This list ranks currently operating Ferris wheels and observation wheels by their total structural height above the ground, in meters and feet, using figures published by the wheels’ operators, engineering sources, or Wikipedia. Height here means the height of the hub (the wheel’s center axle) above the ground, plus the radius of the rim, since the topmost point of the wheel sits one radius above the hub, not the altitude a rider reaches in a cabin, which is slightly lower.
Ain Dubai leads at 250 m (820 ft), and the gap to second place is unusually large: the next-tallest wheel, the High Roller on the Las Vegas Strip at 167.6 m (550 ft), is more than 80 m shorter. After that, heights drop off in smaller increments, with several Chinese wheels built in the 2010s and 2020s clustered between 120 and 145 m.
The Full Ranking
Figures below are structural height in meters and feet, current as of 2026; several wheels tie at the same published height.
| # | Name | Location | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ain Dubai | Bluewaters Island, Dubai, UAE | 250 m (820 ft) |
| 2 | High Roller | Las Vegas Strip, Nevada, USA | 167.6 m (550 ft) |
| 3 | Singapore Flyer | Marina Centre, Singapore | 165 m (541 ft) |
| 4 | Bailang River Bridge Ferris Wheel | Weifang, Shandong, China | 145 m (476 ft) |
| 5 | Sun of Moscow | VDNKh, Moscow, Russia | 140 m (459 ft) |
| 6 | London Eye | South Bank, London, UK | 135 m (443 ft) |
| 7 | Squirrel Windmill | Wuhu, Anhui, China | 133 m (436 ft) |
| 8 | Bay Glory | Qianhai Bay, Shenzhen, China | 128 m (420 ft) |
| 9 | Sky Dream | Lihpao Land, Taichung, Taiwan | 126 m (413 ft) |
| 10 | The Orlando Eye by Merlin Entertainments | ICON Park, Orlando, Florida, USA | 122 m (400 ft) |
| 11 | Vinpearl Sky Wheel | Nha Trang, Vietnam | 120 m (394 ft) |
| 12 | Melbourne Star | Docklands, Melbourne, Australia | 120 m (394 ft) |
| 13 | Tianjin Eye | Yongle Bridge, Tianjin, China | 120 m (394 ft) |
Ain Dubai’s Lead, and Its Rocky History
Ain Dubai opened on Bluewaters Island in October 2021 as the tallest Ferris wheel built to date, overtaking the High Roller by more than 80 m. It carries riders in 48 cabins arranged around a single rim supported by four massive legs, a design that let engineers push height well past the 160-170 m range where the previous record holders had topped out.
The wheel’s record is real but its operating history has been uneven: it closed in March 2022 for what operators called periodic enhancements, then stayed shut, with its German safety certifier withdrawing certification in 2023 while the axle sat wrapped in scaffolding. It reopened to the public on December 26, 2024, and has had at least one further precautionary closure since, including one in March 2026. Anyone planning a visit around its height record should check current ticket availability, since a wheel this size has a track record of extended downtime.
How Height Is Measured, and Where Claims Get Fuzzy
Most entries on this list are conventional spoked or cable-supported wheels, where the published height is the height of the hub above the ground plus the radius of the rim, that is, half the wheel’s overall diameter, since the rim’s topmost point extends only one radius beyond the hub. The Bailang River Bridge Ferris Wheel in Weifang breaks the usual wheel design: it is a centerless, non-rotating structure built onto a highway bridge, where passenger cars crawl around a fixed ring rather than the whole wheel turning. It is usually counted among Ferris wheels in height rankings, but it works more like a cable car loop bent into a circle.
Marketing language adds confusion on top of that. Several operators, past and present, have called their wheel the ‘world’s largest,’ a claim that sometimes means tallest, sometimes means heaviest, and sometimes refers to a now-closed or never-completed project like the New York Wheel. This list sticks strictly to structural height and excludes wheels that are closed, demolished, or were never finished. The Star of Nanchang (160 m), the record holder from 2006 to 2008 and formerly China’s tallest wheel, falls into that category: it has been closed for upgrades since early November 2026 with no reopening date announced, so it is left off this ranking for now. Japan’s largest wheel, the Osaka Wheel at Expocity in Suita, is excluded for the same reason: it is currently closed for maintenance with no reopening date announced as of this writing.
Notable Entries and Planning Notes
Several wheels further down this list have had their own disruptions. The Melbourne Star closed in September 2021 and sat idle for roughly five years before reopening on October 15, 2026, under new operators. The Orlando wheel at ICON Park has been renamed multiple times since it opened in 2015, most recently back to The Orlando Eye under Merlin Entertainments; travelers searching for ‘ICON Orlando’ or ‘The Wheel at ICON Park’ are looking at the same structure.
China accounts for a large share of the wheels in the 120-145 m range, reflecting a wave of observation-wheel construction tied to riverfront and waterfront redevelopment projects over the past two decades. Among those with published figures, the tallest cluster outside China and the Middle East sits in the 120-170 m band, led by Las Vegas and Singapore.
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Ride with your glasses on and keep them. Many parks allow glasses on rides if they're strapped, so check the ride rules first.
Small enough to ride with on most coasters, big enough for a phone, card and keys. Two zippers mean nothing falls out upside down.
A fan and a mist in one, rechargeable. Very popular in queue lines once the afternoon sun hits.
Tallest Ferris Wheels in the World FAQs
What is the tallest Ferris wheel in the world?
Ain Dubai, on Bluewaters Island in Dubai, is the tallest at 250 m (820 ft). It opened in October 2021 and reopened to the public on December 26, 2024, after an extended closure for repairs.
How much taller is Ain Dubai than the Las Vegas High Roller?
Ain Dubai is about 82.4 m (270 ft) taller than the High Roller, which stands 167.6 m (550 ft) on the Las Vegas Strip. That is roughly a 49% height difference between the world’s first- and second-tallest operating Ferris wheels.
Is the London Eye still one of the tallest Ferris wheels in the world?
Yes, at 135 m (443 ft) the London Eye still ranks among the tallest operating wheels, though it has not held the height record since 2006, when it was passed by the Star of Nanchang in China.
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Photo: anoldent / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.