Here are the tallest buildings in the world in November 2026: the Burj Khalifa in Dubai leads at 828 m (2,717 ft) with 163 floors, and Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur is second at 678.9 m. Only Jeddah Tower is likely to overtake the Burj Khalifa, and it is not due before late 2028.
Key takeaways
- The Burj Khalifa is still the tallest building in the world in November 2026 at 828 m (2,717 ft) and 163 floors; Merdeka 118 is second at 678.9 m.
- Jeddah Tower, planned at about 1,008 m, had reached its 116th floor (about 466 m) by September 2026, with completion now targeted for late 2028.
- Quoted heights differ because of tip versus architectural height, so the Burj Khalifa appears as both 828 m and 829.8 m.
- India's tallest completed building is Lokhandwala Minerva in Mumbai at 301 m; Palais Royale, topped out at 320 m, would overtake it once finished.
| Tallest building (Nov 2026) | Burj Khalifa, Dubai |
|---|---|
| Burj Khalifa height | 828 m (2,717 ft), 163 floors, opened 2010 |
| Second tallest | Merdeka 118, Kuala Lumpur, 678.9 m (2,227 ft) |
| Main challenger | Jeddah Tower, planned about 1,008 m |
| Jeddah Tower status | 116th floor, about 466 m (Sept 2026); target late 2028 |
| Tallest completed in India | Lokhandwala Minerva, Mumbai, 301 m |
| Ranking basis | CTBUH architectural height |
The rest of this page gives you the full ranking, a note on what makes each tower different, why websites quote different numbers, and where India’s own towers fit. Heights follow CTBUH practice (architectural height) unless stated.
Top 10 tallest buildings in the world, ranked for 2026
This is the top 10 tallest skyscrapers table, counting only completed, habitable buildings on the CTBUH basis. Figures follow ArchEyes’ running list of the tallest buildings, checked as of October 2026.
| Rank | Building | City | Height (m) | Height (ft) | Floors | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burj Khalifa | Dubai, UAE | 828 | 2,717 | 163 | 2010 |
| 2 | Merdeka 118 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 678.9 | 2,227 | 118 | 2023 (opened Jan 2024) |
| 3 | Shanghai Tower | Shanghai, China | 632 | 2,073 | 128 | 2015 |
| 4 | Abraj Al-Bait (Makkah Royal Clock Tower) | Mecca, Saudi Arabia | 601 | 1,972 | 120 | 2012 (one list says 2011) |
| 5 | Ping An Finance Centre | Shenzhen, China | 599.1 | 1,965 | 115 | 2017 (one list says 2016) |
| 6 | Lotte World Tower | Seoul, South Korea | ~555 | ~1,819 | 123 | 2017 |
| 7 | One World Trade Center | New York, USA | ~541 | 1,776 | 94 | 2014 |
| 8 (tie) | Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre | Guangzhou, China | ~530 | ~1,740 | 111 (check) | 2016 (check) |
| 8 (tie) | Tianjin CTF Finance Centre | Tianjin, China | ~530 | ~1,740 | 97 | 2019 |
| 10 | China Zun (CITIC Tower) | Beijing, China | ~527 | ~1,731 | 108 (check) | 2018 (check) |
A tilde (~) means the height is rounded. Sources disagree by a year or a few floors on completion dates and floor counts for ranks 4 to 10. I could not confirm the entries marked “check” against the CTBUH Skyscraper Center, so verify them there before quoting.
The top 10 tallest skyscrapers, one by one
Most lists stop at height and floors. Below is what actually sets each of the tallest buildings in the world apart, using only what the sources support.
1. Burj Khalifa, Dubai: 828 m (2,717 ft)
It opened in 2010 with 163 floors above ground and 2 below, and nothing has passed it in the 16 years since. It stands roughly 150 m above number two, a gap bigger than a 40-storey building.
2. Merdeka 118, Kuala Lumpur: 678.9 m (2,227 ft)
Samsung C&T built it. World Construction Network lists a 2014 start and an investment of about $1.5bn. The National reported that its spire reached the final 678.9 m in December 2021. Completion came in November 2023 and the formal opening on 10 January 2024, which is why some tables say 2023 and others 2024. Nothing in Southeast Asia is taller.
3. Shanghai Tower, Shanghai: 632 m (2,073 ft)
Finished in 2015 with 128 floors, it is the world’s tallest twisted building. The highest luxury hotel is also inside it.
4. Abraj Al-Bait, Mecca: 601 m (1,972 ft)
The Makkah Royal Clock Tower has 120 floors. Its clock faces are billed as the largest in the world and, according to AllTheTopTen, can be seen from about 25 km away.
5. Ping An Finance Centre, Shenzhen: 599.1 m (1,965 ft)
With 115 floors, this is the tallest all-office building in the world. At 599.1 m it misses the 600 m megatall mark by under a metre.
6. Lotte World Tower, Seoul: about 555 m (1,819 ft)
Completed in 2017, it has 123 floors. On this list it is the tallest building in South Korea.
7. One World Trade Center, New York: about 541 m (1,776 ft)
Its height in feet is a deliberate nod to 1776. The tower has 94 floors, opened in 2014 and is the tallest building in the Americas.
8 (tie). Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre: about 530 m (1,740 ft)
Rankings tie it with the Tianjin tower below. Treat its floor count (111) and 2016 completion as figures to verify.
8 (tie). Tianjin CTF Finance Centre: about 530 m (1,740 ft)
Completed in 2019 with 97 floors, it is the tallest building with fewer than 100 floors. Set it against Shanghai Tower: 128 floors, yet only about 100 m taller.
10. China Zun (CITIC Tower), Beijing: about 527 m (1,731 ft)
It closes out the top 10. Its 108 floors and 2018 completion also need checking against CTBUH.
How is the height of a skyscraper measured?
CTBUH, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, ranks the tallest buildings in the world by architectural height. Spires count, antennas do not, and only habitable buildings qualify. Different websites mix measures, so the same tower can show two heights.
The council also uses two size labels. A supertall is 300 m or more, and a megatall is 600 m or more. By that rule only four buildings are megatall today: Burj Khalifa, Merdeka 118, Shanghai Tower and Abraj Al-Bait.
Why the Burj Khalifa height shows as 828 m and 829.8 m
Some lists quote 829.8 m (2,722 ft). That figure is the full height to the tip, not the 828 m architectural height CTBUH uses for rankings. Neither number is wrong. They answer different questions.
| Building | CTBUH architectural height | Other figure you may see | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burj Khalifa | 828 m | 829.8 m | Full height to the tip |
| Merdeka 118 | 678.9 m | 680.5 m | Structural height shown in some Wikipedia tables |
| One World Trade Center | ~541 m | 546 m | One listicle that mixes tip and architectural measures |
The gaps are small: 1.8 m for the Burj Khalifa, 1.6 m for Merdeka 118 and about 5 m for One World Trade Center. They are still enough to make two pages disagree, so pick the CTBUH figure and say which basis you used.
Vanity height
CTBUH also tracks the gap between a tower’s pinnacle and its highest usable floor, called vanity height. A spire adds to the headline number without adding rooms you can rent or visit. When you compare towers, remember a tall spire can flatter a ranking.
Buildings versus structures
Some listicles rank structures such as the Canton Tower (602 m) next to buildings. CTBUH counts only habitable buildings, so the comparison is not like-for-like. The same logic keeps Goldin Finance 117 in Tianjin out. It topped out at about 596.6 m, but construction is on hold, so completed rankings leave it out even though some lists still place it at number six.
One more caution. One aggregator says CTBUH has been renamed the Council on Vertical Urbanism. I could not confirm that on the council’s own site, so this article keeps the CTBUH name.
What is the Burj Khalifa height in feet and metres?
The Burj Khalifa height is 828 m, or 2,717 ft, to its architectural top. It has 163 floors above ground and 2 below, and it opened in 2010. It remains the tallest building in the world 2026 rankings start with.
If you see 829.8 m (2,722 ft) elsewhere, it is the tip measurement. For rankings and exam answers, use 828 m.
The scale is easier to feel against the rest of the list. The tower is about 150 m taller than Merdeka 118 and nearly 2.75 times the height of India’s tallest completed tower. For a Mumbai reader, picture Minerva stacked almost three times.
Jeddah Tower height and completion date: where the build stands
The Jeddah Tower height and completion date are the two numbers that decide whether the tallest buildings in the world list changes at the top. The tower is planned at about 1,008 m, roughly 180 m above the Burj Khalifa. It reached its 116th floor, about 466 m, in September 2026. Its target is now construction completion in late 2028, and that date has slipped before.
| Date reported | Milestone | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2024 | SAR7.2bn contract with Saudi Binladin Group to complete the tower | Gulf Business |
| Apr 2026 | 100 floors reached | Newsweek |
| 26 Jul 2026 | 430 m at level 107 | Newsweek |
| Sep 2026 | 116th floor, about 466 m | Gulf Business |
| Oct 2026 | Target: construction complete late 2028; planned height about 1,008 m | Gulf News / Gulf Business |
Gulf Business reports that Jeddah Economic Company CEO Fabien Toscano named late 2028 as the target. It also records the October 2024 agreement with Saudi Binladin Group. Gulf News says the timeline has moved again, citing costs.
In July, Newsweek reported that project manager Thornton Tomasetti still cited August 2028. The date slid within a few months, so I would read “late 2028” as a hope, not a promise.
What is still not confirmed
- Final height: reports say “around 1,008 m” or “over 1,000 m”. Newsweek says the exact figure will be confirmed at completion.
- Floor count: Newsweek says “at least 167” stories, though no official number exists yet.
- Progress figures: floors and metres do not move in lockstep (430 m at level 107, about 466 m at floor 116), so do not extrapolate too confidently.
A rough sum shows how much is left. From about 466 m up to 1,008 m is roughly 542 m still to build. On floors, 116 done against at least 167 expected leaves about 51. Both sums lean on targets that are not final, so read them as an outline of the remaining work, not a forecast.
Can anything else overtake the Burj Khalifa?
On current evidence, no. Jeddah Tower is the only project in this research with a credible path past 828 m, and the Jeddah Tower height and completion date are both still unconfirmed. Several other projects are in the news, but I could not verify figures for them, so I am not naming them here.
Completed towers are not closing in either. ArchEyes says five towers entered the CTBUH completed list in 2026: JPMorganChase Tower in New York, Zijin Financial Building in Nanjing, Ningbo Center Tower 1, Iconic Tower in Egypt and China Merchants Bank HQ in Shenzhen. None reaches the top 10.
Record projects stall for ordinary reasons. Goldin Finance 117 is the cautionary case: it topped out, then work stopped. Jeddah’s own story, with a fresh contract in October 2024 and a date that keeps moving over cost, shows how fragile a record attempt is.
Should Jeddah Tower finish above 1,000 m, the top of the tallest buildings in the world list reshuffles. The Burj Khalifa drops to number two and Merdeka 118 to number three.
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What is the tallest building in India?
The tallest building in India is Lokhandwala Minerva (Minerva Tower) in Mahalaxmi, Mumbai, at 301 m. Completed in 2023, it is residential and has two towers. Palais Royale in Worli stands taller, at 320 m, but it is still under construction.
| Building | City | Height (m) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palais Royale | Mumbai | 320 | Topped out, not completed |
| Lokhandwala Minerva (Minerva Tower) | Mumbai | 301 | Completed 2023, tallest completed in India |
| SAS Crown | Hyderabad | 235.3 | Tallest in Hyderabad (2026) |
| CNTC Presidential Tower | Bengaluru | 161 | Tallest in Bengaluru |
Dezeen’s February 2026 piece confirms both Mumbai figures and calls Palais Royale India’s tallest topped-out building. Once finished, it would be India’s second supertall and its tallest overall.
The two Mumbai towers are separated by just 19 m. Minerva’s floor count is where sources part ways: Dezeen says 91 storeys, while Wikipedia lists 78 floors per tower. Both agree on 301 m, so this article uses the height. Further down the table, SAS Crown has 58 storeys at 235.3 m and CNTC Presidential Tower has 50 floors at 161 m.
Even Minerva would sit well short of the tallest buildings in the world top 10, where the cutoff is about 527 m. India’s best are supertalls, not megatalls, and the gap to the Burj Khalifa is more than 500 m.
Which numbers to trust when you quote the tallest buildings in the world
Three habits keep an answer safe. Use 828 m for the Burj Khalifa height and 678.9 m for Merdeka 118, because those are CTBUH architectural heights. Treat the Jeddah Tower height and completion date, about 1,008 m and late 2028, as targets that can still move. For India, quote 301 m for Lokhandwala Minerva as the tallest completed tower, and use 320 m for Palais Royale only as a topped-out figure.
Ranks 4 to 10 carry the most doubt. Check any entry marked “check” on the CTBUH Skyscraper Center before you publish it. Everything else on this list holds steady until a new tower tops 828 m.
Featured image: Image by wirestock on Freepik
