Dubai’s Burj Khalifa has dominated the global skyline for more than 16 years. But its reign as the world’s tallest building is moving closer to an end.
Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Tower has now reached its 116th floor and a height of around 466 metres, according to Jeddah Economic Company CEO Fabien Toscano. The developer is currently targeting completion in late 2028.
Once finished, the tower is planned to rise beyond 1,000 metres, comfortably surpassing the Burj Khalifa, which stands at 828 metres.
Gulf Business reports that 41 of the planned 157 floors remain to be constructed. The new timetable represents a delay from an earlier August 2028 target, but construction has accelerated significantly since work resumed.
The project had been stalled for years before returning to active construction. In October 2024, Jeddah Economic Company signed a SAR 7.2 billion agreement with Saudi Binladin Group to complete the skyscraper. At that stage, 63 floors had been built.
By March 2026, construction had reached the 91st floor. The latest milestone of 116 floors means another 25 floors were added in roughly six months.
Jeddah Tower is designed to become far more than a record breaking skyscraper. Plans include a Four Seasons hotel, luxury residences, offices and an observation deck overlooking the Red Sea. The tower will also serve as the centrepiece of the wider Jeddah Economic City development.
The project has another striking connection to Dubai. Architect Adrian Smith, who designed the Burj Khalifa while at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, is also behind the design of Jeddah Tower through Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture.
For now, Burj Khalifa remains the undisputed tallest completed building on Earth. But if Jeddah Tower reaches its planned height and the latest construction timetable holds, the global skyscraper record will eventually move from Dubai to Jeddah.
And for travellers, the Gulf could soon have a new record breaking landmark competing for a place on their itineraries.
