When will the construction of Jeddah Tower be complete?

TL;DR

My median date for a construction-complete declaration is April 2029. I assign 38% probability to completion by December 31, 2028, 67% by December 31, 2029, 81% by December 31, 2030, and 4.2% after December 31, 2037. The August 2028 target is credible because the restart is real, but a one-year slip is the central case because the tower was still just over 400 meters and near the 104th floor in June 2026 (Zawya/Refinitiv, Jun. 22 2026).

Context

Jeddah Tower is active again after a long pause. On October 2, 2024, Kingdom Holding said Jeddah Economic Company had signed a SAR 7.2 billion agreement with Saudi Binladin Group to resume the tower, with about SAR 1.1 billion already paid for earlier work, 63 of 157 floors complete, and an anticipated 42-month construction period funded through internal resources and bank facilities (Kingdom Holding, Oct. 2 2024). MEED then reported that concrete pouring was set to resume on January 20, 2025, with Saudi Binladin Group carrying out the works and the superstructure about one-third complete at 63 of 157 floors (MEED, Jan. 20 2025).

The latest high-quality progress data still points to a 2028 target, but not to an easy finish. Kingdom Holding's April 2026 investor deck put the tower at Level 99, about 398 meters, with 274,000+ cubic meters of concrete poured, about 61% of total concrete, façade cladding installed across 36+ floors, MEP first-fix work in progress across office Levels 7-14, and about 6,000 workers operating around the clock (Kingdom Holding 1Q 2026 presentation). Thornton Tomasetti said on April 20, 2026 that the tower had surpassed 100 floors and 400 meters, while a June 22, 2026 Zawya/Refinitiv report said it was near the 104th floor, just over 400 meters, and still on track for August 2028 (Thornton Tomasetti, Apr. 20 2026; Zawya/Refinitiv, Jun. 22 2026).

Evidence

The historical backbone is that very tall towers do finish, but the last phase is slow. In the completed 500-meter-plus reference class, the gap from top-out or exterior structural completion to completion or opening is often about one to two years, and stalled prestige towers can sit for much longer. I used this reference class mainly to size the right tail, not to override the live Jeddah schedule.

The Jeddah-specific record is more important than the generic class because the project has both a signed restart contract and a history of missed dates. The full public schedule history I used is below.

The vendor trail supports real completion intent. KONE announced on October 8, 2025 that it had booked a third-quarter 2025 order for 67 elevators and escalators for Jeddah Tower, including UltraRope systems and two JumpLift construction-time elevators (KONE, Oct. 8 2025). That reduces the probability of abandonment, but it also underlines why the last phase is complex.

I modeled the date as a mixture. I assign 0.3% before 2028, because completion before then would require a very loose interpretation of "complete." For the remaining mass, I used a 35% official-target component centered on September 15, 2028, a 34% normal-slip component centered on June 15, 2029, a 17.5% slow/CTBUH component centered on August 1, 2030, a 9.7% major-interruption tail starting January 1, 2031, and a 3.5% discrete after-2037 or never-completed tail. The resulting year probabilities are 38% in 2028, 29% in 2029, 14% in 2030, 15% in 2031-2037, and 4.2% after 2037.

What's non-obvious

Most coverage treats "100 floors" as if the tower is close to done. Kingdom Holding's own April 2026 data says the opposite: the tower was at Level 99 and 61% of total concrete, but cladding was installed across only 36+ floors and MEP first-fix work was only across office Levels 7-14 (Kingdom Holding 1Q 2026 presentation). The visible core can keep rising while the completion date is still set by façade, vertical transport, MEP, fire/life-safety, spire, and formal close-out.

The other non-obvious point is that the restart is more credible than earlier hope, but not enough to make 2028 the median. The 42-month contract, audited 2028 receivable, KONE order, and 6,000-worker site point to a real push to finish (Kingdom Holding, Oct. 2 2024; KHC 2025 financial statements; KONE, Oct. 8 2025; Kingdom Holding 1Q 2026 presentation). But CTBUH's 2030 entry and the June 2026 report of just-over-400-meter height are strong enough outside-view signals to move the median into 2029 (CTBUH Skyscraper Center; Zawya/Refinitiv, Jun. 22 2026).

Limitations

The largest uncertainty is the resolution definition. This question resolves on the earliest clear statement that tower construction is complete, not on first occupancy or completion of the whole Jeddah Economic City development. If the developer or major media call the tower "construction complete" after exterior close-in while interior fit-out continues, this distribution is too late; if sources wait for a ceremonial opening or CTBUH recognition, it is too early.

The public record is also thin after April 2026. The latest primary progress snapshot I found is Kingdom Holding's April 2026 presentation, and the latest useful public progress report I found before the July 4, 2026 forecast date is the June 22, 2026 Zawya/Refinitiv summary of project-manager comments (Kingdom Holding 1Q 2026 presentation; Zawya/Refinitiv, Jun. 22 2026). Private data on façade fabrication, elevator installation, concrete pumping above current height, Saudi Binladin cash flow, inspections, and commissioning would move the forecast most.