Largest Statue in the world: As of 2023, the tallest statue in the world is the Statue of Unity, situated in India. This colossal monument stands at a towering height of 182 meters (597 feet) and pays tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, a prominent leader in India’s struggle for independence. The statue is prominently located along the banks of the Narmada River in the state of Gujarat, India.
Largest Statue in the world
1 – Statue of Unity, India
The Statue of Unity is the world’s tallest statue, with a height of 182 metres (597 feet), located near Kevadia in the state of Gujarat, India.
| Statue of Unity FACTS | |
| Country | INDIA |
| State | GUJURAT |
| Location | Narmada river, Kevadia, Narmada district |
| Height | 182 metres (597 feet) |
| In Memory of | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, first deputy prime minister and home minister of independent India. Also known as the “IRON MAN OF INDIA”. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is highly respected for his leadership in uniting the 562 princely states of India to form the Union of India. |
| Sculptor | Ram V. Sutar, a Padma Bhushan Awardee, who has created over 40 monumental sculptures over the past 40 years was designated as the sculptor for the Statue of Unity. |
| Facts | 70,000 metric tonnes of cement, 18,500 metric tonnes of reinforcement bars and 6,000 metric tonnes of structural steel. The surface area of about 22,500 square metres has been clad with around 1,700 metric tonnes of bronze. |
| The Statue of Unity is the world’s tallest statue, with a height of 182 metres (597 feet) which is almost double the height of the Statue of Liberty, USA. | |
| The Statue of Unity has a viewing gallery at 135 metres, which can accommodate up to 200 visitors at a time and offers an expansive view of the dam and the surrounding beautiful mountain ranges of Satpuda and Vindhyachal. | |
| The Statue of Unity was built in just 46 months. | |
| Statue of Unity is capable of withstanding wind velocity up to 50 metre/second (180 kilometre/hour speeds) and vibration. The statue has been designed for seismic Zone IV as an earthquake resistant structure. | |
| The thickness of the bronze cladding on the Statue is 8 mm. | |
| The diameter of the button on the vest of the Statue is 1.1 metre. | |
| The height of the toe of the Statue of Unity measures 3.6 metre. | |
| Narendra Modi announced the project on 7 October 2013 to mark the beginning of his tenth year as the chief minister of Gujarat | |
| Ground-breaking ceremony of Statue of Unity on October 31, 2013 | |
| construction started in October 2013 by Indian company Larsen & Toubro, with a total construction cost of ₹27 billion (US$422 million) | |
| inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, on 31 October 2018, the 143rd anniversary of Patel’s birth | |
| Project execution by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta Trust (SVPRET) | |
| Total Height: 240 m (790 ft) | |
| BASE: 58 m (190 ft) | |
| Statue Height: 182 m (597 ft) | |
| The height of 182 metres was specifically chosen to match the number of seats in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly | |
| The project took 57 months to complete – 15 months for planning, 40 months for construction and 2 months for handing over by the consortium | |
| The total cost of the project was estimated to be about ₹2,063 crore (equivalent to ₹33 billion or US$410 million in 2023) by the Government | |
| L&T commenced the construction on 31 October 2014 | |
| In the first phase of the project, ₹1,347 crore was earmarked for the main statue, ₹235 crore for the exhibition hall and convention centre, ₹83 crore for the bridge connecting the memorial to the mainland and ₹657 crore for the maintenance of the structure for a duration of 15 years after its completion. | |
| L&T employed over 3000 workers and 250 engineers in the statue’s construction. The core of the statue used 210,000 cubic metres (7,400,000 cu ft) of cement and concrete, 6,500 tonnes of structural steel, and 18,500 tonnes of reinforced steel. The outer façade is made up of 1,700 tonnes of bronze plates and 1,850 tonnes of bronze cladding which in turn consists of 565 macro and 6000 micro panels. The bronze panels were cast in Jiangxi Tongqing Metal Handicrafts Co. Ltd (the TQ Art foundry) in China as facilities large enough for such casting were unavailable in India.[29][30][10] The bronze panels were transported over sea and then by road to a workshop near the construction site where they were assembled | |
| The statue and its surroundings occupy more than 2 hectares (4.9 acres) | |
2 – Spring Temple Buddha, China
- Statue Height: 128 m (420 ft.)
- Total height: 208m (682 ft.)
- Location: Lushan, Henan
- Country: China
- Depiction: Buddha (Vairocana)
- Year of completion: 2008
It is the world’s second tallest statue and formed in the centre of a lotus-shaped seat. The monument stands atop a slope that has been altered to make two more pedestals. World’s tallest statue 2008–2018. Stands on a 19.3 m (63 ft) lotus throne, and other stacked base platforms of various height. 208 m (682 ft) total monument height.
3 – Laykyun Sekkya, Myanmar
- Statue Height: 115.8 m (380 ft.)
- Total height: 129.2m (424ft)
- Location: Khatakan Taun, near Monywa, Sagaing Division, Mynmar
- Country: Myanmar
- Depiction: Buddha (Gautama)
- Year of completion: 2008
This statue stands on a 13.41 m (44 ft.) lotus throne and the total height of the sculpture is 129.2 m (424 ft.). The construction of this statue began in 1996 and lasted 12 years. In February 2008, the monument became formally open to the public.
4 – Statue of Belief (Vishwas Swaroopam), India
- Statue Height: 106 m (348 ft.)
- Total height: 112m (367ft.)
- Location: Nathdwara, Rajasthan
- Country: India
- Depiction: Lord Shiva
- Year of completion: 2020
This status is the world’s tallest Shiva statue with a base of 33 m (108 ft.), thus the total height of the sculpture is 112 m (367 ft.).
5 – Ushiku Daibutsu, Japan
- Statue Height: 100 m (330 ft.)
- Total height: 120m (390ft.)
- Location: Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture
- Country: Japan
- Depiction: Buddha (Amitabha)
- Year of completion: 1993
It was the highest statue in the world from 1993-2008. The statue is made of bronze and depicts Amitabha Buddha. It was created to commemorate the birth of Shinran, the founder of Buddhism’s “True Pure Land School.” Stands on a 10 m (33 ft) lotus throne and 10 m (33 ft) pedestal/building. 120 m (394 ft) total monument height.
6 – Sendai Daikannon, Japan
- Height: 100 m (330 ft.)
- Location: Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture
- Country: Japan
- Depiction: Kannon (Avalokitesvara)
- Year of completion: 1991
It was the world’s highest statue from 1991-1993. This is Japan’s highest goddess statue
7 – Guishan Guanyin, China
- Height: 99m (325 ft.)
- Location: Weishan Changsha, Hunan
- Country: China
- Depiction: Guanyin- Eleven-headed Thousand-armed Guanyin
- Year of completion: 2009
The gilt bronze statue shows Guanyin with eleven heads and thousands of arms. This shows a bodhisattva who empodies all Buddhas’ compassion.
8 – Thailand’s Great Buddha, Thailand
- Height: 93 m (305 ft.)
- Location: Ang Thong
- Country: Thailand
- Depiction: Buddha (Gautama)
- Year of completion: 2008
The Great Statue of Buddha, also known as the Big Buddha, is the largest statue in Thailand, the second largest in Southern Asia and the seventh tallest in the world. This concrete statue of Buddha is painted in gold.
9 – Kita no Miyako park’s Dai Kannon, Japan
- Height: 88 m (289 ft.)
- Location: Ashibetsu, Hokkaido
- Country: Japan
- Depiction: Kannon (Avalokitesvara)
- Year of completion: 1989
It was the world’s largest statue from 1989-1991. This is the third highest monument in Japan and the ninth largest in the world, tied with the Grand Buddha at Ling Shan.
10 – Mother of All Asia- Tower of Peace, Philippines
- Height: 88m (289 ft.)
- Location: Pagkilatan, Batangas city
- Country: Philippines
- Depiction: Mary
- Year of completion: 2021
It is the Tallest statue in the Philippines and the tallest statue of the Virgin Mary in the world.
List of other tallest statues.