You’ve probably seen the photos. A silver needle piercing a thick blanket of clouds, looking more like something out of a sci-fi flick than a real place where people actually go to work and eat brunch. That’s the Burj Khalifa. Since 2010, it has held the title of the highest skyscraper in the world, standing at a staggering 828 meters (2,717 feet). But honestly, calling it just a "building" feels like a bit of an understatement. It’s a vertical city. It’s an ego trip. It’s a feat of engineering that, frankly, shouldn't work as well as it does.
Most people think the race for height is over, or that some new tower in China or Saudi Arabia already took the crown. Nope. As of early 2026, the Burj is still the king. But the story of how it stays there—and why it’s about to lose its spot—is way more interesting than just a bunch of big numbers.
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Why the Burj Khalifa is Still the Highest Skyscraper in the World
It's been sixteen years. In the world of tech and architecture, that is a lifetime. Usually, records like this are broken within a decade. So why is Dubai still holding the trophy? Basically, building this high is ridiculously expensive and a logistical nightmare.
The Burj Khalifa wasn't just built; it was sculpted. If you look at it from directly above, it has this "Y" shape. That isn't just because it looks cool. The design is inspired by the Hymenocallis, a desert lily. More importantly, that shape helps the building deal with wind. At 800 meters up, the wind isn't just a breeze; it's a structural threat. The "wings" of the Y-shape step back as the tower rises, which confuses the wind and prevents organized whirlpools of air—vortices—from shaking the building apart.
The Numbers That Actually Matter
- 163 floors: Most of which are actually usable, unlike some other tall towers that are mostly just "vanity height" spires.
- 6 degrees Celsius: That is the temperature difference between the ground floor and the top. It’s literally cooler at the peak because you’re so far up in the atmosphere.
- 12,000 workers: At the height of construction, that’s how many people were on-site every single day.
- 24,348 windows: It takes a specialized team about three to four months just to clean the whole thing once. Then they start over.
The Jeddah Tower: The Looming Shadow
If you’re looking for what comes next, you have to look toward Saudi Arabia. For a long time, the Jeddah Tower was the "ghost" of the skyscraper world. Construction started in 2013, then it stopped in 2018 because of political and financial shifts. It sat there, a half-finished concrete stump, for years.
But things changed in 2024 and 2025. Construction kicked back into high gear. By January 2026, reports confirmed the tower has finally moved past the 80-floor mark.
This is the big one. The Jeddah Tower is designed to be the first human-made structure to reach a full kilometer in height. That’s 1,000 meters. If the current "blistering" pace continues, it’s expected to be completed by 2028. When that happens, the Burj Khalifa will finally be relegated to second place. It’s a weird feeling, knowing the world's tallest building is already "obsolete" in the blueprints of a neighbor.
What Most People Get Wrong About "Height"
Here is where it gets kind of technical, but stay with me. There are actually three different ways to measure the highest skyscraper in the world, and people argue about this all the time in architecture circles.
- Height to Architectural Top: This includes spires but not antennas or flagpoles. This is the "official" ranking used by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).
- Highest Occupied Floor: This is where people can actually stand. The Burj Khalifa wins here easily, but some buildings have massive spires that make them "taller" even if the top 20% of the building is just an empty hollow pipe.
- Height to Tip: This includes everything—antennas, lightning rods, you name it.
Take Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur. It’s currently the second tallest in the world at 678.9 meters. But a huge chunk of that height is the spire. If you measured just the roof, the Shanghai Tower (the world's third tallest) actually feels much bigger. It’s a bit of a "cheating" move in the industry, often called vanity height. About 29% of the Burj Khalifa itself is technically non-occupiable space.
The Physics of Living in the Clouds
Ever wondered what it's actually like at the top? It’s not just a better view.
The elevators in the Burj Khalifa are some of the fastest in existence, moving at 10 meters per second. Your ears pop. A lot. But the real craziness is the plumbing. You can’t just pump water from the basement to the 160th floor in one go; the pressure would explode the pipes at the bottom. Instead, the building uses a series of massive water tanks at different levels to "stage" the water as it goes up.
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Then there’s the sway. All skyscrapers sway. It’s a safety feature, not a bug. If a building were perfectly rigid, it would snap like a dry twig in a high-wind storm. The Burj is designed to flex. You might not feel it on a calm day, but during a storm, the top of the tower can move several feet.
The Cultural Shift: Is Tall Still "Cool"?
Interestingly, the era of the "mega-tall" (buildings over 600 meters) might be slowing down after Jeddah. China, which used to be the world leader in building skyscrapers, actually banned the construction of buildings taller than 500 meters in most cases recently.
Why? Because they’re not very efficient. They cost a fortune to maintain, the elevators take forever, and they often don't make much business sense. They are built for prestige. They are "look at us" statements for developing economies.
In 2026, the trend is shifting toward "smart" skyscrapers—buildings that focus on sustainability and green tech rather than just raw height. We're seeing more towers like the Merdeka 118 or the Shanghai Tower that use double-layered glass "skins" to reduce heat and save on AC costs.
Current Top 5 Highest Skyscrapers (Early 2026)
- Burj Khalifa (UAE): 828m - The undisputed champ.
- Merdeka 118 (Malaysia): 679m - A faceted glass giant.
- Shanghai Tower (China): 632m - The world's tallest "twisted" building.
- Makkah Royal Clock Tower (Saudi Arabia): 601m - Huge, heavy, and houses a massive clock.
- Ping An Finance Center (China): 599m - A massive pillar of stainless steel in Shenzhen.
Actionable Insights for the Vertical Traveler
If you’re planning to visit the highest skyscraper in the world, don't just show up and hope for the best.
First, book the "At the Top Sky" ticket for the 148th floor. Yes, it’s more expensive than the standard 124th-floor ticket, but the 124th floor is usually packed with tourists and selfie sticks. The 148th floor has a lounge, actual outdoor terraces that aren't behind thick cages, and a much more "VIP" vibe.
Second, go about 90 minutes before sunset. This gives you the "golden hour" light for photos, the sunset itself, and the view of Dubai lighting up at night. It’s basically a three-for-one deal.
Third, check the weather for fog. In the winter months (December to February), Dubai gets a heavy morning fog. If you time it right, you can be above the clouds while the rest of the city is invisible. It’s the closest you’ll get to feeling like you’re on another planet.
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The race for the sky isn't stopping; it's just moving. While the Burj Khalifa holds the line for now, the rise of the Jeddah Tower reminds us that in architecture, no record is permanent. If you want to see the Burj while it's still the greatest, now is the time to do it.
To get the most out of your visit, you should download the official Burj Khalifa app to check visibility levels before buying a same-day ticket, as desert dust can sometimes obscure the view entirely.