Dam Height Comparison (Structural Meters)
What is the tallest dam? Compare 15 dam structural heights, from Jinping-I 305 m to Laxiwa 250 m. Guinness and ICOLD list data. All 15 dam heights ranked.
Visual comparison
All values
Click any row to load it as Entry A.
| Name | Value | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jinping-I Dam 305 m. Top row here. Taller than Eiffel Tower. | 305 m (1,000.7 ft) | Arch dam, China, Yalong 2013 | Guinness highest dam: Jinping-I 305 m; Wikipedia tallest dams: Jinping-I 305 m 2013 |
| Nurek Dam 300 m. Tallest embankment dam. | 300 m (984.3 ft) | Embankment dam, Tajikistan 1980 | Wikipedia tallest dams: Nurek 300 m 1980; WorldAtlas: Nurek 300 m |
| Lianghekou Dam 295 m. Newest giant here. | 295 m (967.8 ft) | Embankment dam, China 2021 | Wikipedia tallest dams: Lianghekou 295 m 2021 |
| Xiaowan Dam 292 m. Britannica lists 295 variant. | 292 m (958 ft) | Arch dam, China, Lancang 2010 | Wikipedia tallest dams: Xiaowan 292 m 2010; WorldAtlas: 292 m; Britannica 295 variant noted |
| Baihetan Dam 289 m. Second newest here. | 289 m (948.2 ft) | Arch dam, China, Jinsha 2021 | Wikipedia tallest dams: Baihetan 289 m 2021 |
| Xiluodu Dam 285.5 m. Half over Dixence. | 285.5 m (936.7 ft) | Arch dam, China, Jinsha 2013 | Wikipedia tallest dams: Xiluodu 285.5 m 2013; WorldAtlas: 285.5 m |
| Grande Dixence Dam 285 m. Tallest gravity dam. | 285 m (935 ft) | Gravity dam, Switzerland 1964 | Wikipedia tallest dams: Grande Dixence 285 m 1964; WorldAtlas: 285 m |
| Enguri Dam 271.5 m. Tallest outside China here. | 271.5 m (890.7 ft) | Arch dam, Georgia 1978 | Wikipedia tallest dams: Enguri 271.5 m 1978; WorldAtlas: 271.5 m |
| Yusufeli Dam 270 m. Coruh river giant. | 270 m (885.8 ft) | Arch dam, Turkey 2021 | Wikipedia tallest dams: Yusufeli 270 m 2021 |
| Vajont Dam 261.6 m. Disused since 1963 slide. | 261.6 m (858.3 ft) | Arch dam, Italy 1959 disused | WorldAtlas tallest dams: Vajont 261.6 m disused; Wikipedia: Vajont 261.6 m |
| Nuozhadu Dam 261.5 m. One decimeter under Vajont. | 261.5 m (857.9 ft) | Embankment dam, China 2012 | WorldAtlas tallest dams: Nuozhadu 261.5 m 2012; Wikipedia: Nuozhadu 261.5 m |
| Chicoasen Dam 261 m. Only Americas row here. | 261 m (856.3 ft) | Embankment dam, Mexico 1980 | WorldAtlas tallest dams: Chicoasen 261 m 1980 |
| Tehri Dam 260.5 m. Tallest Indian dam. | 260.5 m (854.7 ft) | Embankment dam, India 2006 | WorldAtlas tallest dams: Tehri 260.5 m 2006 |
| Mauvoisin Dam 250 m. Ties Laxiwa. | 250 m (820.2 ft) | Arch dam, Switzerland 1957 | WorldAtlas tallest dams: Mauvoisin 250 m 1957 |
| Laxiwa Dam 250 m. Lowest row here. | 250 m (820.2 ft) | Arch dam, China, Yellow River 2009 | WorldAtlas tallest dams: Laxiwa 250 m 2009 |
About this converter
Dam heights run 250 to 305 m in this table. Jinping-I leads at 305, Nurek follows at 300, Lianghekou 295, Xiaowan 292, Baihetan 289, Xiluodu 285.5 and Grande Dixence 285. Enguri sits at 271.5, Yusufeli 270, Vajont 261.6 disused, Nuozhadu 261.5, Chicoasen 261 and Tehri 260.5. Mauvoisin and Laxiwa close at 250 each. One Jinping-I matches one and two tenths of a Mauvoisin. China holds nine of fifteen rows. Every figure here is the structural height per ICOLD lists.
How to use it
Pick two dams and a unit in the top row. The three boxes below stay linked. Change any box and the other two update. Try 1 Jinping-I against Tehri to see the 305 versus 260.5 gap in meters or feet.
Values are structural heights with Xiaowan 295 variants noted beside the pinned 292. Vajont stays rowed as disused since the wall still stands after 1963. Usoi natural dam at 567 stays out because landslide walls are not built structures. Future Rogun at 335 stays out until complete. Reservoir volumes and turbine megawatts stay out because this page compares wall heights only.
FAQ
What is the tallest dam?
Jinping-I at 305 m in Sichuan, China. Guinness confirms it 5 m over the Eiffel Tower.
What is the tallest embankment dam?
Nurek at 300 m in Tajikistan. Lianghekou follows at 295.
What is the tallest gravity dam?
Grande Dixence at 285 m in Switzerland. It held the world record before Nurek.
Is any dam taller than Jinping-I?
No. Usoi at 567 m is a 1911 landslide wall, not a built structure. Rogun at 335 stays out until complete.
Sources
- Guinness highest dam (Jinping-I 305 m, Yalong River, impoundment 2008)
- Wikipedia list of tallest dams (Jinping-I 305 through Laxiwa 250 m, types and completion years, Usoi 567 natural noted)
- WorldAtlas tallest dams (Jinping-I 305 through Laxiwa 250 m ranks) and Britannica largest dams (Jinping-I 305, Nurek 300, Xiaowan 295 variant, Xiluodu 286, Dixence 285)
Last verified: 2026-10-02 · 15 entries
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