Country With the Most Tallest Buildings – Sky-High Competition

There are many tall buildings in this world, but which country has the most tallest buildings in the world? The answer may surprise quite a number of people. So, keep reading to learn more about the tallest buildings in the world, and the countries that have more tall buildings than any other.

A Look at Countries With the Most Tallest Buildings

You will see that in the table above, there are some clear victors in terms of which countries have more of the tallest buildings than any other. China is the country with the most tallest buildings on Earth. This is to be expected as the People’s Republic of China has been in a state of constant growth for several decades while many other countries have become relatively stagnant.

The Merdeka 118 Tower in Kuala Lumpur; InterEdit88, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

It is also notable to see, from this data, that many of the countries with the most tallest buildings all happen to be in Asia, the Middle East, and South America. There tends to be the presumption that more European countries would have the biggest things, but only four of this list are more European: the United States, Canada, Australia, and Russia. Furthermore, countries like the United States once led the charge in the tallest buildings on the planet, but that has fallen away in recent decades.

Only one of the top ten tallest buildings in the world is from the United States, and that building is the One World Trade Center in New York City

However, this does not mean that the tallest buildings in the world are not being built, but rather that they are being built elsewhere. The vast majority of the top ten tallest buildings in the world were constructed in the last 10-15 years, and so the trend of large buildings being constructed is likely to continue.

Shanghai Tower in 2015; Baycrest, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Which Country Has the Most Tallest Buildings in the World?

The country with the most tallest buildings is, by a wide margin, the People’s Republic of China. This country has over 4000 buildings that are over 150 m tall. Additionally, Hong Kong is considered to be the city in China that has the highest number of skyscrapers as it has 553 at the time of writing. However, despite being “the tallest city in the world” in that sense, Hong Kong does not include any of the tallest buildings in China. Despite Hong Kong not having the tallest building in China, or any of the tallest buildings for that matter, the country as a whole is also highly represented on the list of the top ten tallest buildings in the world. Five of the top ten are in China, and more will likely continue to be constructed as China carries on with its ascent into the upper echelons of world political power.

Tall buildings are, after all, often used as a symbol of wealth and prosperity. To have a big building is to be the biggest country.

In terms of China being the biggest country, those five of the top ten tallest buildings are as follows: Shanghai Tower in Shanghai is the tallest skyscraper in the country by far (but not the world) at 632 m (or 2,073 ft), then there’s the Ping An International Finance Center in Shenzhen at 562 m (or 1,844 ft), then Guangzhou CTF Finance Center in Guangzhou at 530 m (or 1,740 ft), then Tianjin Finance Center in Tianjin at 530 m (or 1,740 ft), and last (and technically least) China Zun in Beijing at 528 m (or 1,732).

One World Trade Center in September 2020; Pierre Blaché, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

These buildings are all incredibly tall, and so China is the answer to the questions: “Which country has the most tallest buildings in the world?” and “Which country has the most skyscrapers?” Expect even taller structures from China in the coming years and decades, because skyscrapers have only just gotten started.

The Tallest Skyscraper Under Construction: Jeddah Tower

The Jeddah Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is the tallest building in the world that is currently under construction. It is far from being finished though, and there hasn’t been any construction done on this structure since January 2018 because of the aftermath of a political purge that year. The building is currently only one-third of the way done, so there’s much work to be done on this tower that is set to be the world’s first 1 km (3,300 ft) tall skyscraper. This building is meant to be the first phase of a major development project in the city of Jeddah called the Jeddah Economic City.

This tower was meant to bring in a lot of tourists and development interest. However, as it has remained unfinished for several years, the plan may be in a precarious state at the moment.

However, the design itself was done by Adrian Smith. He was the architect who designed the Burj Khalifa (which is discussed in the FAQ). Much like that building, the Jeddah Tower has a Y-shaped design that allows for better overall stability, and the sloped design of the structure further improves it. Design decisions like that are incredibly important when it comes to a building that tall because the elements tend to become more intense the higher you go.

The building is actually so tall that it was meant to have a helipad, but the helipad had to be canceled because the lower air density so high up would make it very difficult to land an aircraft up there. With or without a helipad, the Jeddah Tower, if it gets completed, will be the first building to rise 1,000 m into the air.

The Tallest Proposed Skyscraper: Sky Mile Tower

Sky Mile Tower is the tallest proposed building in the world. The design of this structure was meant to be part of an overall project, called Next Tokyo 2045, which is meant to improve the ecological aspects of architecture. This building, if it were completed, would be the tallest building in the world by an extremely wide margin. It would sit at a whopping 1,700 m (or 5,600 ft). This would mean that it would be the world’s first building that reaches over a mile into the sky.

That’s probably why it has the name Sky Mile Tower.

This building has been designed alongside a proposal for the whole area surrounding it. The idea is the Sky Mile Tower is part of a high-density, ecologically built district that is developed atop reclaimed land that is designed to be water-resistant. Essentially, it’s a view toward a future-oriented style of architecture that takes the environment itself into account. It may never be designed, but it’s a glance toward what the future of architecture may hold for us all.

Thus concludes our look at the countries with the most tallest buildings in the world. We had a look at the country with the most tall buildings, but we also had a look at the tallest building under construction and the tallest building that has been proposed thus far. Perhaps both of those buildings will one day be completed, but until that day, we’ll have to stick with the biggest we’ve got.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Country Has the Most Tallest Buildings in the World?

The People’s Republic of China holds this honor. If you’ve ever been curious about which country has the most skyscrapers, China holds that honor too. China has more skyscrapers than anyone else, with two buildings that are over 600 m, 107 that are over 300 m, 1,034 that are over 200 m, and 3,079 that are over 150 m.

What Is the Tallest Building in the World?

The Burj Khalifa is currently the tallest building on the planet. It is 829.8 m (or 2,722 ft) tall and, of course, this massive skyscraper is in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This country has the third highest number of tallest buildings in the world. Additionally, the fact that the tallest building in the world is situated in Dubai will likely not shock too many people. It is, after all, considered to be one of the most lavish cities in the world.

What Are the Classifications of Tall Buildings?

There are three primary classifications for skyscrapers. There are regular skyscrapers, which are generally defined as being over 150 m. Then there are supertall skyscrapers, which are between 300 – 599 m. Lastly, megatall skyscrapers are over 600 m. There are no words for bigger ones yet, but there will have to be at some point in the future, especially when buildings get to be over 1,000 m. So, now you know what you’re actually asking when posing the question: which country has the most skyscrapers?

Justin van Huyssteen( Writer, Academic, Educator )

Justin van Huyssteen is a writer, academic, and educator from Cape Town, South Africa. He holds a master’s degree in Theory of Literature. His primary focus in this field is the analysis of artistic objects through a number of theoretical lenses. His predominant theoretical areas of interest include narratology and critical theory in general, with a particular focus on animal studies. Other than academia, he is a novelist, game reviewer, and freelance writer. Justin’s preferred architectural movements include the more modern and postmodern types of architecture, such as Bauhaus, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Brutalist, and Futurist varieties like sustainable architecture. Justin is working for artfilemagazine as an author and content writer since 2022. He is responsible for all blog posts about architecture.

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