Height is the number everyone asks for and the one that is hardest to pin down. Surveys disagree, tiers are counted differently, and some of the world's tallest falls were measured once, decades ago, by someone with a barometer. So this is a ranking of the tallest waterfall we hold for each of 104 countries, not a claim about the tallest waterfall in each country, and where a country's entry looks wrong to you we would like to hear about it.
The top 25
- Angel Falls, Venezuela: 979 m
- Tugela Falls, South Africa: 948 m
- Tres Hermanas Falls, Peru: 914 m
- Oloʻupena Falls, United States: 900 m
- Vinnufossen, Norway: 845 m
- James Bruce Falls, Canada: 840 m
- Browne Falls, New Zealand: 836 m
- Raggaschlucht, Austria: 800 m
- Kanangra Falls, Australia: 800 m
- Geroldsau Waterfall, Germany: 800 m
- Humbert Falls, Madagascar: 800 m
- Mutarazi Falls, Zimbabwe: 772 m
- Aluoja Falls, Estonia: 700 m
- Kadamaian Falls, Malaysia: 700 m
- Oniore Waterfall and Toba First Cave Natural Monuments, Georgia: 680 m
- Cascade Blanche, France: 640 m
- Talnikovy Waterfall, Russia: 600 m
- Jiao Lung Waterfall, Taiwan: 600 m
- La Chorrera, Colombia: 590 m
- Seerenbach Falls, Switzerland: 585 m
- Movran, Bosnia and Herzegovina: 584 m
- Kisdon Force, United Kingdom: 500 m
- Curug Cipendok, Indonesia: 500 m
- Yerköprü Waterfall (Hadim district), Turkey: 500 m
- Hannoki Falls, Japan: 497 m
The full ranking, all 104 countries, is on the tallest in every country list. Below, the same data continent by continent.
Africa
South Africa: Tugela Falls (948 m); Madagascar: Humbert Falls (800 m); Zimbabwe: Mutarazi Falls (772 m); Democratic Republic of the Congo: Lofoi Falls (384 m); Mauritius: Tamarind Falls (250 m); Zambia: Kalambo Falls (235 m); Lesotho: Maletsunyane Falls (192 m); Ghana: Fuller Waterfalls (173 m); Namibia: Ruacana Falls (120 m); Morocco: Ouzoud Falls (110 m); Nigeria: Farin Ruwa Falls (108 m); Angola: Kalandula Falls (105 m); Uganda: Sipi Falls (95 m); Cameroon: Ekom-Nkam Falls (80 m); Kenya: Thomson's Falls (74 m); Guinea: Tinkisso Falls (70 m); Algeria: Kefrida Waterfall (50 m); Ethiopia: Blue Nile Falls (42 m); Republic of the Congo: Loufoulakari Falls (40 m); Libya: Derna waterfalls (20 m); Chad: Gauthiot Falls (17 m); Rwanda: Rusumo Falls (15 m); Benin: Tanougou Falls (15 m); Mali: Félou Falls (13 m).
South America
Venezuela: Angel Falls (979 m); Peru: Tres Hermanas Falls (914 m); Colombia: La Chorrera (590 m); Brazil: Cachoeira da Fumaça (340 m); Guyana: King Edward VIII Falls (260 m); Ecuador: San Rafael Falls (150 m); Argentina: Iguazú Falls (82 m); Uruguay: Salto del Penitente (60 m); Paraguay: Saltos del Monday (45 m); Chile: Salto del Laja (35 m).
North America
United States: Oloʻupena Falls (900 m); Canada: James Bruce Falls (840 m); Belize: Thousand Foot Falls (488 m); Mexico: Piedra Volada (453 m); Costa Rica: La Fortuna Waterfall (70 m); Jamaica: Dunn's River Falls (55 m); Honduras: Pulhapanzak Falls (43 m); Grenada: Tufton Hall Waterfall (25 m); Saint Lucia: Sault Falls (20 m); Haiti: Bassin Bleu (10 m).
Europe
Norway: Vinnufossen (845 m); Austria: Raggaschlucht (800 m); Germany: Geroldsau Waterfall (800 m); Estonia: Aluoja Falls (700 m); France: Cascade Blanche (640 m); Russia: Talnikovy Waterfall (600 m); Switzerland: Seerenbach Falls (585 m); Bosnia and Herzegovina: Movran (584 m); United Kingdom: Kisdon Force (500 m); Greece: Richtis Gorge (350 m); Cyprus: Adonis Baths (267 m); Latvia: Venta Rapid (249 m); Serbia: Kaluđerski Skokovi (232 m); Iceland: Morsárfoss (227 m); Spain: Nervión Waterfall (220 m); Italy: Cascate del Rio Verde (200 m); Ireland: Sruth in Aghaidh an Aird (150 m); Czech Republic: Pančava Waterfall (148 m); Faroe Islands: Fossá (140 m); North Macedonia: Korab Falls (138 m); Bulgaria: Raysko Praskalo (124 m); Finland: Kitsiputous (118 m); Slovenia: Boka Waterfall (106 m); Portugal: Risco waterfall (100 m); Sweden: Njupeskär (93 m); Slovakia: Kmeťov (80 m); Croatia: Plitvice Lakes Waterfalls (78 m); Poland: Siklawa Falls (70 m); Kosovo: White Drin Waterfall (25 m); Ukraine: Djur-Djur (16 m); Belgium: Waterfalls of Coo (15 m).
Asia
Malaysia: Kadamaian Falls (700 m); Georgia: Oniore Waterfall and Toba First Cave Natural Monuments (680 m); Taiwan: Jiao Lung Waterfall (600 m); Indonesia: Curug Cipendok (500 m); Turkey: Yerköprü Waterfall (Hadim district) (500 m); Japan: Hannoki Falls (497 m); India: Kunchikal Falls (455 m); Nepal: Hyatung Falls (365 m); Sri Lanka: Bambarakanda Falls (263 m); Lebanon: Baatara Gorge Waterfall (255 m); Thailand: Thi Lo Su Waterfall (250 m); Iran: Shahandasht Waterfall (180 m); South Korea: Towangseong Waterfall (150 m); Laos: Tad Fane Falls (120 m); Philippines: Maria Cristina Falls (98 m); China: Dadieshui Waterfall (88 m); Kazakhstan: Kairak falls (74 m); Armenia: Jermuk Waterfall (68 m); Bangladesh: Jadipai Waterfall (61 m); Pakistan: Manthokha Waterfall (55 m); Vietnam: Pongour Falls (40 m); Singapore: The Rain Vortex (40 m); Kyrgyzstan: Barskoon Waterfall (24 m); Azerbaijan: Khudger Waterfall (15 m).
Oceania
New Zealand: Browne Falls (836 m); Australia: Kanangra Falls (800 m); Vanuatu: Siri Waterfall (120 m); Solomon Islands: Tenaru Falls (63 m); Fiji: Tavoro Falls (24 m).
What the ranking shows
The pattern is geology. The very tall falls cluster where rivers meet a sudden edge: the sandstone tepuis of Venezuela and Guyana, the glacier-cut fjords of Norway, the basalt escarpment of the Drakensberg, the Himalayan front in Nepal and northern India, and the sea cliffs of Hawaii. Countries of old, worn-down rock, however wet, rarely make the top of the list; they make up for it with volume and width, which is a different ranking, on the widest waterfalls list.
