Now, the very interesting thing about this updated list of tallest flagpoles in the world, is that number 1 hasn't changed. As you'd expect, the trend has generally been that someone takes out first place, then a few years later someone else builds a taller one that takes out first place and pushes everyone down a spot. However, the last two flagpoles to make their way into the top 10 in the world, have only taken out second and third place. How interesting.
Usually I'd do this list from bottom to top, working from 10th place to 1st place, however in this case, it feels right to start at 1st place. So here goes:
1. Cairo – 202m high
Still the tallest in the world, more than 20m taller than its newest closest competitor, the New Administrative Capital of Cairo's flagpole was completed in December 2021. That means it's already been in first place for almost three years, which definitely isn't the longest that someone has had this claim, but it's longer than a lot! Jeddah, who Cairo took the title from, had it for eight years. Dushanbe before that only had it for just over three years, and Azerbaijan who Dushanbe overtook, only ended up having it for less than one year after they finally fixed all the issues and got it finished. Second and third place have been taken out by new entries to this competition, but noone's managed to get ahead of this one yet.
2. Baku, Azerbaijan – 191m high
"That's odd," you might be thinking. "Wasn't Baku already on this list with 162m high flagpole?" Yes, they most certainly were! And if you've done a bit of a scroll before reading in detail, you might notice that that flagpole has disappeared from further down this list.
First completed and unveiled in 2007, taking out first place in this list and shoving Dushanbe down to second place, Baku's first attempt at a tallest flagpole was rife with challenges and controversy. The day after the President's original opening speech, the flag itself tore badly in the wind and was removed to be replaced. Then over the course of the next four years until its eventual "successful" unveiling, there were constant issues with it "sagging" and being unable to withstand the wind. Not only had residents controversially been cleared from the land that was turned into National Flag Square, but remaining nearby residents were evacuated for several months at one point because of the danger of the sagging flagpole.
Eventually in 2017 the flag was removed for the last time, and in 2018 the pole itself was dismantled. You could say that this flagpole is so far the biggest story of failure in the world of tallest flagpoles. However, they've turned it around and are not bowing out that easily. Just this month, in August 2024, the second tallest flagpole in the world has now been unveiled in Baku. They're 11m off first place though, so I think that ship has probably sailed for them for the time being. But still, second place isn't too bad!
3. St. Petersburg, Russia – 175m high x 3
Yes, you read that right - this is actually a trio of flags, all on poles 175m high. I do find it interesting that they didn't just aim for first place in terms of height, coming in at second place when they were first completed, however, this trio certainly holds claim to its own impressive record - tallest trio of flags. Unveiled in a spectacular opening ceremony in June 2023, with a motivational speech from Putin of course, the flags are that of the current Russian Federation, the Soviet Union and the Russian Empire. Paid for by Gazprom, not the government itself, this project (not unexpectedly so) has had a lot of backlash and has been subject to constant speculation.
It'll be interesting to see whether this trio of flags will spark a new era in the battle of tallest flagpoles, where the competition expands to other multi-pole claims, or if this will just remain a one-off. Let's wait and see!
4. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – 171m high
All the way down the list in fourth place now, this flagpole managed to hang on to the record for almost eight years. Actually, that in itself might be a record! First raised in 2014, there were several different claims as to what the exact height was, ranging from 170 to 175m. However, at the time I did say "I’m sure when the next one overtakes we’ll find out for sure the exact height." That actually wasn't the case as such though, since Cairo, who was next to take first place, beat it by 30m, so it didn't really matter. However, now that St. Petersburg's trio of flags has entered the race at 175m, we had to find out a bit more specifically where Jeddah really landed. And it's shorter than each of the trio! Just a tiny flagpole, really.
If you'd like to see this former Number 1, check out our tours of Saudi .
5. Dushanbe, Tajikistan – 165m high
Good old Tajikistan, retaining a spot on the list, but slowly being pushed down. Knocking out Azerbaijan in 2011, Tajikistan’s 165m flagpole is actually a pretty cool place to visit, and next time you’re in Dushanbe I’d recommend putting it on your to-do-list. Of course this is a staple on any SAIGA tour of Tajikistan !
For more information on the other flagpoles in contention for this much saught after title, have a look at my other blogs in this series:
1. The World's Tallest Flagpoles , February 2022 - a full description of the Top 10, as they were at the time.
2. Update to the List of the the World's Tallest Flagpoles , April 2022 - a summary of the new Top 10, as they were at the time.
