The 25 best skylines in the world (ranked!)

Every city in the world has a unique skyline. But is it possible to say which is the best?

International building database Emporis attempts to quantify skylines by looking at the number and height of buildings in the world's major cities. The result is an ever-changing ranking of the world's most impressive cityscapes.

To rank skylines, Emporis looks at completed skyscrapers (40 floors or more) and high-rises (12-39 floors), and assigns each building a point value based on its floor count. Taller buildings receive significantly higher values (see Emporis' complete methodology here). TV towers, masts, bridges, and other structures are excluded.

Moscow jumped from 11th place to 4th place year over year, and Shanghai overtook São Paulo in the current ranking.