Country Guide · Honest Height Rankings
In Honest 100
15
Rank pending
0
Tallest (honest)
585.4m
Best ratio
1.7%
The United Arab Emirates has 16 buildings in the Honest 100 - second only to China. Almost all are in Dubai. The median Vanity Ratio for confirmed UAE buildings is approximately 18%, significantly above the global median. The range spans from Marina 101 at 12.7% to the Emirates Office Tower at 32.3%, with the Burj Khalifa - the world's tallest building - scoring 29.3% on a 828-metre frame that is occupied only to 585 metres. Dubai is also home to four of the world's highest observation decks.
Buildings ranked by Honest Height - the elevation of the highest occupied floor, not architectural top. The gap is the Vanity Ratio. See the full methodology.
Buildings in United Arab Emirates, drawn to scale
Each silhouette drawn to scale. Silver = the height humans actually reach. Amber = the decorative steel above it.
585m
honest
828m
“official”
+243m vanity
29.3% ratio
#1
honest
#1
“official”
Burj Khalifa
Dubai
374m
honest
381m
“official”
+7m vanity
1.7% ratio
#40
honest
#60
“official”
Elite Residence
Dubai
371m
honest
425m
“official”
+54m vanity
12.7% ratio
#45
honest
#33
“official”
Marina 101
Dubai
367m
honest
381m
“official”
+14m vanity
3.7% ratio
#47
honest
#58
“official”
Burj Mohammed bin Rashid
Abu Dhabi
357m
honest
413m
“official”
+57m vanity
13.6% ratio
#53
honest
#39
“official”
Princess Tower
Dubai
345m
honest
356m
“official”
+11m vanity
3.0% ratio
#63
honest
#84
“official”
Il Primo Tower
Dubai
344m
honest
358m
“official”
+14m vanity
3.9% ratio
#65
honest
#80
“official”
City Tower 1
Dubai
314m
honest
393m
“official”
+79m vanity
20.2% ratio
#80
honest
#47
“official”
23 Marina
Dubai
300m
honest
352m
“official”
+52m vanity
14.7% ratio
#84
honest
#91
“official”
Marina Torch
Dubai
298m
honest
355m
“official”
+57m vanity
16.1% ratio
#86
honest
#85
“official”
JW Marriott Marquis Dubai Tower 1
Dubai
298m
honest
355m
“official”
+57m vanity
16.1% ratio
#87
honest
#86
“official”
JW Marriott Marquis Dubai Tower 2
Dubai
279m
honest
360m
“official”
+81m vanity
22.4% ratio
#95
honest
#75
“official”
Almas Tower
Dubai
276m
honest
356m
“official”
+80m vanity
22.4% ratio
#97
honest
#81
“official”
Gevora Hotel
Dubai
275m
honest
370m
“official”
+95m vanity
25.7% ratio
#98
honest
#68
“official”
Kempinski The Boulevard Dubai
Dubai
240m
honest
355m
“official”
+115m vanity
32.3% ratio
#102
honest
#87
“official”
Emirates Office Tower
Dubai
Top 5 in United Arab Emirates · Confirmed occupied height
1
Burj Khalifa
Dubai · AE
Vanity
29.3%
40
Elite Residence
Dubai · AE
Vanity
1.7%
45
Marina 101
Dubai · AE
Vanity
12.7%
47
Burj Mohammed bin Rashid
Abu Dhabi · AE
Vanity
3.7%
53
Princess Tower
Dubai · AE
Vanity
13.6%
Ranks 6-15 in United Arab Emirates
Il Primo Tower
Dubai · AE
345m
3.0% vanity
City Tower 1
Dubai · AE
344m
3.9% vanity
23 Marina
Dubai · AE
313.5m
20.2% vanity
Marina Torch
Dubai · AE
300.1m
14.7% vanity
JW Marriott Marquis Dubai Tower 1
Dubai · AE
298.1m
16.1% vanity
JW Marriott Marquis Dubai Tower 2
Dubai · AE
298.1m
16.1% vanity
Almas Tower
Dubai · AE
279.3m
22.4% vanity
Gevora Hotel
Dubai · AE
276.3m
22.4% vanity
Kempinski The Boulevard Dubai
Dubai · AE
275m
25.7% vanity
Emirates Office Tower
Dubai · AE
240.4m
32.3% vanity
The UAE chose height as a policy instrument, and the buildings reflect that. When you build a city from scratch in a desert, you have fewer constraints on what the top of a building needs to do. The spires here are not antennas (mostly) - they are design choices. At 29.3%, the Burj Khalifa's vanity gap is 242.6 metres of steel nobody lives in. That is taller than most buildings on Earth. That is the architectural choice that defined a decade of supertall design globally.