How the record rose
From Singer’s 187 metres to Burj Khalifa’s 828. Explore the modern height record at the end of each year, see which towers stood tallest alongside it, and check the future contenders. The 2026 entry is a snapshot reviewed on 9 September.
Architectural height; older heights rounded to metres. This is an annual record sequence, not a day-by-day construction race. CTBUH completion years are used for the North Tower (1972), Willis Tower (1974) and Petronas (1998); topping out, initial occupation and opening dates can differ. Petronas shares the title between both towers.
Top towers standing in 2026
The eight tallest completed towers standing at year-end, mixing the reviewed historical chronology with verified directory records from the current top 100.
The record holders
New York · 1908–1909 · Source ↗
New York · 1909–1913 · Source ↗
New York · 1913–1930 · Source ↗
New York · 1930–1931 · Source ↗
New York · 1931–1972 · Source ↗
New York · 1972–1974 · Source ↗
Chicago · 1974–1998 · Source ↗
Kuala Lumpur · 1998–2004 · Source ↗
Taipei · 2004–2010 · Source ↗
Dubai · 2010–present (reviewed September 2026) · Source ↗
The next record is still a proposal
Jeddah Tower’s planned height exceeds 1,000 metres. Sky Mile Tower and The Illinois explore still greater heights on paper. None enters the completed-building record above.
Explore construction & concepts ↗ Follow construction milestones ↗