The last 30 years have seen a rapid growth in the number of supertall buildings across the world, with newly completed buildings continuing to rank among the tallest 100 every year. Chinese projects notably play a pivotal role in these constant updates. It is caused by the interweaving of population and urbanization, economic considerations, and further, a series of accompanying urban problems. This paper focuses on the world's 100 tallest buildings in the last 30 years, and compares this collection of projects across five years via the dimensions of height, distribution, function and structural material. The intention is to discuss and interpret the influence factors and developing trends, some of which have been apparent over a dozen years, while others are just beginning to take shape, thus to provide an opportunity to preview the types of supertall buildings in the future.