Special

The 20 Tallest Skyscrapers in the World

by Chris Newens  |  Published February 28, 2017

The world may be entering a shaky period politically, but achievement in science and technology is accelerating like never before. Nowhere is this more striking than in the domain of skycrapers, where every month the possible is reinvented. Here are 20 of the tallest. 

Hong Kong has more skyscrapers than any other city in the world. But how many appear on our list? (Photo: sanfanmedia.com via Flickr / CC By 2.0)

Ever since the Tower of Babel we’ve known about humanity’s obsession with reaching for the heavens. And though that fabulous construction may have ended as rubble, in the 20th Century civil engineering and architecture have combined to see its ambition closer to being realised than ever before.

They may be commonplace now, but even a relatively modest skyscraper would have set mouths agape throughout most of history. These days, it’s only the very tallest that give us cause to stop and stare.

Which is why we at TravelMag have decided to compile a list of the very tallest. The skyscrapers that defy logic in their assault on gravity and the wild blue yonder; the buildings that literally force you to marvel, to pause and wonder how such things could be built by human hands.

They are a truly international phenomenon, these tallest buildings: from the U.S. to China, from Malaysia to the UAE. The list below details the ten very tallest, offers some honourable mentions to regional champions and all-time greats, and looks eagerly to the towering future.

Start Slideshow