The world’s tallest building: facts about the Burj Khalifa
At 828 metres, the Burj Khalifa has been the world’s tallest building since 2010. Facts, how skyscrapers stand, and India’s tallest structures.
Rohit Tandon · 6 October 2026 · 3 min read
People have always wanted to reach great heights — from the pyramids to towers. Today the dream shows in skyscrapers that seem to touch the clouds. The tallest of them all is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.
The Burj Khalifa at a glance
| Height | 828 metres |
|---|---|
| Floors | More than 160 (usually given as 163) |
| Opened | 4 January 2010 |
| City | Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| Name | In honour of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, ruler of Abu Dhabi |
How does such a tall building stay up?
The biggest challenges for a tall building are carrying its own huge weight and standing up to strong winds. The design of the Burj Khalifa solves both:
- A "Y"-shaped base: seen from above, the lower part of the building looks like three petals, which makes it very stable.
- Stepped height: the building slowly narrows as it rises, which spreads out the wind pressure and stops strong whirlpools of wind from forming.
- Deep foundations: big concrete piles go dozens of metres down into the sandy ground.
- A strong concrete core: the concrete structure at the centre of the building works like a backbone.
Did you know? The Burj Khalifa is so tall that the sunset can be seen from its top a few minutes later than from the ground.
Who is next?
The Jeddah Tower being built in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is planned to be more than one kilometre tall. If it is completed, it could overtake the Burj Khalifa. Skyscraper rankings are decided by bodies such as the "Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat" (CTBUH).
The tallest buildings in history
The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt (originally about 146 metres) was the world's tallest man-made structure for about 3,800 years. The Eiffel Tower in Paris, built in 1889, was about 300 metres tall and stayed the tallest until 1930. Then the Chrysler Building in New York took the title, followed in 1931 by the Empire State Building. By the end of the 20th century the race had moved to Asia and the Middle East.
India's tall structures
- Statue of Unity (182 metres): this statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at Kevadia (Ekta Nagar) in Gujarat was completed in 2018 and is the tallest statue in the world.
- Qutub Minar (about 72.5 metres): this tower in Delhi is considered the tallest brick minaret in the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Mumbai's skyscrapers: most of India's tallest residential buildings are in Mumbai, where land is scarce and the population is large.
- The Chenab rail bridge: this bridge over the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir stands about 359 metres above the river bed and is considered the world's highest railway arch bridge.
Why are skyscrapers built?
In big cities land is expensive and scarce, so building upwards becomes necessary. But tall buildings bring challenges such as fire safety, earthquake-resistant design, and water and power supply — for which modern engineering keeps finding new solutions.
Read more: Interesting facts · Today's quiz.
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