2017 Sets Records for Geographical Diversity, Number, and Height of Skyscrapers

More buildings of 200 meters (656 feet) in height or taller were completed in 2017 than in any other year, with a total of 144 completions, marking the fourth consecutive record-breaking year. This was an increase of 95 percent from 2013 when only 74 buildings of 200 meters or more were completed. The total number of 200-meter buildings in the world is 1,319, an increase of 12.3 percent from 2016 and a 402 percent increase from 2000 when only 263 existed. …

2014 Was Impressive, and 2015 Will Be Even More So

If construction completion is used as the main basis of comparison, it is hard to conclude anything other than the global tall-building industry is burgeoning, seemingly despite emerging signs of global economic doldrums. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has determined that 97 buildings of 200-meter (656-foot) height or greater were completed around the world in 2014 – a new record. …

By all appearances, the small increase in the total number of tall-building completions from 2012 into 2013 is indicative of a return to the prevalent trend of increasing completions each year over the past decade. Perhaps 2012, with its small year-on-year drop in completions, was the last year to register the full effect of the 2008/2009 global financial crisis, and a small sigh of relief can be let out in the tall-building industry as we begin 2014. …