HUMANITY has become obsessed with breaking its limits, creating new records only to break them repeatedly. In fact, our cities’ skylines have always been defined by those in power during every period in history. At one point churches left their mark, followed by public institutions, and in the last few decades, commercial skyscrapers continue to stretch taller and taller.

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has developed its own system for classifying tall buildings, stating that the Burj Khalifa (828 m.) is the world’s tallest building.

Led by Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, here are the Top 25 tallest buildings in the world today, 11 of which are found in China.

  1. Burj Khalifa / Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM)
    Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  2. Shanghai Tower / Gensler
    Shanghai, China
  3. Makkah Royal Clock Tower / Dar al-Handasah Shair & Partners + SL Rasch
    Mecca, Saudi Arabia
  4. Ping An Finance Center / Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
    Shenzhen, China
  5. Lotte World Tower / Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
    Seoul, South Korea
  6. One World Trade Center / Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM)
    New York, United States
  7. Tianjin CTF Finance Centre / Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
    Tianjin, China
  8. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre / Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
    Guangzhou, China
  9. CITIC Tower / Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates + TFP Farrells
    Beijing, China
  10. TAIPEI 101 / C.Y. Lee & Partners Architects/Planners
    Taipei, Taiwan
  11. Shanghai World Financial Center / Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) + Mori Building + Irie Miyake Architects and Engineers
    Shanghai, China
  12. International Commerce Centre / Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF)
    Hong Kong
  13. Central Park Tower / Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
    New York, United States
  14. Lakhta Center / Gorproject
    Saint Petersburg, Russia
  15. Vincom Landmark 81 / Atkins
    Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
  16. Changsha IFS Tower T1 / Wong Tung & Partners
    Changsha, China
  17. Torre Petronas 1 / Cesar Pelli & Associates
    Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  18. Torre Petronas 2 / Cesar Pelli & Associates
    Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  19. Suzhou IFS / Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF)
    Suzhou, China
  20. Zifeng Tower / Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM)
    Nanjing, China
  21. The Exchange 106 / Mulia Group
    Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  22. Wuhan Center Tower / East China Architectural Design & Research Institute
    Wuhan, China
  23. Willis Tower / Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM)
    Chicago, United States
  24. KK100 / TFP Farrells
    Shenzhen, China
  25. Guangzhou International Finance Center / Wilkinson Eyre Architects
    Guangzhou, China

(Filed by Jr Amigo/mnm)