Which building is the world’s tallest skyscraper as of 2026?

Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest skyscraper as of 2026.

The tower stands in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and reaches 828 metres to its architectural top. It has held the title since its opening on 4 January 2010, when it was officially renamed Burj Khalifa in honour of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The skyscraper was designed by the architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, with Adrian Smith serving as lead architect. Its three-lobed plan was inspired in part by the desert flower Hymenocallis. The design uses a buttressed-core structural system that helps the building resist wind and gravity loads.

Construction began in 2004, and the tower forms the centrepiece of the Downtown Dubai development. Shanghai Tower is the world’s second-tallest building by architectural height, while Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur is also among the tallest. Antennas and spires can produce different rankings, so architectural height is the standard used here.