List of tallest buildings and structures - wikipedia List of tallest buildings and structures This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. ( September 2017 ) See also : List of tallest structures Map all coordinates using : OpenStreetMap Google Maps Download coordinates as : KML GPX The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo, Japan in 2014 The world 's tallest artificial structure is the 829.8 - metre - tall ( 2,722 ft ) Burj Khalifa in Dubai ( of the United Arab Emirates ). The building gained the official title of `` Tallest Building in the World '' and the tallest self - supported structure at its opening on January 9, 2010. The second - tallest self - supporting structure and the tallest tower is the Tokyo Skytree. The tallest guyed structure is the KVLY - TV mast. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, an organization that certifies buildings as the `` World 's Tallest '', recognizes a building only if at least 50 % of its height is made up of floor plates containing habitable floor area. Structures that do not meet this criterion, such as the CN Tower, are defined as `` towers ''. There are dozens of radio and television broadcasting towers which measure over 600 metres ( about 2,000 ft ) in height, and only the tallest are recorded in publicly available information sources. Contents 1 Debate over definitions 2 Tallest structures 2.1 Tallest structure by category 2.2 Tallest destroyed structures by category, not surpassed by existing structures 2.3 Tallest building by function 3 Tallest buildings 3.1 History of record holders in each CTBUH category 4 Tallest freestanding structures on land 4.1 History 4.2 World 's highest observation deck 4.3 Timeline of guyed structures on land 5 Tallest towers 5.1 History of tallest tower 6 Tallest structures, freestanding structures, and buildings 7 References 8 External links Debate over definitions The assessment of the height of artificial structures has been controversial. Various standards have been used by different organizations which has meant that the title of world 's tallest structure or building has changed depending on which standards have been accepted. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat has changed its definitions over time. Some of the controversy regarding the definitions and assessment of tall structures and buildings has included the following : the definition of a structure, a building and a tower whether a structure, building or tower under construction should be included in any assessment whether a structure, building or tower has to be officially opened before it is assessed whether structures built in and rising above water should have their below - water height included in any assessment. whether a structure, building or tower that is guyed is assessed in the same category as self - supporting structures. Within an accepted definition of a building further controversy has included the following factors : whether only habitable height of the building is considered whether communication towers with observation galleries should be considered `` habitable '' in this sense whether rooftop antennas, viewing platforms or any other architecture that does not form a habitable floor should be included in the assessment whether a floor built at a high level of a telecommunications or viewing tower should change the tower 's definition to that of a `` building '' Tallest structures Main article : List of tallest structures in the world Warsaw radio mast, the height record holder from 1974 to 1991 The CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was the world 's tallest freestanding structure from 1975 to 2007. This category does not require the structure to be `` officially '' open but does require it to be `` topped out ''. The tallest artificial structure is Burj Khalifa, a skyscraper in Dubai that reached 828.1 m ( 2,717 ft ) in height on January 17, 2009. By April 7, 2008 it had been built higher than the KVLY - TV mast in North Dakota, USA. That September it officially surpassed Poland 's 646.38 m ( 2,120.7 ft ) Warsaw radio mast, which stood from 1974 to 1991, to become the tallest structure ever built. Guyed lattice towers such as these masts had held the world height record since 1954. The Petronius Platform stands 610 m ( 2,000 ft ) off the sea floor leading some, including Guinness World Records 2007, to claim it as the tallest freestanding structure in the world. However, it is debated whether underwater height should be counted, in the same manner as height below ground is ignored on buildings. The Troll A platform is 472 m ( 1,549 ft ), without any part of that height being supported by wires. The tension - leg type of oil platform has even greater below - water heights with several examples more than 1,000 m ( 3,300 ft ) deep. However, these platforms are not considered constant structures as the vast majority of their height is made up of the length of the tendons attaching the floating platforms to the sea floor. Despite this, Guinness World Records 2009 listed the Ursa tension leg platform as the tallest structure in the world with a total height of 1,306 m ( 4,285 ft ). The Magnolia Tension - leg Platform in the Gulf of Mexico is even taller with a total height of 1,432 m ( 4,698 ft ). Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan, set records in three of the four skyscraper categories at the time it opened in 2004 ; at the time the Burj Khalifa opened in 2010 it remained the world 's tallest inhabited building 509.2 m ( 1,671 ft ) as measured to its architectural height ( spire ). The height of its roof 449.2 m ( 1,474 ft ) and highest occupied floor 439.2 m ( 1,441 ft ) had been surpassed by the Shanghai World Financial Center with corresponding heights of 487 and 474 m ( 1,598 and 1,555 ft ). Willis Tower ( formerly Sears Tower ) was the highest in the final category : the greatest height to top of antenna of any building in the world at 527.3 m ( 1,730 ft ). Burj Khalifa broke the height record in all four categories for completed buildings. Tallest structure by category This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( August 2007 ) Due to the disagreements over how to measure height and classify structures, engineers have created various definitions for categories of buildings and other structures. One measure includes the absolute height of a building, another includes only spires and other permanent architectural features, but not antennas. The tradition of including the spire on top of a building and not including the antenna dates back to the rivalry between the Chrysler Building and 40 Wall Street. A modern - day example is that the antenna on top of Willis Tower ( formerly Sears Tower ) is not considered part of its architectural height, while the spires on top of the Petronas Twin Towers are counted. Note : The following table is a list of the tallest completed structure in each of the 53 categories below. There can only be one structure in each category, unless the title for the tallest is a draw. Category Structure Country City Height ( metres ) Height ( feet ) Year built Coordinates Mixed use Burj Khalifa United Arab Emirates Dubai 828 2,717 25 ° 11 ′ 50.0 '' N 55 ° 16 ′ 26.6 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 25.197222 ° N 55.274056 ° E ﻿ / 25.197222 ; 55.274056 ﻿ ( Burj Dubai ) Self - supporting tower Tokyo Skytree Japan Tokyo 634 2,080 2011 35 ° 42 ′ 36.5 '' N 139 ° 48 ′ 39 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 35.710139 ° N 139.81083 ° E ﻿ / 35.710139 ; 139.81083 ﻿ ( Tokyo Skytree ) Guyed steel lattice mast KVLY - TV mast United States Blanchard, North Dakota 628.8 2,063 1963 47 ° 20 ′ 32 '' N 97 ° 17 ′ 25 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 47.34222 ° N 97.29028 ° W ﻿ / 47.34222 ; - 97.29028 ﻿ ( KVLY - TV mast ) Clock building Abraj Al Bait Towers Saudi Arabia Mecca 601 1,972 2011 21 ° 25 ′ 08 '' N 39 ° 49 ′ 35 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 21.41889 ° N 39.82639 ° E ﻿ / 21.41889 ; 39.82639 ﻿ ( Abraj Al Bait Towers ) Office One World Trade Center United States New York, New York 541 1,776 2013 40 ° 42 ′ 46.8 '' N 74 ° 0 ′ 48.6 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 40.713000 ° N 74.013500 ° W ﻿ / 40.713000 ; - 74.013500 ﻿ ( One World Trade Center ) Military structure Large masts of INS Kattabomman India Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu 471 1,545 2014 8 ° 22 ′ 42.52 '' N 77 ° 44 ′ 38.45 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 8.3784778 ° N 77.7440139 ° E ﻿ / 8.3784778 ; 77.7440139 ﻿ ( INS Kattabomman, Large Mast West ) ; 8 ° 22 ′ 30.13 '' N 77 ° 45 ′ 21.07 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 8.3750361 ° N 77.7558528 ° E ﻿ / 8.3750361 ; 77.7558528 ﻿ ( INS Kattabomman, Large Mast East ) Mast radiator Lualualei VLF transmitter United States Lualualei, Hawaii 458 1,503 1972 21 ° 25 ′ 11.87 '' N 158 ° 08 ′ 53.67 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 21.4199639 ° N 158.1482417 ° W ﻿ / 21.4199639 ; - 158.1482417 ﻿ ( VLF transmitter Lualualei, Mast 1 ) ; 21 ° 25 ′ 13.38 '' N 158 ° 09 ′ 14.35 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 21.4203833 ° N 158.1539861 ° W ﻿ / 21.4203833 ; - 158.1539861 ﻿ ( VLF transmitter Lualualei, Mast 2 ) Twin towers Petronas Twin Towers Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 452 1,482 1998 3 ° 09 ′ 27.45 '' N 101 ° 42 ′ 40.7 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 3.1576250 ° N 101.711306 ° E ﻿ / 3.1576250 ; 101.711306 ﻿ ( Petronas Tower 1 ) ; 3 ° 09 ′ 29.45 '' N 101 ° 42 ′ 43.4 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 3.1581806 ° N 101.712056 ° E ﻿ / 3.1581806 ; 101.712056 ﻿ ( Petronas Tower 2 ) Mixed use Milad tower Iran Tehran 435 1,427 2009 Residential 432 Park Avenue United States New York, New York 425.5 1,396 2015 Chimney Ekibastuz GRES - 2 Power Station Kazakhstan Ekibastuz 419.7 1,377 52 ° 1 ′ 26.3 '' N 75 ° 28 ′ 34.5 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 52.023972 ° N 75.476250 ° E ﻿ / 52.023972 ; 75.476250 ﻿ ( GRES - 2 Power Station ) Radar Dimona Radar Facility Israel Dimona 400 1,312 2008 30 ° 58 ′ 6.93 '' N 35 ° 05 ′ 49.64 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 30.9685917 ° N 35.0971222 ° E ﻿ / 30.9685917 ; 35.0971222 ﻿ ( Dimona Radar Facility ) ; 30 ° 58 ′ 32.46 '' N 35 ° 05 ′ 55.25 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 30.9756833 ° N 35.0986806 ° E ﻿ / 30.9756833 ; 35.0986806 ﻿ ( Dimona Radar Facility ) Lattice tower Kiev TV Tower Ukraine Kiev 385 1,263 1973 50 ° 28 ′ 16.49 '' N 30 ° 27 ′ 11.97 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 50.4712472 ° N 30.4533250 ° E ﻿ / 50.4712472 ; 30.4533250 ﻿ ( Kiev TV Tower ) Electricity pylon Zhoushan Island Overhead Powerline Tie China Zhoushan 370 1,214 2009 29 ° 56 ′ 2.78 '' N 122 ° 2 ′ 10.12 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 29.9341056 ° N 122.0361444 ° E ﻿ / 29.9341056 ; 122.0361444 ﻿ ( Zhoushan Island Overhead Powerline Tie, 370 metres tower ) ; 29 ° 54 ′ 41.39 '' N 122 ° 1 ′ 26.38 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 29.9114972 ° N 122.0239944 ° E ﻿ / 29.9114972 ; 122.0239944 ﻿ ( Zhoushan Island Overhead Powerline Tie, 370 metres tower ) Partially guyed tower Gerbrandy Tower Netherlands IJsselstein 366.8 1,203 1961 52 ° 00 ′ 36.24 '' N 05 ° 03 ′ 12.87 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 52.0100667 ° N 5.0535750 ° E ﻿ / 52.0100667 ; 5.0535750 ﻿ ( Gerbrandy Tower ) Guyed tubular steel mast TV Tower Vinnytsia Ukraine Vinnytsia 354 1,161 1961 49 ° 14 ′ 30.04 '' N 28 ° 25 ′ 25.25 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 49.2416778 ° N 28.4236806 ° E ﻿ / 49.2416778 ; 28.4236806 ﻿ ( TV Tower Vinnytsia ) Bridge pillar Millau Viaduct France Millau 342 1,122 44 ° 05 ′ 09.97 '' N 03 ° 01 ′ 17.94 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 44.0861028 ° N 3.0216500 ° E ﻿ / 44.0861028 ; 3.0216500 ﻿ ( Viaduc de Millau ) Scientific research tower Amazon Tall Tower Observatory Brazil 160 km NE of Manaus 325 1,066 2015 02 ° 29 ′ 06 '' S 59 ° 35 ′ 33 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 2.48500 ° S 59.59250 ° W ﻿ / - 2.48500 ; - 59.59250 ﻿ ( Amazon Tall Tower Observatory ) Blaw - Knox Tower ( diamond cantilever tower ) Lakihegy Tower Hungary Szigetszentmiklós 314 1,031 1968 47 ° 22 ′ 23 '' N 19 ° 00 ′ 16 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 47.37306 ° N 19.00444 ° E ﻿ / 47.37306 ; 19.00444 ﻿ ( Lakihegy Tower ) Dam Jinping - I Dam China Liangshan 305 1,001 2013 28 ° 11 ′ 07 '' N 101 ° 37 ′ 42 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 28.18528 ° N 101.62833 ° E ﻿ / 28.18528 ; 101.62833 ﻿ ( Jinping - I Dam ) University Main building of Moscow State University Russia Moscow 240 787.4 1953 55 ° 42 ′ 11 '' N 37 ° 31 ′ 49 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 55.70306 ° N 37.53028 ° E ﻿ / 55.70306 ; 37.53028 ﻿ ( Moscow State University ) Wind turbine Hausbay Nordex N131 / 3300 Wind Turbine ( 1 ) Germany Hausbay 229.5 753 2016 50 ° 06 ′ 58.59 '' N 7 ° 32 ′ 36.98 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 50.1162750 ° N 7.5436056 ° E ﻿ / 50.1162750 ; 7.5436056 ﻿ ( Hausbay Nordex N131 / 3300 Wind Turbine ) Minaret Hassan II Mosque Morocco Casablanca 210 689 33 ° 36 ′ 28.71 '' N 7 ° 37 ′ 58.16 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 33.6079750 ° N 7.6328222 ° W ﻿ / 33.6079750 ; - 7.6328222 ﻿ ( Hassan II Mosque ) Cooling tower Kalisindh Thermal Power Station India Jhalawar 202 663 2012 24 ° 32 ′ 04.97 '' N 76 ° 05 ′ 57.89 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 24.5347139 ° N 76.0994139 ° E ﻿ / 24.5347139 ; 76.0994139 ﻿ ( Kalisindh Power Station cooling tower ) ; 24 ° 31 ′ 58.33 '' N 76 ° 06 ′ 06.81 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 24.5328694 ° N 76.1018917 ° E ﻿ / 24.5328694 ; 76.1018917 ﻿ ( Kalisindh Power Station cooling tower ) Monument Gateway Arch United States St. Louis, Missouri 192 630 1965 38 ° 37 ′ 28.62 '' N 90 ° 11 ′ 5.87 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 38.6246167 ° N 90.1849639 ° W ﻿ / 38.6246167 ; - 90.1849639 ﻿ ( Gateway Arch ) Water tower Main tower of Kuwait Towers Kuwait Kuwait City 187 614 1979 29 ° 23 ′ 22.75 '' N 48 ° 00 ′ 11.57 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 29.3896528 ° N 48.0032139 ° E ﻿ / 29.3896528 ; 48.0032139 ﻿ ( Kuwait Towers ) Wooden structure ATLAS - I at Kirtland Air Force Base United States Albuquerque 180 600 1980 35 ° 01 ′ 48 '' N 106 ° 33 ′ 27 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 35.029898 ° N 106.557574 ° W ﻿ / 35.029898 ; - 106.557574 ﻿ ( ATLAS - I ) Masonry tower Anaconda Smelter Stack United States Anaconda, Montana 178.3 585 1919 46 ° 06 ′ 36.53 '' N 112 ° 54 ′ 48.8 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 46.1101472 ° N 112.913556 ° W ﻿ / 46.1101472 ; - 112.913556 ﻿ ( Anaconda Smelter Stack ) Inclined structure Olympic Stadium Canada Montreal 175 574 1976 45 ° 33 ′ 33.53 '' N 73 ° 33 ′ 7.61 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 45.5593139 ° N 73.5521139 ° W ﻿ / 45.5593139 ; - 73.5521139 ﻿ ( Montreal Olympic Stadium ) Obelisk San Jacinto Monument United States La Porte, Texas 173.7 570 1939 29 ° 44 ′ 59.46 '' N 95 ° 04 ′ 50.52 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 29.7498500 ° N 95.0807000 ° W ﻿ / 29.7498500 ; - 95.0807000 ﻿ ( San Jacinto Monument ) Ferris wheel High Roller United States Las Vegas 167.6 550 2014 36 ° 07 ′ 03 '' N 115 ° 10 ′ 05 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 36.117402 ° N 115.168127 ° W ﻿ / 36.117402 ; - 115.168127 ﻿ ( High Roller ) Masonry building Mole Antonelliana Italy Torino 167 548 1889 45 ° 04 ′ 8.45 '' N 7 ° 41 ′ 35.62 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 45.0690139 ° N 7.6932278 ° E ﻿ / 45.0690139 ; 7.6932278 ﻿ ( Mole Antonelliana ) Masonry building Philadelphia City Hall United States Philadelphia 167 548 1901 39 ° 57 ′ 9.79 '' N 75 ° 09 ′ 48.72 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 39.9527194 ° N 75.1635333 ° W ﻿ / 39.9527194 ; - 75.1635333 ﻿ ( Philadelphia City Hall ) Flagpole Jeddah Flagpole Saudi Arabia Jeddah 171 561 2014 21 ° 30 ′ 28.23 '' N 39 ° 10 ′ 11.04 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 21.5078417 ° N 39.1697333 ° E ﻿ / 21.5078417 ; 39.1697333 ﻿ ( Jeddah Flagpole ) Church tower Ulmer Münster Germany Ulm 162 530 1890 48 ° 23 ′ 55 '' N 9 ° 59 ′ 30.78 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 48.39861 ° N 9.9918833 ° E ﻿ / 48.39861 ; 9.9918833 ﻿ ( Ulmer Münster ) Industrial hall Vehicle Assembly Building United States Kennedy Space Center, Florida 160 525 1966 28 ° 35 ′ 9.64 '' N 80 ° 39 ′ 2.11 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 28.5860111 ° N 80.6505861 ° W ﻿ / 28.5860111 ; - 80.6505861 ﻿ ( Vehicle Assembly Building ) Dome Dome of the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro Ivory Coast Yamoussoukro 158 518 1990 6 ° 48 ′ 40 '' N 5 ° 17 ′ 47 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 6.81111 ° N 5.29639 ° W ﻿ / 6.81111 ; - 5.29639 ﻿ ( Dome of Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro ) Memorial cross Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos Spain El Escorial 152.4 500 1957 40 ° 38 ′ 31.46 '' N 4 ° 9 ′ 19.6 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 40.6420722 ° N 4.155444 ° W ﻿ / 40.6420722 ; - 4.155444 ﻿ ( Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos ) Telescope Arecibo Telescope Puerto Rico Arecibo, Puerto Rico 150 492 1963 18 ° 20 ′ 39 '' N 66 ° 45 ′ 10 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 18.34417 ° N 66.75278 ° W ﻿ / 18.34417 ; - 66.75278 ﻿ ( Arecibo Telescope ) Roller coaster Kingda Ka United States Jackson, New Jersey 138.98 456 2005 40 ° 08 ′ 26.54 '' N 74 ° 25 ′ 59.83 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 40.1407056 ° N 74.4332861 ° W ﻿ / 40.1407056 ; - 74.4332861 ﻿ ( Kingda Ka ) Tomb Great Pyramid of Giza Egypt Giza 138.8 455.2 2560 BCE 29 ° 58 ′ 44.93 '' N 31 ° 08 ′ 3.09 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 29.9791472 ° N 31.1341917 ° E ﻿ / 29.9791472 ; 31.1341917 ﻿ ( Great Pyramid of Giza ) Lighthouse Jeddah Light Saudi Arabia Jeddah 133 436 1990 21 ° 28 ′ 07.14 '' N 39 ° 08 ′ 58.98 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 21.4686500 ° N 39.1497167 ° E ﻿ / 21.4686500 ; 39.1497167 ﻿ ( Jeddah Light ) Air traffic control tower Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 Control Tower Malaysia Sepang 141.3 463.6 2013 2 ° 44 ′ 26 '' N 101 ° 40 ′ 45 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 2.740486 ° N 101.679069 ° E ﻿ / 2.740486 ; 101.679069 ﻿ ( Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 Control Tower ) Statue ( incl. pedestal ) Spring Temple Buddha China Lushan 128 420 2002 33 ° 46 ′ 31 '' N 112 ° 27 ′ 04 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 33.775150 ° N 112.451016 ° E ﻿ / 33.775150 ; 112.451016 ﻿ ( Spring Temple Buddha ) Stupa Jetavanaramaya Sri Lanka Anuradhapura 122 400 Wooden lattice tower Gliwice Radio Tower Poland Gliwice 118 387 1935 50 ° 18 ′ 48.12 '' N 18 ° 41 ′ 20.26 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 50.3133667 ° N 18.6889611 ° E ﻿ / 50.3133667 ; 18.6889611 ﻿ ( Gliwice Radio Tower ) Storage silo Schapfen Mill Tower Germany Ulm 115 377 2005 48 ° 25 ′ 57 '' N 9 ° 58 ′ 58 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 48.43250 ° N 9.98278 ° E ﻿ / 48.43250 ; 9.98278 ﻿ ( Schapfen Mill Tower ) Aerial tramway support tower Pillar of third section of Gletscherbahn Kaprun Austria Kaprun 113.6 373 1966 47 ° 11 ′ 58.62 '' N 12 ° 41 ′ 16.96 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 47.1996167 ° N 12.6880444 ° E ﻿ / 47.1996167 ; 12.6880444 ﻿ ( Glacial Aerial Tramway Kaprun III Support Pillar ) Sphere Ericsson Globe Sweden Stockholm 85 279 1989 59 ° 17 ′ 36.92 '' N 18 ° 04 ′ 58.79 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 59.2935889 ° N 18.0829972 ° E ﻿ / 59.2935889 ; 18.0829972 ﻿ ( Ericsson Globe ) Brick lighthouse Lighthouse of Genoa Italy Genoa 77 253 1543 44 ° 24 ′ 16.25 '' N 8 ° 54 ′ 16.67 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 44.4045139 ° N 8.9046306 ° E ﻿ / 44.4045139 ; 8.9046306 ﻿ ( Torre della Lanterna ) Gopuram Murudeshwara Temple India Murudeshwara 76 249 2008 14 ° 05 ′ 39 '' N 74 ° 29 ′ 07 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 14.094197 ° N 74.485163 ° E ﻿ / 14.094197 ; 74.485163 ﻿ ( Murudeshwara Temple ) Wooden church Church of the Săpânța - Peri Monastery Romania Săpânța 75 246 2003 47 ° 58 ′ 59.5 '' N 23 ° 42 ′ 02.5 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 47.983194 ° N 23.700694 ° E ﻿ / 47.983194 ; 23.700694 ﻿ ( Church of the Săpânța - Peri Monastery ) Tallest destroyed structures by category, not surpassed by existing structures There are some destroyed architectural structures which were taller than the tallest existing structure of their type. There are also destroyed structures omitted from this list that had been surpassed in height prior to being destroyed. Category Structure Country City Height ( metres ) Height ( feet ) Coordinates Remarks Guyed mast Warsaw Radio Mast Poland Gąbin 646.38 2,121 52 ° 22 ′ 3.74 '' N 19 ° 48 ′ 8.73 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 52.3677056 ° N 19.8024250 ° E ﻿ / 52.3677056 ; 19.8024250 ﻿ ( Konstantynow Radio Mast ( destroyed ) ) completed in 1974, collapsed on August 8, 1991 Scientific research tower BREN Tower United States Nevada Test Site 462 1,516 36 ° 46 ′ 50.23 '' N 116 ° 14 ′ 36.9 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 36.7806194 ° N 116.243583 ° W ﻿ / 36.7806194 ; - 116.243583 ﻿ ( BREN - Tower ) completed in 1962, demolished May 23, 2012 Guyed tubular steel mast Shushi - Wan Omega Transmitter Japan Tsushima 389 1,276 34 ° 36 ′ 53 '' N 129 ° 27 ′ 13 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 34.61472 ° N 129.45361 ° E ﻿ / 34.61472 ; 129.45361 ﻿ ( Shushi - Wan Omega Transmitter ( dismantled ) ) completed in 1973, dismantled in 1998 Structure for scientific experiment Smokey Shot Tower United States Nevada Test Site 213 700 37 ° 11 ′ 13.63 '' N 116 ° 4 ′ 7.93 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 37.1871194 ° N 116.0688694 ° W ﻿ / 37.1871194 ; - 116.0688694 ﻿ ( Smokey Shot Tower ( destroyed ) ) Guyed mast, which carried 44 kt yield nuclear bomb `` Smokey '' ( part of operation Plumbbob ) on top until its explosion on August 31, 1957 Wooden structure Mühlacker Wood Radio Tower Germany Mühlacker 190 623 48 ° 56 ′ 27.67 '' N 8 ° 51 ′ 8.24 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 48.9410194 ° N 8.8522889 ° E ﻿ / 48.9410194 ; 8.8522889 ﻿ ( Mühlacker Wood Radio Tower ( replaced by guyed mast ) ) completed in 1934, destroyed on April 6, 1945, by the Germans to prevent usage by the Allies, replaced by mast radiator Masonry building Mole Antonelliana Italy Torino 167.5 549.5 45 ° 04 ′ 8.45 '' N 7 ° 41 ′ 35.62 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 45.0690139 ° N 7.6932278 ° E ﻿ / 45.0690139 ; 7.6932278 ﻿ ( Mole Antonelliana ) spire destroyed by a tornado in 1953 ( rebuilt since then ) Pre-Industrial Era building Lincoln Cathedral United Kingdom Lincoln 160 524 53 ° 14 ′ 3.26 '' N 0 ° 32 ′ 10.54 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 53.2342389 ° N 0.5362611 ° W ﻿ / 53.2342389 ; - 0.5362611 ﻿ ( Lincoln Cathedral ) completed in 1311, spire blown off in 1549 Storage silo Henninger Turm Germany Frankfurt 120 394 50 ° 05 ′ 50.18 '' N 8 ° 41 ′ 36.81 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 50.0972722 ° N 8.6935583 ° E ﻿ / 50.0972722 ; 8.6935583 ﻿ ( Henninger Turm ) constructed in 1961, demolished in 2013 Tallest building by function Category Structure Country City Architectural top ( metres ) Architectural top ( feet ) Mixed - Use * Burj Khalifa United Arab Emirates Dubai 830 2,722 Office One World Trade Center United States New York City 541 1,776 Residential 432 Park Avenue United States New York City 425.5 1,396 Hotel JW Marriott Marquis Dubai United Arab Emirates Dubai 355 1,166 Educational Moscow State University Russia Moscow 240 787 Religious Hassan II Mosque Morocco Casablanca 210 689 Hospital Outpatient Center, Houston Methodist Hospital United States Houston 156.05 511.8 * Mixed - Use is defined as having three or more real estate uses ( such as retail, office, hotel, etc. ) that are physically and functionally integrated in a single property and are mutually supporting. Tallest buildings Main article : List of tallest buildings in the world Prior to 1998, the tallest building status was determined by the height of the building to the top of its architectural elements including spires, but not including `` temporary '' structures ( such as antennas or flagpoles ), which could be added or changed relatively easily without requiring major changes to the building 's design. Other criteria for height measurement were not used. For this reason, the originally 1,451 - foot ( 442 - meter ) to rooftop or 1518 feet with original antennas Willis Tower ( formerly Sears Tower ) was generally accepted as being the tallest building continuously after its completion in 1973, and being taller than both World Trade Center towers, in spite of the fact the 1 World Trade Center Tower ( North Tower ) possessed a higher pinnacle absolute height after it added its 360 - foot ( 110 m ) radio antenna ( total height of 1730 feet or 527.3 meters ) in 1978. The 1 World Trade Center building maintained a higher absolute height to antenna top until the Sears Tower enlarged its own radio antenna in 2000 to a total height of 1730 feet. However, the Willis Tower was always considered the taller building because it still possessed a greater height to its architectural top ( 1451 feet vs. 1362 feet ), and thus its status as the world 's tallest was generally not contested. Other historic cases in which a building with a taller absolute pinnacle height was not considered the tallest building include, in 1905 when the former New York Times building or The Times Square Building ( at 229 West 43rd Street in New York ) was completed at 111 m ( 364 ft ) to the roof with 128 m ( 420 ft ) including a flagpole. That building was never considered to be taller than the 119 - metre - high ( 390 ft ) then - current record - holder Park Row Building of New York because a flagpole is not an integral architectural part of a building. Prior to 1998 the tallest building status had been contested on occasion, but the disputes did not result in a change of the criteria used to determine the world 's tallest building. An example was the rivalry between the Trump Building ( then known as the Bank of Manhattan Building ) and the Chrysler Building. The Bank of Manhattan Building employed only a short spire and was 927 ft ( 283 m ) tall and had a much higher top occupied floor ( the second category in the 1996 criteria for tallest building ). In contrast, the Chrysler Building employed a very large 125 - foot ( 38 m ) spire secretly assembled inside the building to claim the title of world 's tallest building with a total height of 1,048 feet ( 319 m ), despite having a lower top occupied floor and a shorter height when both buildings ' spires are not counted in their heights. Upset by Chrysler 's victory, Shreve & Lamb, the consulting architects of Bank of Manhattan building, wrote a newspaper article claiming that their building was actually the tallest, since it contained the world 's highest usable floor. They pointed out that the observation deck in the Bank of Manhattan Building was nearly 100 feet ( 30 m ) above the top floor in the Chrysler Building, whose surpassing spire was strictly ornamental and essentially inaccessible. However, the Chrysler Building was generally accepted as the tallest building in the world despite their protests. The Petronas Towers remain the tallest twin towers in the world. However, none of the previous discrepancies or disputes in criteria to measure height ( spires vs antennas, absolute pinnacle height vs. architectural height, height of highest occupied floor, etc. ) resulted in the controversy that occurred upon the completion of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1998. The Petronas Towers possessed a higher architectural height ( spires, but not antennas ), but a lower absolute pinnacle height and lower top occupied floor than the previous record - holder Willis Tower in Chicago, United States. Counting buildings as structures with floors throughout, and with antenna masts excluded, Willis Tower was still considered the tallest at that time. When the Petronas Twin Towers were built, controversy arose because their spires extended nine metres higher than the roof of Willis Tower. Excluding their spires, the Petronas Towers are not taller than Willis Tower. At their convention in Chicago, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat ( CTBUH ) found the Willis Tower to be the third - tallest building, and the Petronas Towers to be the world 's tallest buildings. This decision caused a considerable amount of controversy in the news media because this was the first time a country outside the United States had held the world 's tallest building record. Therefore, the CTBUH revised their criteria and defined four categories in which the world 's tallest building can be measured, by retaining the old criterion of height to architectural top, and adding three new categories : Height to Architectural Top ( including spires and pinnacles, but not antennas, masts or flagpoles ). This measurement is the most widely used and is used to define the rankings of the 100 Tallest Buildings in the World. Highest Occupied Floor Height to Top of Roof ( omitted from criteria from November 2009 onwards ) Height to Tip The height - to - roof criterion was discontinued because relatively few modern tall buildings possess flat rooftops, making this criterion difficult to determine and measure. The CTBUH has further clarified their definitions of building height, including specific criteria concerning subbasements and ground level entrances ( height measured from lowest, significant, open - air, pedestrian entrance rather than from a previously undefined `` main entrance '' ), building completion ( must be topped out both structurally and architecturally, fully clad, and able to be occupied ), condition of the highest occupied floor ( must be continuously used by people living or working and be conditioned, thus including observation decks, but not mechanical floors ) and other aspects of tall buildings. The height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open - air, pedestrian entrance. At the time, the Willis Tower held first place in the second and third categories, the Petronas Towers held the first category, and the 1 World Trade Center building held the fourth with its antenna height to top of pinnacle. In 2000, however, a new antenna mast was placed on the Willis Tower, giving it hold of the fourth category. On April 20, 2004, Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan, was completed. Its completion gave it the world record for the first three categories. On July 21, 2007 it was announced that Burj Khalifa had surpassed Taipei 101 in height, reaching 512 m ( 1,680 ft ). Since being completed in early 2010, Burj Khalifa leads in all categories ( the first building to do so ). With a spire height of 829.8 m ( 2,722 ft ), Burj Khalifa surpassed Taipei 101 as the tallest building to architectural detail and the Willis Tower as the tallest building to tip. It also leads in the category of highest occupied floor. Before Burj Khalifa was completed, Willis Tower led in the fourth category with 527 m ( 1,729 ft ), previously held by the World Trade Center until the extension of the Chicago tower 's western broadcast antenna in 2000, over a year prior to the World Trade Center 's destruction in 2001. Its antenna mast included, One World Trade Center measured 527.3 m ( 1,730 ft ). The World Trade Center became the world 's tallest building to be destroyed or demolished ; indeed, its site entered the record books twice on September 11, 2001, in that category, replacing the Singer Building, which once stood a block from the World Trade Center site. A different superlative for skyscrapers is their number of floors. The World Trade Center set that at 110, and this was not surpassed for nearly four decades until the Burj Khalifa, which opened in 2010. Structures such as the CN Tower, the Ostankino Tower and the Oriental Pearl Tower are excluded from these categories because they are not `` habitable buildings '', which are defined as frame structures made with floors and walls throughout. History of record holders in each CTBUH category Date ( event ) Architectural top Highest occupied floor Roof Tip 2010 : Burj Khalifa completed Burj Khalifa Burj Khalifa Burj Khalifa 2009 : CTBUH omits Height to Roof category Taipei 101 Shanghai World Financial Center Willis Tower 2008 : Shanghai World Financial Center completed Taipei 101 Shanghai World Financial Center Shanghai World Financial Center Willis Tower 2003 : Taipei 101 completed Taipei 101 Taipei 101 Taipei 101 Willis Tower 2000 : Willis Tower antenna extension Petronas Towers Willis Tower Willis Tower Willis Tower 1998 : Petronas Towers completed Petronas Towers Willis Tower Willis Tower World Trade Center 1996 : CTBUH defines categories Willis Tower Willis Tower Willis Tower World Trade Center Tallest freestanding structures on land Main article : List of tallest freestanding structures Freestanding structures must not be supported by guy wires, the sea or other types of support. It therefore does not include guyed masts, partially guyed towers and drilling platforms but does include towers, skyscrapers ( pinnacle height ) and chimneys. ( See also history of tallest skyscrapers. ) The world 's tallest freestanding structure on land is defined as the tallest self - supporting artificial structure that stands above ground. This definition is different from that of world 's tallest building or world 's tallest structure based on the percentage of the structure that is occupied and whether or not it is self - supporting or supported by exterior cables. Likewise, this definition does not count structures that are built underground or on the seabed, such as the Petronius Platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Visit world 's tallest structure by category for a list of various other definitions. The tallest freestanding structure on land is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The building surpassed the height of the previous record holder, the 553.3 m ( 1,815 ft ) CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, on September 12, 2007. It was completed in 2010, with final height of 829.8 m ( 2,722 ft ). History The following is a list of structures that have held the title as the tallest freestanding structure on land. Tallest historical structures Record from Record held ( years ) Name and location Constructed Height ( metres ) Height ( feet ) Coordinates Notes c. 2650 BC 40 Pyramid of Djoser, Egypt c. 2650 BC 62 203 29 ° 52 ′ 16.53 '' N 31 ° 12 ′ 59.59 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 29.8712583 ° N 31.2165528 ° E ﻿ / 29.8712583 ; 31.2165528 ﻿ ( Pyramid of Djoser ) c. 2610 BC 5 Meidum Pyramid in Egypt c. 2610 BC 93.5 307 29 ° 23 ′ 17 '' N 31 ° 09 ′ 25 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 29.38806 ° N 31.15694 ° E ﻿ / 29.38806 ; 31.15694 ﻿ ( Meidum Pyramid ) Shortly after completion Meidum Pyramid collapsed due to bad design / instability and is now 65 m ( 213 ft ). c. 2605 BC 5 Bent Pyramid in Egypt c. 2605 BC 101.1 332 29 ° 47 ′ 25 '' N 31 ° 12 ′ 33 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 29.79028 ° N 31.20917 ° E ﻿ / 29.79028 ; 31.20917 ﻿ ( Bent Pyramid ) Angle of slope decreased during construction to avoid collapse. c. 2600 BC 40 Red Pyramid of Sneferu, Egypt c. 2600 BC 105 345 29 ° 48 ′ 31.39 '' N 31 ° 12 ′ 22.49 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 29.8087194 ° N 31.2062472 ° E ﻿ / 29.8087194 ; 31.2062472 ﻿ ( Red Pyramid ) c. 2560 BC 3871 Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt c. 2560 BC 146 481 29 ° 58 ′ 44.93 '' N 31 ° 08 ′ 3.09 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 29.9791472 ° N 31.1341917 ° E ﻿ / 29.9791472 ; 31.1341917 ﻿ ( Great Pyramid of Giza ) By 1647, the Great Pyramid had eroded to a height of approximately 139 m ( 456 ft ). 1311 238 Lincoln Cathedral in the United Kingdom 1092 -- 1311 160 525 53 ° 14 ′ 3.26 '' N 0 ° 32 ′ 10.54 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 53.2342389 ° N 0.5362611 ° W ﻿ / 53.2342389 ; - 0.5362611 ﻿ ( Lincoln Cathedral ) The central spire was destroyed in a storm in 1549. While the reputed height of 525 ft ( 160 m ) is accepted by most sources, others consider it doubtful 1549 20 St. Mary 's Church in Stralsund, Germany 1384 -- 1478 151 495 54 ° 18 ′ 36.01 '' N 13 ° 5 ′ 14.81 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 54.3100028 ° N 13.0874472 ° E ﻿ / 54.3100028 ; 13.0874472 ﻿ ( St. Mary 's church, Stralsund ) 1569 Beauvais Cathedral in France 1225 - 1604 153 502 49 ° 25 ′ 49 '' N 2 ° 05 ′ 43 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 49.43028 ° N 2.09528 ° E ﻿ / 49.43028 ; 2.09528 ﻿ ( Beauvais Cathedral ) Spire collapsed in 1573 ( the cross was removed in 1572 ) ; today, the church stands at a height of 67.2 m ( 220.5 ft ). 1573 94 ( 20 + 74 ) St. Mary 's Church in Stralsund, Germany 1384 -- 1478 151 495 54 ° 18 ′ 36.01 '' N 13 ° 5 ′ 14.81 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 54.3100028 ° N 13.0874472 ° E ﻿ / 54.3100028 ; 13.0874472 ﻿ ( St. Mary 's church, Stralsund ) The spire burnt down after a lightning strike in 1647. The current spire 's height is 104 m ( 341 ft ). 1647 227 Strasbourg Cathedral in France 1439 142 469 48 ° 34 ′ 54.22 '' N 7 ° 45 ′ 1.48 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 48.5817278 ° N 7.7504111 ° E ﻿ / 48.5817278 ; 7.7504111 ﻿ ( Strasbourg Cathedral ) By 1647, the Great Pyramid had eroded to a height of approximately 139 m ( 456 ft ) hence Strasbourg Cathedral was higher. 1874 St. Nikolai in Hamburg, Germany 1846 -- 1874 147 483 53 ° 32 ′ 50.94 '' N 9 ° 59 ′ 26.12 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 53.5474833 ° N 9.9905889 ° E ﻿ / 53.5474833 ; 9.9905889 ﻿ ( St. Nikolai, Hamburg ) 1876 Cathédrale Notre Dame in Rouen, France 1202 -- 1876 151 495 49 ° 26 ′ 24.54 '' N 1 ° 5 ′ 41.85 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 49.4401500 ° N 1.0949583 ° E ﻿ / 49.4401500 ; 1.0949583 ﻿ ( Rouen Cathedral ) 1880 Cologne Cathedral in Germany 1248 -- 1880 157 515 50 ° 56 ′ 28.08 '' N 6 ° 57 ′ 25.73 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 50.9411333 ° N 6.9571472 ° E ﻿ / 50.9411333 ; 6.9571472 ﻿ ( Cologne Cathedral, Tower South ) ; 50 ° 56 ′ 29.11 '' N 6 ° 57 ′ 25.85 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 50.9414194 ° N 6.9571806 ° E ﻿ / 50.9414194 ; 6.9571806 ﻿ ( Cologne Cathedral, Tower North ) 1884 5 Washington Monument in Washington D.C., United States 1884 169 555 38 ° 53 ′ 22.08 '' N 77 ° 2 ′ 6.89 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 38.8894667 ° N 77.0352472 ° W ﻿ / 38.8894667 ; - 77.0352472 ﻿ ( Washington Monument ) The world 's tallest all - stone structure, as well as the tallest obelisk - form structure. 1889 41 Eiffel Tower in Paris, France 1889 300 986 48 ° 51 ′ 29.77 '' N 2 ° 17 ′ 40.09 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 48.8582694 ° N 2.2944694 ° E ﻿ / 48.8582694 ; 2.2944694 ﻿ ( Eiffel Tower ) First structure to exceed 300 metres in height. The addition of a telecommunications tower in the 1950s brought the overall height to 324 m ( 1,063 ft ). 1930 Chrysler Building in New York, United States 1928 -- 1930 319 1,046 40 ° 45 ′ 5.78 '' N 73 ° 58 ′ 31.52 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 40.7516056 ° N 73.9754222 ° W ﻿ / 40.7516056 ; - 73.9754222 ﻿ ( Chrysler Building ) 1931 36 Empire State Building in New York, United States 1930 -- 1931 381 1,250 40 ° 44 ′ 54.95 '' N 73 ° 59 ′ 8.71 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 40.7485972 ° N 73.9857528 ° W ﻿ / 40.7485972 ; - 73.9857528 ﻿ ( Empire State Building ) First building with 100 + stories. The addition of a pinnacle and antennas later increased its overall height to 448.7 m ( 1,472 ft ). This was subsequently lowered to 443.1 m ( 1,454 ft ). 1967 8 Ostankino Tower in Moscow, Soviet Union 1963 -- 1967 540 1,762 55 ° 49 ′ 10.94 '' N 37 ° 36 ′ 41.79 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 55.8197056 ° N 37.6116083 ° E ﻿ / 55.8197056 ; 37.6116083 ﻿ ( Ostankino Tower ) Remains the tallest in Europe. Fire in 2000 led to extensive renovation. 32 CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada 1973 -- 1976 553 1,815 43 ° 38 ′ 33.22 '' N 79 ° 23 ′ 13.41 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 43.6425611 ° N 79.3870583 ° W ﻿ / 43.6425611 ; - 79.3870583 ﻿ ( CN Tower ) Remains the tallest in the Western Hemisphere 2007 present Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates 2004 -- 2009 829.8 2,722 25 ° 11 ′ 50.0 '' N 55 ° 16 ′ 26.6 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 25.197222 ° N 55.274056 ° E ﻿ / 25.197222 ; 55.274056 ﻿ ( Burj Dubai ) Holder of world 's tallest freestanding structure. Topped out at 829.8 m ( 2,722 ft ) in 2009. Diagram of the principal high buildings of the Old World, 1884 Notable mentions include the Pharos ( lighthouse ) of Alexandria, built in the third century BC and estimated between 115 -- 135 m ( 377 -- 443 ft ). It was the world 's tallest non-pyramidal structure for many centuries. Another notable mention includes the Jetavanaramaya stupa in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, which was built in the third century, and was similarly tall at 122 m ( 400 ft ). These were both the world 's tallest or second - tallest non-pyramidal structure for over a thousand years. The tallest secular building between the collapse of the Pharos and the erection of the Washington Monument may have been the Torre del Mangia in Siena, which is 102 m ( 335 ft ) tall, and was constructed in the first half of the fourteenth century, and the 97 - metre - tall ( 318 ft ) Torre degli Asinelli in Bologna, also Italy, built between 1109 and 1119. World 's highest observation deck Main article : Observation deck Timeline of development of world 's highest observation deck since inauguration of Eiffel Tower. Record from Record held ( years ) Name and location Constructed Height above ground Notes m ft 1889 42 Eiffel Tower, Paris 1889 275 902 Two lower observation decks at 57 and 115 m ( 187 and 377 ft ). 1931 42 Empire State Building, New York City 1931 369 1,250 On the 102nd floor - a second observation deck is located on the 86th floor at 320 m ( 1,050 ft ). 1973 World Trade Center, New York City 1973 399.4 1,310 Indoor observatory on the 107th floor of South Tower opened on April 4, 1973. Destroyed on September 11, 2001 Willis Tower, Chicago 412.4 1,353 103rd floor Skydeck opened on June 22, 1974 World Trade Center, New York City 1973 419.7 1,377 Outdoor observatory on the South Tower rooftop opened on December 15, 1975. Destroyed on September 11, 2001 1976 32 CN Tower, Toronto 1976 446.5 1,464.9 Two further observation decks at 342 and 346 m ( 1,122 and 1,135 ft ). 2008 Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai 2008 474 1,555 Two further observation decks at 423 and 439 m ( 1,388 and 1,440 ft ). 2011 Canton Tower, Guangzhou 2011 488 1,601 The rooftop outdoor observation deck opened in December 2011. There are also several other indoor observation decks in the tower, the highest at 433.2 m ( 1,421 ft ). 2014 Burj Khalifa, Dubai 555 1,821 Opened on October 15, 2014 on the 148th floor. There is another observation deck at 452.1 m ( 1,483 ft ) on the 124th floor, which has been open since the building was opened to the public. 2016 present Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, China 2015 561 1,841 Opened on July 1, 2016. Higher observation decks have existed on mountain tops or cliffs, rather than on tall structures. The Grand Canyon Skywalk, constructed in 2007, protrudes 21 m ( 70 ft ) over the west rim of the Grand Canyon and is approximately 1,100 m ( 3,600 ft ) above the Colorado River, making it the highest of these types of structures. Timeline of guyed structures on land As most of the tallest structures are guyed masts, here is a timeline of world 's tallest guyed masts, since the beginning of radio technology. As many large guyed masts were destroyed at the end of World War II, the dates for the years between 1945 and 1950 may be incorrect. If Wusung Radio Tower survived World War II, it was the tallest guyed structure shortly after World War II. Record from Record held ( years ) Name and location Constructed Height Coordinates Notes m ft 1913 7 Central mast of Eilvese transmitter, Eilvese, Germany 1913 250 820 52 ° 31 ′ 40 '' N 9 ° 24 ′ 24 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 52.52778 ° N 9.40667 ° E ﻿ / 52.52778 ; 9.40667 ﻿ ( Eilvese transmitter ( demolished ) ) Mast was divided in 145 m by an insulator, demolished in 1931 1920 Central masts of Nauen Transmitter Station, Nauen, Germany 1920 260 853 52 ° 38 ′ 56 '' N 12 ° 54 ′ 30 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 52.64889 ° N 12.90833 ° E ﻿ / 52.64889 ; 12.90833 ﻿ ( Nauen transmitter ) 2 masts, demolished in 1946 1923 10 Masts of Ruiselede transmitter, Ruiselede, Belgium 1923 287 942 51 ° 4 ′ 44 '' N 3 ° 20 ′ 6.9 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 51.07889 ° N 3.335250 ° E ﻿ / 51.07889 ; 3.335250 ﻿ ( Zendmast Ruiselede ( destroyed ) ( location unclear ) ) ? 8 masts, destroyed in 1940 1933 6 Lakihegy Tower, Lakihegy, Hungary 1933 314 1,031 47 ° 22 ′ 23.45 '' N 19 ° 0 ′ 17.21 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 47.3731806 ° N 19.0047806 ° E ﻿ / 47.3731806 ; 19.0047806 ﻿ ( Lakihegy Radio Tower ) Blaw - Knox Tower, insulated against ground, destroyed in 1945 ; rebuilt 1939 7 Deutschlandsender Herzberg / Elster, Herzberg ( Elster ), Germany 1939 335 1,099 51 ° 42 ′ 59.76 '' N 13 ° 15 ′ 51.5 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 51.7166000 ° N 13.264306 ° E ﻿ / 51.7166000 ; 13.264306 ﻿ ( Deutschlandsender III ( dismantled ) ) Insulated against ground, dismantled 1946 / 1947 1946 Lakihegy Tower, Lakihegy, Hungary 1946 314 1,031 47 ° 22 ′ 23.45 '' N 19 ° 0 ′ 17.21 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 47.3731806 ° N 19.0047806 ° E ﻿ / 47.3731806 ; 19.0047806 ﻿ ( Lakihegy Radio Tower ) Blaw - Knox Tower, Insulated against ground, rebuilt after destruction in 1945 1948 WIVB - TV Tower, Colden, New York, USA 1948 321.9 1,056 42 ° 39 ′ 33.19 '' N 78 ° 37 ′ 33.91 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 42.6592194 ° N 78.6260861 ° W ﻿ / 42.6592194 ; - 78.6260861 ﻿ ( WIVB - TV Tower ) 1949 Longwave transmitter Raszyn, Raszyn, Poland 1949 335 1,099 52 ° 4 ′ 21.72 '' N 20 ° 53 ′ 2.15 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 52.0727000 ° N 20.8839306 ° E ﻿ / 52.0727000 ; 20.8839306 ﻿ ( Raszyn Radio Mast ) Insulated against ground 1950 Forestport Tower, Forestport, New York, USA 1950 371.25 1,218 43 ° 26 ′ 41.9 '' N 75 ° 5 ′ 9.55 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 43.444972 ° N 75.0859861 ° W ﻿ / 43.444972 ; - 75.0859861 ﻿ ( Forestport Tower ( demolished ) ) Insulated against ground, demolished 1954 Griffin Television Tower Oklahoma ( AKA KWTV Transmission Tower ), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA 1954 480.5 1,576 35 ° 32 ′ 58.59 '' N 97 ° 29 ′ 50.27 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 35.5496083 ° N 97.4972972 ° W ﻿ / 35.5496083 ; - 97.4972972 ﻿ ( Griffin Television Tower Oklahoma ) 1956 KOBR - TV Tower, Caprock, New Mexico, USA 1956 490.7 1,610 33 ° 22 ′ 31.31 '' N 103 ° 46 ′ 14.3 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 33.3753639 ° N 103.770639 ° W ﻿ / 33.3753639 ; - 103.770639 ﻿ ( KOBR - TV Tower ) Collapsed in 1960 ; rebuilt 1959 WGME TV Tower, Raymond, Maine, USA 1959 495 1,624 43 ° 55 ′ 28.43 '' N 70 ° 29 ′ 26.72 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 43.9245639 ° N 70.4907556 ° W ﻿ / 43.9245639 ; - 70.4907556 ﻿ ( WGME TV Tower ) 1960 KFVS TV Mast, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, USA 1960 511.1 1,677 37 ° 25 ′ 44.5 '' N 89 ° 30 ′ 13.84 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 37.429028 ° N 89.5038444 ° W ﻿ / 37.429028 ; - 89.5038444 ﻿ ( KFVS TV Mast ) 1962 WTVM / WRBL - TV & WVRK - FM Tower, Cusseta, Georgia, USA 1962 533 1,749 32 ° 19 ′ 25.09 '' N 84 ° 46 ′ 45.07 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 32.3236361 ° N 84.7791861 ° W ﻿ / 32.3236361 ; - 84.7791861 ﻿ ( WTVM / WRBL - TV & WVRK - FM Tower ) 1963 0 WIMZ - FM - Tower, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA 1963 534.01 1,752 36 ° 08 ′ 05.49 '' N 83 ° 43 ′ 28.01 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 36.1348583 ° N 83.7244472 ° W ﻿ / 36.1348583 ; - 83.7244472 ﻿ ( WIMZ - FM - Tower ) 1963 11 KVLY - TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, USA 1963 628.8 2,063 47 ° 20 ′ 31.85 '' N 97 ° 17 ′ 21.13 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 47.3421806 ° N 97.2892028 ° W ﻿ / 47.3421806 ; - 97.2892028 ﻿ ( KVLY - TV mast ) 17 Warsaw Radio Mast, Gąbin, Poland 646.4 2,121 52 ° 22 ′ 3.74 '' N 19 ° 48 ′ 8.73 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 52.3677056 ° N 19.8024250 ° E ﻿ / 52.3677056 ; 19.8024250 ﻿ ( Konstantynow Radio Mast ( destroyed ) ) Mast radiator insulated against ground, collapsed in 1991 1991 present KVLY - TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, USA 1963 628.8 2,063 47 ° 20 ′ 31.85 '' N 97 ° 17 ′ 21.13 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 47.3421806 ° N 97.2892028 ° W ﻿ / 47.3421806 ; - 97.2892028 ﻿ ( KVLY - TV mast ) Tallest towers Main article : List of tallest towers in the world Towers include observation towers, monuments and other structures not generally considered to be `` habitable buildings '', they are meant for `` regular access by humans, but not for living in or office work, and are self - supporting or freestanding, which means no guy - wires for support '', meaning it excludes from this list of continuously habitable buildings and skyscrapers as well as radio and TV masts. Bridge towers or pylons, chimneys, transmission towers, and most large statues allow human access for maintenance, but not as part of their normal operation, and are therefore not considered to be towers. The Tokyo Skytree, completed in February 2012, is 634 m ( 2,080 ft ), making it the tallest tower, and second - tallest freestanding structure in the world. History of tallest Tower Tokyo Tower held the record of being the tallest tower in the world from 1958 to 1967. In addition, it held the record of being the tallest building in Japan from 1958 to 2011, when the Tokyo Skytree ( the current tallest tower in the world ) surpassed it. The following is a list of structures that have historically held the title as the tallest towers in the world. Tallest historical towers From To Tower Town Pinnacle height 280 BC 1180 AD Pharos Lighthouse Alexandria, Egypt 122 m 1180 1240 Malmesbury Abbey Tower Malmesbury, UK 131.3 m 1240 1311 Tower of Old St Paul 's Cathedral London, UK 150 m 1311 1549 Tower of Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln, UK 159.7 m 1549 1647 Tower of St Mary 's church Stralsund, Germany 151 m 1647 1874 Tower of Strasbourg Cathedral Strasbourg, France 142 m 1874 1876 Tower of St. Nikolai Hamburg, Germany 147 m 1876 1880 Tower of Rouen Cathedral Rouen, France 151 m 1880 1889 Tower of Cologne Cathedral Cologne, Germany 157.38 m 1889 1958 Eiffel Tower Paris, France 312.3 m 1958 1967 Tokyo Tower Tokyo, Japan 332.6 m 1967 Ostankino Tower Moscow, Russia 540.1 m CN Tower Toronto, Ontario, Canada 553.33 m 2011 Canton Tower Guangzhou, China 600 m 2011 present Tokyo Skytree Tokyo, Japan 634 m Tallest structures, freestanding structures, and buildings Burj Khalifa and other tallest structures The list categories are : The structures ( supported ) list uses pinnacle height and includes architectural structures of any type that might use some external support constructions like cables and are fully built in air. Only the three tallest are listed, as more than fifty US TV masts have stated heights of 600 -- 610 metres ( 1,970 -- 2,000 ft ). The structures ( media supported ) list uses pinnacle height and includes architectural structures of any type that are not totally built in the air but are using support from other, denser media like salt water. All structures greater than 500 metres ( 1,640 ft ) are listed. The freestanding structures list uses pinnacle height and includes structures over 500 metres ( 1,640 ft ) that do not use guy - wires or other external supports. This means truly free standing on its own or, in similar sense, non-supported structures. The building list uses architectural height ( excluding antennas ) and includes only buildings, defined as consisting of habitable floors. Both of these follow CTBUH guidelines. All supertall buildings ( 450 m and higher ) are listed. Notes : Eight buildings appear on the freestanding structures category list with heights different from another category. This is due to the different measurement specifications of those lists. Only current heights and, where reasonable, target heights are listed. Historical heights of structures that no longer exist, for example, for having collapsed, are excluded. Rank Name and location Year completed Architectural top ( metres ) Architectural top ( feet ) Floors Structures ( supported ) Main article : List of tallest structures KVLY - TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, United States 1963 629 2,064 -- KXJB - TV mast, Galesburg, North Dakota, United States 1998 628 2,060 -- KXTV / KOVR Tower, Walnut Grove, California, United States 2000 625 2,051 -- Structures ( media supported ) Petronius Platform, Gulf of Mexico 2000 610 2,000 -- Baldpate Platform, Gulf of Mexico 1998 580 1,900 -- Bullwinkle Platform, Gulf of Mexico 1989 529 1,736 -- Freestanding structures Main article : List of tallest freestanding structures Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 2009 829.8 2,722 163 Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo, Japan 2012 634 2,080 -- Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, China 2015 632 2,073 128 Abraj Al Bait, Makkah, Saudi Arabia 2011 601 1,972 120 5 Ping An Finance Centre, Shenzhen, China 2016 599 1,965 115 6 Goldin Finance 117, Tianjin, China 2016 597 1,959 117 7 Canton Tower, Guangzhou, China 600 1,969 -- 8 Lotte World Tower, Seoul, South Korea 2016 555 1,821 123 9 CN Tower, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 1976 553 1,814 -- 10 One World Trade Center, New York City, USA 2013 541.3 1,776 104 11 Ostankino Tower, Moscow, Russia 1967 540 1,770 -- 12 Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, Guangzhou, China 2016 530 1,739 111 13 Willis Tower, Chicago, United States 527 1,729 108 14 Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan 509 1,670 101 Buildings Main article : List of tallest buildings in the world Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 828 2,717 163 Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, China 2015 632 2,073 128 Abraj Al Bait, Mecca, Saudi Arabia 2011 601 1,972 120 Ping An Finance Centre, Shenzhen, China 2016 599 1,965 115 5 Lotte World Tower, Seoul, South Korea 2016 555 1,821 123 6 One World Trade Center, New York City, USA 2013 541.3 1,776 104 7 Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, Guangzhou, China 2016 530 1,739 111 8 Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan 509 1,670 101 9 Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, China 2008 492 1,614 101 10 International Commerce Centre, Hong Kong 484 1,588 118 11 Changsha IFS Tower T1, Changsha, China 2017 452.1 1,483 88 12 Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1998 451.9 1,483 88 13 Zifeng Tower, Nanjing, China 2009 450 1,480 89 13 Suzhou IFS, Suzhou, China 2017 450 1,476 92 Source : Emporis References ^ Jump up to : `` CTBUH Criteria for Defining and Measuring Tall Buildings ''. 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Washington : Urban Land Institute ISBN 978 - 0 - 87420 - 888 - 7 ^ Jump up to : `` Willis Tower, Chicago - SkyscraperPage.com ''. Retrieved May 5, 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` History of Measuring Tall Buildings ''. Retrieved May 5, 2015. Jump up ^ Binders, George ( August 2006 ). 101 of the World 's Tallest Buildings. p. 102. Jump up ^ `` CTBUH Criteria for Defining and Measuring Tall Buildings ''. Retrieved May 5, 2015. Jump up ^ `` CTBUH changes height criteria, Burj Khalifa height increases ''. Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. November 17, 2009. Retrieved November 18, 2009. ^ Jump up to : `` CTBUH Changes Height Criteria ''. Retrieved May 5, 2015. Jump up ^ http://www.ctbuh.org/HighRiseInfo/TallestDatabase/Criteria/tabid/446/Default.aspx. Jump up ^ Haughton, Brian ( 2007 ), Hidden History : Lost Civilizations, Secret Knowledge, and Ancient Mysteries, p. 167 Jump up ^ Michael Woods, Mary B. Woods ( 2009 ), Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, p. 41 Jump up ^ `` Lincoln Cathedral ''. Retrieved May 5, 2015. Jump up ^ Darwin Porter, Danforth Prince ( 2010 ), Frommer 's England 2010, p. 588 Jump up ^ Mary Jane Taber ( 1905 ), The cathedrals of England : an account of some of their distinguishing characteristics, p. 100 Jump up ^ A Brief History of the World 's Tallest Buildings Time magazine Jump up ^ Kendrick, A.F. ( 1902 ). `` 2 : The Central Tower ''. The Cathedral Church of Lincoln : A History and Description of its Fabric and a List of the Bishops. London : George Bell & Sons. p. 60. ISBN 978 - 1 - 178 - 03666 - 4. The tall spire of timber, covered with lead, which originally crowned this tower reached an altitude, it is said, of 525 feet ; but this is doubtful. This spire was blown down during a tempest in January 1547 - 8. Jump up ^ `` The Empire State Building ''. Wired New York. Retrieved December 23, 2007. Jump up ^ `` Tokyo Sky Tree construction ends : World 's tallest tower prepares to open ''. Cable News Network. 1 March 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012. Jump up ^ Danielle Demetriou ( 1 March 2012 ). `` Tokyo unveils world 's tallest communications tower ''. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Tokyo Skytree website '' ( in Japanese ). Tobu Railway Co., Ltd. & Tobu Tower Skytree Co., Ltd. Retrieved 2011 - 03 - 08. 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Question: what is the biggest tower in the world today
Answer: Tokyo Skytree