Malaysia is home to one of the largest congregations of skyscrapers in the world. The country ranks fourth in the global list compiled by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), with 518 recorded structures built exceeding the height of . The country's first skyscraper was built in Kuala Lumpur in 1978, and since then the city has one of the tallest skylines in the world. Besides Kuala Lumpur and its surrounding metropolitan area, most Malaysian skyscrapers are built either in George Town or Johor Bahru. Since 2023, Merdeka Maybank in Kuala Lumpur has been the tallest skyscraper in Malaysia. Built with an architectural height of , it contains the tallest observatory installed in a spire and is currently the world's second tallest building or man-made structure.
Malaysia's history with skyscrapers originated from construction booms in Kuala Lumpur between the 1970s and 1980s, where architectural height records were constantly broken and surpassed. In 1971, the 28-storey Sime Bank Building (currently Takaful Building) was the first building to exceed . In 1978, the Bank Muamalat Building became the first skyscraper in the country under the definitions of the CTBUH. In 1985, the 65-storey Komtar in George Town became the first skyscraper to exceed in height. The Petronas Towers, a pair of 88-storey supertall skyscrapers located in the Kuala Lumpur City Centre, were the tallest skyscrapers in the world from 1998 to 2004, and remains the tallest twin skyscrapers in the world as of 2023.
Currently, Malaysia has 419 completed structures above , 90 structures above , and eight structures above in architectural height.
List of tallest completed structures This list ranks completed and topped-out buildings in Malaysia that stand at least tall, based on standard height measurement which includes spires and architectural details, but excludes antenna masts. An equal sign (=) following a rank indicates the same height between two or more buildings. An approximation sign (≈) indicates an estimated height measurement from CTBUH. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a building was or will be completed.
List of tallest buildings under construction, approved or proposed Under construction
Proposed
Timeline of tallest buildings This lists commercial buildings that once held the title of tallest building in Malaysia. As of , the title of tallest building in Malaysia is held by Merdeka 118, the second-tallest building and structure in the world, behind the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE.
Buildings with this sign (*) indicate that they have been demolished.
Name Image City Years as Tallest Years Architectural heightm (ft) Roof heightm (ft) Floors Coordinates Notes Sultan Abdul Samad Building Kuala Lumpur 1897–1942 45 years 40 (131) 3 Formerly known simply as Government Offices in its early years Sultan Ibrahim Building Johor Bahru 1942–1960 18 years 60 (196) 5 Lee Yan Lian Building Kuala Lumpur 1960–1963 3 years 73 (239) 18 The first high-rise building Malaysian Houses of Parliament 1963–1971 8 years 77 (252) 20 The first high-rise building, which was built after independenceThe Straits Times: Architect who has evolved own style over the years, 2 November 1963, page 1; accessed 23 February 2014The Straits Times: The big step forward, 2 November 1963, page 1; accessed 23 February 2014 Takaful Tower 1971–1973 2 years 110 (361) 28 Formerly known as Bangunan Sime Bank. The first high-rise building over 100 m (328 ft) Crowne Plaza Mutiara KL* 1973–1978 5 years 130 (427) 36 Formerly known as KL Hilton. Demolished in 2013 Bumiputra Commerce Tower 1978–1980 2 years 150.5 (493) 34 Also known as Menara Bank Muamalat. The first skyscraper in Malaysia DBKL Tower 1 1980–1983 3 years 35 Also known as Menara DBKL 1 KH Tower 1983–1984 1 year 152 (499) 36 Formerly known as Promet Tower, also the first all-glass curtain wall building in Malaysia. Dayabumi Complex 1984–1985 157 (515) 35 Dato' Onn Tower 1985–1986 175 (574) 40 Komtar George Town 1985–1988 3 years 65 Second tallest in Asia when topped out. In 2016, 3 more floors were added, raising its height to 248.7 metres. Maybank Tower Kuala Lumpur 1988–1998 10 years 55 The first skyscraper exceeding 200 m in Kuala Lumpur (656 ft) Petronas Twin Towers 1998–2019 21 years 88 The tallest building in the world from 1998 to 2004 and remain the tallest twin towers in the world The Exchange 106 2019–2023 4 years 95 Merdeka Maybank 2023–present 3 years 118 The second-tallest building in the world and tallest in Southeast Asia, The first skyscraper exceeding 500 m and 600 m in Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia.
List of cities with the most skyscrapers This is a list of the 10 cities and towns with the highest number of completed or topped out skyscrapers exceeding 300m, 200m and 150m in height respectively, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).
Rank State/Federal territory City Image300m+200m+ 150m+ 1 Kuala Lumpur 774 201 2 Johor Bahru 5 36 3 George Town 4 38 4 Petaling Jaya 2 14 5 Ampang Jaya 14 6 Bentong 5 6 7 Shah Alam 3 10 8 Malacca 5 9 Sepang 5 10 Subang Jaya 4
List of tallest buildings by state and federal territories
State / Federal territory Name Image Height (m & ft) Floors Status Started Completion Location Notes The Astaka Tower A 72 2014 2017 Johor Bahru Tallest building in Malaysia outside Kuala Lumpur Assana Serviced Suites 39 2023 2026 Langkawi Part of the Tropicana Cenang development ARIKA Kubang Kerian 42 2023 2026 Kubang Kerian Kelantan's current tallest building and structure Silverscape Residences 45 2014 2017 Malacca City - Mesahill Premier Tower A 45 2021 2023 Nilai Negeri Sembilan's first skyscraper Wyndham Ion Majestic 50 2020 2023 Genting Highlands Malaysia's highest altitude hotel KOMTAR Tower 68 1974 1985 George Town First building to surpass in Malaysia The Venus Residence 35 2017 2019 Seri Manjung - MAIPs Complex 16 2021 2026 Kangar - Jesselton Twin Towers 56 2019 2023 Kota Kinabalu The tallest building in Kota Kinabalu and Borneo Island The Peak Condominium 34 2014 2019 Bintulu - Pinnacle Petaling Jaya 38 2014 2016 Petaling Jaya Tallest building and structure in Selangor MBKT Tower 30 2014 2021 Kuala Terengganu Kuala Terengganu City Council's headquarters Merdeka Maybank 118 2014 2023 City Centre World's second tallest building University of Malaysia Sabah Labuan International Campus 15 1997 1999 Sungai Pagar - KPWKM Tower 39 2006 2011 Presint 8 Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development's headquarters
See also List of tallest buildings in the world List of tallest buildings by city List of tallest buildings in Kuala Lumpur List of tallest buildings in George Town List of tallest buildings in Johor Bahru List of tallest buildings in Kota Kinabalu Senarai bangunan tertinggi di Kuching
References
External links SkyscraperPage.com