TALL BUILDINGS
Trends in numbers
Tall buildings worldwide (Over 200m)
Growth since 2017
Tall buildings completed in 2025
GLOBALLY
The world has been getting taller for several decades
The number and height of tall buildings – defined as those over 200m - is increasing in both established high-rise markets as well as those that are newer to building upwards.
The Council on Vertical Urbanism (CVU) records 2,583 tall buildings globally – a number that has doubled since 2017. 141 were completed in 2025 and a similar number are expected in 2026.
The economic case for building skywards has been made and largely won, with many global markets now recognising the value not only in terms of individual real estate assets, but increasingly through the part that they can play in sustainable urban densification.
SENTIMENT
Caution and discipline
Although the overall trend is climbing, completions are slightly down from a 2023 peak, and a record number are on hold. 259 are paused across the world, of which 193 are in China. While many have made substantial construction progress and are likely to restart, this reflects a more cautious and disciplined global environment for high-rise.
Investment is gravitating to markets with strong fundamentals – and it’s vital to learn from best practice and show that projects are set up for success and built to last.
LANDSCAPE
Progress and recalibration across key hubs
The environment for tall building construction is more complex than ever – with high demand for state-of-the-art assets meeting with skill shortages, funding challenges, more stringent safety regulations, and heightened geopolitical risks.
In this report, we spotlight six key cities to show how approaches to tall building construction are responding to local market contexts as well as common global challenges – striving for commercial success:
* Council on Vertical Urbanism Skyscraper Index 2025
** Turner & Townsend Global Construction Market Intelligence
† Council on Vertical Urbanism
New York
Long a high-rise hub, is still innovating, with its pencil-thin residential blocks overlooking Central Park and its contribution of the tallest building completion in 2025 - the JP Morgan Chase Global Headquarters on Park Avenue.
Mumbai
Now has thousands of tall buildings in various planning stages against a backdrop of rapid urbanisation, and a need to improve standards of living in a city gridlocked by traffic.
Dubai
Is seeing a ‘race to the sky’, reflected across the Middle East, with the mega-tall Burj Azizi under construction, second in height only to Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Tower.
Tokyo
Is responding to shifting macroeconomic and geopolitical trends, with rising construction costs and a post-pandemic shift away from commercial blocks to multi-use complexes.
Seoul
Is responding to competition for global corporate occupiers and luxury international residents is driving a focus on high-quality specifications and greater sustainability credentials – with tighter safety and energy regulations.
London
A historically lower-rise city, has seen rapid acceleration this century, and is where we can clearly see the changing trends of tall building typology over time.
EFFICIENCY
Doing more with less
The environment for tall building construction is more complex than ever – with high demand for state-of-the-art products combating with skill shortages, funding challenges, more stringent safety regulations, and heightened geopolitical risks.
The industry is being asked to do more with less – which is a perfect opportunity to learn from global knowledge and leverage the inherent attributes of towers to unlock viabilities and create successful neighbourhoods.
The fundamental metric for commercial success remains the value:cost relationship. In this report we combine expert insight with our sector-leading data to help clients find the right balance for their projects.
Common commercial challenges for tall building markets
- Sustained, heightened construction costs.
- Inflationary backdrop, increased interest rates and difficult financing conditions.
- Constrained supply chains and skills shortages, driving up prices for labour/materials.
- Pervasive uncertainty, adding to risk premiums.
- Competitive tendering conditions for clients looking to access Tier 1 contractors.
Market experience - project coverage
EXPERTS
“Tall buildings offer higher rewards but come with higher risks. They need to satisfy so many more environmental, urban, social, safety and commercial imperatives”.
Sir Stuart Lipton London Property Developer
EXPERTS
“When well designed, tall buildings create the scale and concentration that support better amenities, stronger public transport, active ground floors, public realm improvements, and the critical mass that makes cities more productive, connected, and enjoyable.
Delivering such buildings successfully demands skill, experience, and clear responsibility. Quality, safety, speed of delivery, and cost control are all heavily dependent on capable practitioners who can manage complexity, reduce risk, and turn ambition into practical, buildable reality.”
Sir Stuart Lipton London Property Developer
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