The 5 tallest buildings in the world

Here is a list of the top 5 tallest buildings in the world in 2021

1. Burj Khalifa

Standard height: 828m (2717ft)

Total height: 829.8m

Roof height: 585m

Number of storeys: 163

Height of observation lobby: 448m & 555m

Year built: 2010

Use: Office, hotel, residential, sightseeing, signal transmission

City: Dubai

The Burj Khalifa, formerly known as the Burj Dubai, has been the tallest building in the world since its completion in 2009, based on both total height and standard height measurements, and has not been surpassed since, retaining this title for ten years. It is expected to retain this title for at least another four years until it is surpassed by the Jeddah Tower (formerly known as the Kingdom Tower) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, or the Dubai Creek Harbor Tower a few kilometers away, also in Dubai.

The Burj Khalifa has a series of observation halls on the 124th, 125th and 148th floors of the building. The observation halls are one of Dubai's most popular tourist attractions, and the At The Top SKY observation hall on the 148th floor, at 555 meters, is currently the second tallest observation hall in the world, after the Shenzhen Ping An Financial Centre's 562 meter-high Cloud Observation Hall.

2. Shanghai Center Building

Standard height: 632m (2073ft)

Roof height: 587m Number of storeys: 128

Height of observation hall: 552m

Use: Office, hotel, tourism, bookshop, museum, retail

Year built: 2015 City: Shanghai

The Shanghai Centre Tower was completed in early 2015 and has been the tallest building in China ever since.

The building has public-facing observation halls on the 118th (546m high) and 119th (552m high) floors, making it the fourth tallest observation hall in Shanghai after the Oriental Pearl Tower, Jin Mao Tower and the World Financial Centre observation hall. In 2021 it will be the third tallest observation lounge in the world, after Ping An Financial Centre's Sky Lounge and Burj Khalifa's At The Top SKY.

The cancellation of the antennae of the Ping An Financial Centre in Shenzhen due to route problems prevented it from reaching the originally expected height of 660m and thus not surpassing the Shanghai Centre Tower, and later the height of the Wuhan Greenland Centre was also significantly reduced due to route problems and also failed to surpass the Shanghai Centre. More importantly, with the introduction of new regulations in 2020 that no more skyscrapers over 500 meters can be built in China, both Suzhou Zhongnan Centre and Shenzhen Shimao Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Centre, which could have surpassed Shanghai Centre in the future, have been cut to 499 meters, so it is certain that Shanghai Centre will continue to hold the title of China's tallest building for quite some time.

3. Royal Clock Tower, Mecca

Standard height: 601m (1971ft) Number of storeys: 120

Year built: 2012 City: Mecca

Use: Hotel, residential, sightseeing, religious, chimes

Mecca Royal Clock Tower

The Royal Mecca Clock Tower is located in the Islamic holy city of Mecca, very close to the Grand Mosque in the center of the city. At 601 meters high, the Royal Mecca Clock Tower is one of only three super-tall buildings in the world that can be classified as a Megatall.

4. Ping An Financial Center

Standard height: 599m (1965ft)

Roof height: 589m

Height of Observation Hall: 541m

Number of storeys: 115

Year built: 2016

City: Shenzhen

Use: Office, tourism, retail

The Ping An Financial Centre was originally designed to be 660m high, with a 60m high antenna on the roof, and would have been the tallest skyscraper in China, but the antenna was later removed from the design due to flight path issues, resulting in the height being reduced to below 600m and not becoming a Megatall. The difference is that the antennae of the Guangzhou Tower were only partially cut down after it was built.

On the 116th floor of the Ping An Financial Centre, there is an observation lounge called the Inter-Cloud Observation Lounge, which is the tallest in China and the world.

5. Highbank Financial 117 Building

Standard Height & Roof Height: 597m (1959ft)

Number of storeys: 117

Topping out year: 2019

Use: Office, hotel, residential, tourism

City: Tianjin

Gao Yin Finance Tower 117 is still under construction but was fully topped out in May 2019, with a diamond-shaped structure being placed at the top of the building. Although Tower 117 is the fifth tallest building in the world, it actually has a concrete core taller than any of the above and is also the tallest flat-roofed building in the world.