Over the last 200 years or so, following the Industrial revolution, the urban population has been growing. People have been flocking to cities, lured by promises of better jobs, more money, and improved quality of life. Experts estimate that this trend will need places to live, leading to a larger number of tall buildings and megacities.

BBC Science Focus magazine approached me to produce a visualization to show how the distribution and number of skyscrapers has changed over time. The visual charts the construction of recent and future tall buildings, organised by continent and size.