World's 20 tallest buildings

Ever since the Burj Khalifa first hit its full 828m peak, rumours have circulated over the building that would beat it. Several one-km-high towers have been proposed but, as yet, nothing tangible has surfaced – and until they do, the Burj will remain at the top of the world.

It is an incredible engineering feat, and a statement of intent for those to follow. Yes, it is entirely possible that one day a developer will be handed a sum of cash and asked to build a Burj-beater – but it will have to do so by quite a margin if it is to make the sort of impact that Dubai’s super-tall tower had when it was officially opened last January.

It is interesting to note, too, that Dubai is the tallest city in the world, when ranked by the 10 tallest towers, according to the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). Hong Kong is second, with Shanghai, Chicago and New York rounding out the top five, according to the council.

We have used the CTBUH’s data in compiling our list – and eliminated structures like radio masts because they do not count as buildings. Strictly speaking, neither does the CN Tower, but we have included it and other towers in our list because they are considerable public structures of note, and our list would seem incomplete without them.

Tallest cities in the world

A list of the 10 tallest cities ranked by tallying the 10 tallest towers in each city.

1. Dubai: 3,707m

2. Hong Kong: 3,423m

3. Shanghai: 3,397m

4. Chicago: 3,247m

5. New York: 3,006m

6. Kuala Lumpur: 2,944m

7. Moscow: 2,672m

8. Toronto: 2,645m

9. Nanjing: 2,579m

10. Shenzhen: 2,548m

Click on to the next page to read about the tallest tower in the world...