nine metres higher than the roof of Willis Tower. Excluding the spire, the Petronas Towers are not taller than Willis Tower. At their convention in Chicago, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) reduced Willis Tower from world's tallest and pronounced it not second tallest, but third, and pronounced Petronas as world's tallest. This action caused a considerable amount of controversy, so CTBUH defined four categories in which the world's tallest building can be measured:

1. Height to Architectural Top (including spires and pinnacles, but not antennas, masts or flagpoles). This measurement is the most widely utilized and is used to define the rankings of the 100 Tallest Buildings in the World.
2. Highest Occupied Floor
3. Height to Top of Roof (omitted from criteria in November 2009)
4. Height to Tip

The height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance. At the time, the Sears Tower held first place in the second and third categories, the Petronas Towers held the first category and the original World Trade Towers held the fourth. Within months, however, a new antenna mast was placed on the Sears Tower, giving it hold of the fourth category.On April 20, 2004, Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan, was completed. Its completion gave it the world record for the first three categories. On July 21, 2007 it was announced that Burj Dubai had surpassed Taipei 101 in height, reaching . Burj Dubai was topped-out in early 2009 but is not yet completed.

Today, Taipei 101 leads in the first category with , but has been surpassed in the second two categories by the Shanghai World Financial Center whose roof height is and whose highest occupied floor is at . Before either of these buildings were completed, the first category was held by the Petronas Twin Towers with , and before that by Willis Tower with . The second and third categories were held by Willis Tower, with and respectively.

Willis Tower still leads in the fourth category with , previously held by the World Trade Center until the extension of the Chicago tower's western broadcast antenna in 2000, over a year prior to the World Trade Center's destruction in 2001. Its antenna mast included, One World Trade Center measured . The World Trade Center became the world's tallest buildings to be destroyed or demolished; indeed, its site entered the record books twice on September 11, 2001, in that category, replacing the Singer Building, which once stood a block from the WTC site.

Structures such as the CN Tower, the Ostankino Tower and the Oriental Pearl Tower are excluded from these categories because they are not "habitable buildings", which are defined as frame structures made with floors and walls throughout.

History of record holders in each CTBUH category

Date (Event)	Architectural top	Highest occupied floor	Roof	Tip
2009: CTBUH omits Height to Roof category	Taipei 101	Shanghai World Financial Center		Willis Tower
2008: Shanghai World Financial Center completed	Taipei 101	Shanghai World Financial Center	Shanghai World Financial Center	Willis Tower
2003: Taipei 101 completed	Taipei 101	Taipei 101	Taipei 101	Willis Tower
2000: Willis Tower antenna extension	Petronas Towers	Willis Tower	Willis Tower	Willis Tower
1998: Petronas Towers completed	Petronas Towers	Willis Tower	Willis Tower	World Trade Center
1996: CTBUH defines categories	Willis Tower	Willis Tower	Willis Tower	World Trade Center

World's tallest freestanding structure on land

Freestanding structures include observation towers, monuments and other structures not generally considered to be "Habitable buildings", but excludes supported structures such as guyed masts and ocean drilling platforms.(See also history of tallest skyscrapers.)

The world's tallest freestanding structure on land is defined as the tallest self-supporting man-made structure that stands above ground. This definition is different from that of world's tallest building or world's tallest structure based on the percent of the structure that is occupied and whether or not it is self-supporting or supported by exterior cables. Likewise, this definition does not count structures that are built underground or on the seabed, such as the Petronius Platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Visit world's tallest structure by category for a list of various other definitions.

As of 12 May 2008, the tallest freestanding structure on land is the Burj Dubai in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The building, which now stands at , surpassed the height of the previous record holder, the CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, on September 12, 2007. It is scheduled to be completed in 2009, and was topped out at in January 2009.

History

The following is a list of structures that have held the title as the tallest freestanding structure on land. (See also Timeline of three tallest structures in the world until Empire State Building).

tallest historical structures

record from	record to	Name and Location	Constructed	Height (m)	Height (ft)	Notes
c. 2700 BC	c. 2600 BC	Pyramid of Djoser, Egypt	c. 2700 BC	62	203
c. 2600 BC	c. 2570 BC	Red Pyramid of Sneferu, Egypt	c. 2600 BC	105	345
c. 2570 BC	c. AD 1311	Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt	c. 2570 BC	146	481	By AD 1439, the Great Pyramid had eroded to a height of approximately 139 m (455 ft).
1311	1549	Lincoln Cathedral in England	1092–1311	160	525	The central spire was destroyed in a storm in 1549. While the reputed height of is doubted by A.F. Kendrick, other sources agree on this height.
1549	1625	St. Olaf's Church in Tallinn, Estonia	1438–1519	159	522	The spire burnt down after a lightning strike in 1625 and was rebuilt several times. The height is 123 m.
1625	1647	St. Mary's Church in Stralsund, Germany	1384–1478	151	495	The spire burnt down after a lightning strike in 1647. The height is 104 m.
1647	1874	Strasbourg Cathedral in France	1439	142	469
1874	1876	St. Nikolai in Hamburg, Germany	1846–1874	147	483
1876	1880	Cathédrale Notre Dame in Rouen, France	1202–1876	151	495
1880	1884	Cologne Cathedral in Germany	1248–1880	157	515
1884	1889	Washington Monument in Washington D.C., United States	1884	169	555
1889	1930	Eiffel Tower in Paris, France	1889	300	986	First structure to exceed 300 metres in height. The addition of a telecommunications tower in the 1950s brought the overall height to 324 m.
1930	1931	Chrysler Building in New York, United States	1928–1930	319	1,046
1931	1967	Empire State Building in New York, United States	1930–1931	381	1,250	First building with 100+ stories. The addition of a pinnacle and antennas later increased its overall height to 1,472 ft/448.7 m. This was subsequently lowered to 1,454 ft/443.1 m.
1967	1975	Ostankino Tower in Moscow, Russia	1963–1967	537	1,762	Remains the tallest in Europe. Fire in 2000 led to extensive renovation.
1975	2007	CN Tower in Toronto, Canada	1973–1976	553	1,815	Remains the tallest in the Americas
2007	present	Burj Dubai in Dubai, United Arab Emirates	2004–2009	818	2,684	Holder of world's tallest freestanding structure. Topped out at .

Notable mentions include the Pharos of Alexandria, built in the third century BC, and estimated between 115 to 135 m (383–440 ft). It was the world's tallest non-pyramidal building for many centuries. Another notable mention includes the Jetavanaramaya stupa in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, which was built in the third century, and was similarly tall at 122 m (400 ft). These were both the world's tallest or second tallest non-pyramidal buildings for over a thousand years.

The tallest secular building between the collapse of the Pharos and the erection of the Washington Monument may have been the Torre del Mangia in Siena, which is 102 m tall, and was constructed in the first half of the fourteenth century, and the 97 m tall Torre degli Asinelli in Bologna, also Italy, built between 1109 and 1119.

World's highest observation deck

Timeline of development of world's highest observation deck since inauguration of Eiffel Tower.

Held record		Name and Location	Constructed	Height of highest observation deck (m)	Height of highest observation deck (ft)	Notes
From	To
1889	1931	Eiffel Tower, Paris, France	1889	275	902	Two further observation decks 57 and 115 metres above ground.
1931	1973	Empire State Building, New York City, USA	1931	369	1211	A second observation deck is located on the 86th floor at 320 metres above ground.
1973	1976	World Trade Center, New York City, USA	1973	420	1378	Destroyed during the September 11, 2001 attacks
1976	2008	CN Tower, Toronto, Canada	1976	446.5	1464.9	Two further observation decks 342 and 346 metres above ground.
2008	present	Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, China	2008	474	1555	Other observation decks are 423 and 439 metres above ground.

Higher observation decks have existed on mountain peaks or cliffs, rather than on tall structures. For example, the Royal Gorge Bridge in Cañon City, Colorado, USA, was constructed in 1929 spanning the Royal Gorge at a height of 321 m (1095 ft.) above the Arkansas River.

Timeline of guyed structures on land

As most of the tallest structures are guyed masts and the absolute height record of architectural structures on land is since 1954 kept by them, here is a timeline of world's tallest guyed masts, since the beginning of radio technology.

As many large guyed masts were destroyed at the end of World War II, the dates for the years between 1945 and 1950 may be incorrect. If Wusung Radio Tower survived World War II, it was the tallest guyed structure shortly after World War II.

Held record		Name and Location	Constructed	Height (m)	Height (ft)	Notes
From	To
1913	1920	Central mast of Eilvese transmitter, Eilvese, Germany	1913	250	820	Mast was divided in 145 m by an insulator, demolished in 1931
1920	1923	Central masts of Nauen Transmitter Station, Nauen, Germany	1920	260	853	2 masts, demolished in 1946
1923	1933	Masts of Ruiselede transmitter, Ruiselede, Belgium	1923	287	942	8 masts, destroyed in 1940
1933	1939	Lakihegy Tower, Lakihegy, Hungary	1933	314	1,031	Blaw-Knox Tower, insulated against ground, destroyed in 1945, afterwards rebuilt
1939	1946	Deutschlandsender Herzberg/Elster, Herzberg , Germany	1939	335	1,099	Insulated against ground, dismantled 1946/1947
1946	1948	Lakihegy Tower, Lakihegy, Hungary	1946	314	1,031	Blaw-Knox Tower, Insulated against ground, rebuilt after destruction in 1945
1948	1949	WIVB-TV Tower, Colden, New York, USA	1948	321.9	1,056
1949	1950	Longwave transmitter Raszyn, Raszyn, Poland	1949	335	1,099	Insulated against ground
1950	1954	Forestport Tower, Forestport, New York, USA	1950	371.25	1,218	Insulated against ground
1954	1959	Griffin Television Tower Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA	1954	480.5	1,576
1956	1959	KOBR-TV Tower, Caprock, New Mexico, USA	1956	490.7	1,610	Collapsed in 1960
1959	1960	WGME TV Tower, Raymond, Maine, USA	1959	495	1,624
1960	1962	KFVS TV Mast, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, USA	1960	511.1	1,677
1962	1963	WTVM/WRBL-TV & WVRK-FM Tower, Cusseta, Georgia, USA	1962	533	1,749
1963	1963	WIMZ-FM-Tower, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA	1963	534.01	1,752
1963	1974	KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, USA	1963	628.8	2,063
1974	1991	Warsaw Radio Mast, Gąbin, Poland	1974	646.4	2,121	Mast radiator insulated against ground, collapsed in 1991
1991		KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, USA	1963	628.8	2,063

Tallest structures, freestanding structures, and buildings

See also: Timeline of three tallest structures in the world

The list categories are:

• The structures (supported) list uses pinnacle height and includes architectural structures of any type that might use some external support constructions like cables and are fully built in air. Only the three tallest are listed, as more than fifty US TV masts have stated heights of 600-610m (1969–2000 ft).
• The structures (media supported) list uses pinnacle height and includes architectural structures of any type that are not totally built in the air but are using support from other, denser media like salt water. All structures greater than are listed.
• The freestanding structures list uses pinnacle height and includes structures over that do not use guy-wires or other external supports. This means truly free standing on its own or, in similar sense, non-supported structures.
• The building list uses architectural height (excluding antennas) and includes only buildings, defined as consisting of habitable floors. Both of these follow CTBUH guidelines. All supertall buildings (300 m and higher) are listed.

Notes:

• Seven buildings appear on the freestanding structures category list with different heights than of another category. This is due to the different measurement specifications of those lists.
• Only current heights and where reasonable target heights are listed. Historical heights of structures that e.g. did collapse are excluded.

Rank	Name and location	Year completed	Architectural top	Floors
Structures (supported)
1	KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, United States	1963		–
2	KXJB-TV mast, Galesburg, North Dakota, United States	1998		–
3	KXTV/KOVR Tower, Walnut Grove, California, United States	2000		–
Structures (media supported)
1	Petronius Platform, Gulf of Mexico	2000		–
2	Baldpate Platform, Gulf of Mexico	1998		–
3	Bullwinkle Platform, Gulf of Mexico	1989		–
Freestanding structures
1	Burj Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (topped out)	2009		160
2	Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower, Guangzhou, China (topped out)	2009		–
3	CN Tower, Toronto, Ontario, Canada	1976		–
4	Ostankino Tower, Moscow, Russia	1967		–
5	Willis Tower, Chicago, United States	1974		108
6	Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan	2003		101
7	Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, People's Republic of China	2008		101
8	Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai, People's Republic of China	1996		–
9	John Hancock Center, Chicago, United States	1969	457 m (1,500 ft)	100
10=	Petronas Tower I, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1998		88
10=	Petronas Tower II, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1998		88
12	Nanjing Greenland Financial Center, Nanjing, People's Republic of China	2009		89
13	Empire State Building, New York City, United States	1931	443 (1,454 ft)	102
14	Milad Tower, Tehran, Iran	2007		–
15	Kuala Lumpur Tower, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1995		–
16	Jin Mao Building, Shanghai, People's Republic of China	1998		88
17	Chimney of GRES-2 Power Station, Ekibastuz, Kazakhstan	1987		–
18	Two International Finance Centre, Hong Kong	2003		88
19	Tianjin Radio and Television Tower, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China	1991		–
20	Central TV Tower, Beijing, People’s Republic of China	1992		–
Buildings
1	Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan	2003		101
2	Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, People's Republic of China	2008		101
3=	Petronas Tower I, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1998		88
3=	Petronas Tower II, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1998		88
5	Nanjing Greenland Financial Center, Nanjing, People's Republic of China	2009		89
6	Willis Tower, Chicago, United States	1974		108
7	Jin Mao Building, Shanghai, People's Republic of China	1998		88
8	Two International Finance Centre, Hong Kong	2003		88
9	CITIC Plaza, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China	1997		80
10	Shun Hing Square, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China	1996		69
11	Empire State Building, New York City, United States	1931		102
12	Central Plaza, Hong Kong	1992		78
13	Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong	1990		70
14	Bank of America Tower, New York City, United States	2008		54
15	Almas Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	2008		74
16	Emirates Office Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	2000		54
17	Tuntex Sky Tower, Kaohsiung, Taiwan	1997		85
18	Aon Center, Chicago, United States	1973		83
19	The Center, Hong Kong	1998		73
20	John Hancock Center, Chicago, United States	1969		100
21=	Rose Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	2007		72
21=	Shimao International Plaza, Shanghai, People's Republic of China	2006		60
23	Minsheng Bank Building, Wuhan, People's Republic of China	2007		68
24=	Ryugyong Hotel, Pyongyang, North Korea (topped out)	1992		105
24=	China World Trade Center Tower 3, Beijing, People's Republic of China	2008		74
26	Q1, Gold Coast, Australia	2005		78
27	Burj Al Arab, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	1999		60
28=	Chrysler Building, New York City, United States	1930		77
28=	Nina Tower I, Hong Kong	2007		80
28=	New York Times Building, New York City, United States	2007		52
31	Bank of America Plaza, Atlanta, United States	1992		55
32	Kingdom Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	2000		41
33	U.S. Bank Tower, Los Angeles, United States	1989		73
34	Menara Telekom, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	2001		55
35	Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	2000		56
36	One Island East, Hong Kong	2008		70
37	AT&T Corporate Center, Chicago, United States	1989		60
38	The Address Downtown Burj Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	2008		63
39	JPMorgan Chase Tower, Houston, United States	1982		75
40	Baiyoke Tower II, Bangkok, Thailand	1997		85

Source: Emporis

Under construction

Numerous supertall skyscrapers are in various stages of proposal, planning, or construction. Each of the following are under construction and, depending on the order of completion, could become the world's tallest building or structure in at least one category:

• Burj Dubai , under construction in Dubai, UAE, is topped-out at with 160 floor. It is taller than the CN Tower, the tallest completed freestanding structure. It became the tallest manmade structure of any kind in history when it passed the Warsaw radio mast in September 2008. Construction began in September 2004 and completion is expected in December 2009.
• The Digital Media City Landmark Building, under construction in Digital Media City, Seoul in South Korea, is expected to be tall and have 133 floors. If completed, it would be the second tallest building in the world with the tallest observatory and hotels in the world. Construction began in October 2009 and completion is expected in April 2015.
• The Tokyo Sky Tree under construction in Tokyo's Sumida district, is expected to be 634m (2,080 ft) tall. It will be a broadcasting tower to replace the old Tokyo Tower. Construction began in 2008 and completion is expected in 2011, with public access in the spring of 2012.
• The Shanghai Tower, under construction in Shanghai, next to the Shanghai World Financial Center and the Jin Mao Building, is expected to be 632m (2,073 ft). It will be the second tallest building in the world. Completion is expected in 2014.
• The Pentominium, under construction in Dubai, is expected to be tall and have 120 floors. If completed, it would be the tallest all-residential building in the world. Construction began in 2007 and completion is expected in 2011.
• The Russia Tower, was under construction in Moscow's International Business Centre. It was expected to be 612.2 m (2,009 ft) tall and have 118 floors; making it the tallest building in Europe. Construction began in September 2007 and completion was expected in 2012, however, construction was halted in November 2008 due to financial difficulties and it is now unlikely to be completed.
• Incheon Tower is a 151-floor, twin tower under construction in Incheon, South Korea. If completed, it will stand as the tallest twin towers in the world, surpassing the Petronas Twin Towers. It is estimated to be completed in 2012.
• The Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower, under construction in Guangzhou, China, is topped-out at . Construction began in November 2005 and completion is expected in 2009.
• The Chicago Spire (formerly Fordham Spire), under construction in Chicago, is expected to be and have 150 floors. If completed, it would surpass the CN Tower as the tallest freestanding building in North America, and would be the second tallest all-residential building in the world (behind the aforementioned Pentominium). Construction began in June 2007 and completion is expected in early 2012, however, construction is on hold.
• The Abraj Al Bait Towers are under construction in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The tallest tower is expected to be tall when completed in 2010, becoming second-tallest building in the world when completed. It will also be the largest building in the world with a floor area of 1,500,000 m² (16,137,600 sq ft) and the tallest hotel in the world.
• The Jakarta Tower (Menara Jakarta) is on-hold in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is expected to be 558 m (1,831 ft) tall up to the antenna, thus may be tallest concrete tower. It is expected to be completed in 2011.
• The Federation Tower East, under construction in Moscow's International Business Centre, is expected to be 506 m (1,660 ft) tall (to the tip of the spire) and have 93 floors. If completed, it would become the tallest building in Europe. Construction began in 2003 and completion is expected in 2009.

Proposed

Many proposed structures have not yet been built, and many probably never will be built. See proposed tall buildings and structures for structures that have been or are being proposed.

See also

• List of tallest buildings in the world
• List of tallest structures in the world
• List of tallest freestanding structures in the world
• List of towers
• List of architects of supertall buildings

References

External links

• Collection of many record holders on Skyscraperpage
• FactMonster.com