What defines a supertall skyscraper, and where are they actually being built today?

Countries & Cities · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: A supertall building reaches between 300 and 599 meters, while anything taller earns the megatall designation. As of September 2026, 256 such structures define skylines globally. While New York City pioneered the concept, the center of gravity for these engineering marvels has shifted decisively toward Asia and the Middle East.

The Council on Vertical Urbanism classifies buildings by height, setting the supertall threshold at 300 meters. Structures exceeding 600 meters are categorized as megatall, a group that currently includes the world's four tallest buildings: the Burj Khalifa, Merdeka 118, the Shanghai Tower, and the Clock Towers. These measurements account for architectural features and spires but exclude antenna masts.

New York City launched the era of supertall construction with the 1930 completion of the Chrysler Building, followed shortly by the Empire State Building. For decades, these projects were largely confined to New York and Chicago. However, the landscape changed significantly after 1990, when the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong became the first supertall built outside the United States. By the 2010s, China had surpassed the United States to become the nation with the highest concentration of these buildings.

Today, the distribution of supertall skyscrapers is heavily skewed toward Asia, which hosts the majority of the world's 256 completed examples. Dubai leads all cities with 33 entries, followed by Shenzhen and New York City. While China leads nationally with 138, the United Arab Emirates and the United States follow with 38 and 34, respectively. Growth remains active in diverse regions; for instance, Europe holds nine such buildings, mostly in Russia, while Africa and South America each possess a single completed supertall.

The development of these towers often reflects regional economic shifts and urban density. While North America continues to see new projects, such as the 2025 completion of Waterline in Austin, other regions are rapidly catching up. From the first Southeast Asian supertall in Bangkok in 1997 to the 2023 completion of Mumbai's Lokhandwala Minerva, the race for vertical dominance has become a truly global phenomenon, with dozens of cities now competing to redefine their skylines.

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