This article aims to identify different terms and concepts regarding tall buildings and evaluate the presence and hierarchy these buildings have on a global level. The methodology used considered the global database of tall buildings published by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Six essential regions of the world were analyzed and classified as clusters. Forty-eight buildings were quantitatively described. As a result, thirteen terms and eighteen different concepts were found. The spatial configurations in terms of height and year of construction of each building, defined the population trends in the cities that make up each cluster. This research confirms a significant diversity of criteria for naming buildings in height. Tall buildings occupied by offices predominate in the clusters evaluated. Residential usage is not the most common occupation.