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The Burj Khalifa is the tallest structure ever built, with a pinnacle height of 830 m (2722 ft) tall. The 20th and 21st centuries marked a notable uptick in terms of construction of tall structures. The majority of supertall structures are in the United States or Asia. Most of the tallest structures during that time period have been Guyed masts, which are not considered freestanding as they require guy wires for support.
This list includes all freestanding structures of at least 350 meters or 1148 ft. Guyed structures or offshore structures do not count for the list. For all buildings, they are listed by pinnacle height and not architectural height, so the ranking will differ from the List of tallest buildings, such as the Willis Tower being above the Taipei 101. This list includes now demolished or destroyed structures, such as the original World Trade Center. The dates listed are when the structures topped out, not necessarily when they were finished.
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Clear | Denotes structure that is or was once the tallest in the world |
Clear | Denotes structure that has been destroyed |
This section chronicles structures that at one point held the crown of the world's tallest freestanding structure, going as far back as the beginning of the common era.
Years as tallest | Name | Height [1] [2] | Image | City | Country | Year | Comments | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
m | ft | |||||||
2570 BCE - 1240 CE | Great Pyramid of Giza | 146.6 | 481 | ![]() | Giza | ![]() | 2570 BCE | Longest time spent as world's tallest man made structure, holding the record for 3,800 years |
1240-1311 | Old St Paul's Cathedral | 149 | 489 | ![]() | London | ![]() | 1240 | |
1311-1884 | Lincoln Cathedral | 160 | 525 | ![]() | Lincoln | ![]() | 1311 | Central spire was destroyed in 1549 |
1884-1889 | Washington Monument | 169 | 554 | ![]() | Washington, D.C. | ![]() | 1884 | |
1889-1929 | Eiffel Tower | 312 | 1,024 | ![]() | Paris | ![]() | 1889 | First structure to surpass 300 meters tall; height was increased to 330 meters in 2022 |
1929-1930 | Chrysler Building | 319 | 1,047 | ![]() | New York City | ![]() | 1929 | First supertall skyscraper ever constructed |
1930-1967 | Empire State Building | 443.2 | 1,454 | ![]() | New York City | ![]() | 1930 | First structure to surpass 400 meters tall |
1967-1975 | Ostankino Tower | 540.1 | 1,772 | ![]() | Moscow | ![]() | 1967 | First freestanding structure to surpass 500 meters tall |
1975-2009 | CN Tower | 553.3 | 1,815 | ![]() | Toronto | ![]() | 1975 | Tallest freestanding structure in North America and the Western Hemisphere; tallest freestanding structure built in the 20th century |
2009-Present | Burj Khalifa | 829.8 | 2,722 | ![]() | Dubai | ![]() | 2009 | First structure to surpass 800 meters tall |
Continent | Structure | Height | Topped Out | Country | City | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
m | ft | |||||
Asia | Burj Khalifa | 829.8 | 2,722 | 2009 | ![]() | Dubai |
North America | CN Tower | 553.3 | 1,815 | 1975 | ![]() | Toronto |
Europe | Ostankino Tower | 540.1 | 1,772 | 1967 | ![]() | Moscow |
Africa | Iconic Tower | 393.8 | 1,292 | 2021 | ![]() | New Administrative Capital |
Oceania | Sky Tower | 328 | 1,076 | 1997 | ![]() | Auckland |
South America | Gran Torre Costanera | 300 | 984 | 2012 | ![]() | Santiago |
Antarctica | Long Duration Balloon Payload Preparation Buildings | 15 | 49 | 2005 | ![]() |
Rank | Country | Number of structures on list | City(s) with most structures on list | Tallest structure | Height | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
m | ft | |||||
1 | ![]() | 42 | Shenzhen | Shanghai Tower | 632 | 2,073 |
2 | ![]() | 19 | New York | One World Trade Center | 546.2 | 1,792 |
3 | ![]() | 13 | Dubai | Burj Khalifa | 829.8 | 2,722 |
4 | ![]() | 5 | Kuala Lumpur | Merdeka 118 | 680.5 | 2,233 |
![]() | 5 | Moscow | Ostankino Tower | 540.1 | 1,772 | |
6 | ![]() | 4 | Hong Kong | International Commerce Centre | 484 | 1,588 |
7 | ![]() | 3 | Toronto | CN Tower | 553.3 | 1,815 |
8 | ![]() | 2 | Mecca, Riyadh | The Clock Towers | 601 | 1,972 |
![]() | 2 | Seoul, Busan | Lotte World Tower | 555 | 1,821 | |
![]() | 2 | Taipei, Kaohsiung | Taipei 101 | 509.2 | 1,671 | |
![]() | 2 | Ekıbastūz, Almaty | GRES-2 Power Station | 419.7 | 1,377 | |
![]() | 2 | Kuwait City | Al Hamra Tower | 412.6 | 1,354 | |
![]() | 2 | Istanbul | Çamlıca Tower | 369 | 1,211 | |
14 | ![]() | 1 | Tokyo | Tokyo Skytree | 634 | 2,080 |
![]() | 1 | Ho Chi Minh City | Landmark 81 | 470.3 | 1,543 | |
![]() | 1 | Tehran | Milad Tower | 435 | 1,427 | |
![]() | 1 | New Administrative Capital | Iconic Tower | 393.8 | 1,292 | |
![]() | 1 | Kyiv | Kyiv TV Tower | 385 | 1,263 | |
![]() | 1 | Jakarta | Autograph Tower | 382.9 | 1,256 | |
![]() | 1 | Tashkent | Tashkent Tower | 375 | 1,230 | |
![]() | 1 | Riga | Riga Radio and TV Tower | 368.5 | 1,209 | |
![]() | 1 | Berlin | Fernsehturm Berlin | 368 | 1,207 | |
![]() | 1 | Trbovlje | Trbovlje Power Station | 360 | 1,181 | |
![]() | 1 | As Pontes de García Rodríguez | Endesa Termic | 356 | 1,168 | |
![]() | 1 | Baia Mare | Phoenix Copper Smelter | 351.5 | 1,153 | |
![]() | 1 | Colombo | Lotus Tower | 351.5 | 1,153 |