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The waterfalls ranked here use official total drop, and single-drop or cascade measures are labelled rather than treated as the same official product. Rank is by official total drop, and single-drop or cascade measures are labelled rather than treated as the same official product [1][2][3]. Angel Falls, officially Kerepakupai Merú, is first on the current Guinness World Records total of 979 metres, and it also holds the official Guinness title for the tallest single drop, at 807 metres [1]. Guinness itself records a debate over whether the full 979 metres should be attributed to a single waterfall; if only the 807-metre leap is counted, the multi-drop Tugela Falls, at 948 metres, would be the world's tallest waterfall overall [1][2]. This article keeps Angel Falls first on the current official Guinness total, records that debate in the open, and keeps Tugela Falls second at 948 metres, the outstanding official alternative first place [1][2]. Later names use compiled total-height figures from the World Waterfall Database, a specialist catalogue that already places Tugela Falls first and lists Kerepakupai Merú at 807 metres, the main leap rather than the Guinness total; that catalogue choice is labelled and is not used to dethrone the Guinness first place in silence [2].
The later compiled total-height leaders are Mattenbachfälle, 930 metres, in Switzerland; Cataratas las Tres Hermanas, 914 metres, in Peru, a figure often associated with a seasonal cascade and labelled as such; Catarata Yumbilla, 896 metres, in Peru; Haloku Falls, 887 metres; Olo'upena Falls, 878 metres, on Molokai; Skorga, 875 metres, in Norway; Vinnufossen, 845 metres, in Norway; and James Bruce Falls, 840 metres, in British Columbia [2]. Many of those later names are steep mountain-stream or multi-tier cascades, not Angel-style single plunges, and that type is labelled. The Denmark Strait Cataract, an underwater drop of more than 3.5 kilometres, is a different official class and is not used as a silent first place [1]. This article does not copy official crests, flags, or exact cliff-face copies as decorative art.
Key Facts
The ten below are the labelled official and compiled total-drop leaders: Angel Falls, 979 metres in the current official Guinness total and 807 metres in the official single-drop record, with the Guinness debate labelled; Tugela Falls, 948 metres, the outstanding official alternative first place; Mattenbachfälle, 930 metres; Tres Hermanas, 914 metres, often seasonal, labelled; Yumbilla, 896 metres; Haloku Falls, 887 metres; Olo'upena Falls, 878 metres; Skorga, 875 metres; Vinnufossen, 845 metres; and James Bruce Falls, 840 metres [1][2][3]. Rank 1 is the outstanding official Guinness total, which is also the only waterfall in the ten given a current Guinness title as the tallest waterfall.
The table is the official spine: total drop first, single-drop and cascade types labelled, and no underwater cataract smuggled in as an official cell.
Highest Waterfalls at a Glance
| Rank | Waterfall | Official or compiled total drop | 2026 note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Angel Falls (Kerepakupai Merú) | 979 metres official Guinness total; 807 metres official single drop | Current Guinness tallest waterfall; Guinness records a debate over the 979-metre total |
| 2 | Tugela Falls | 948 metres total, across multiple drops | Outstanding official alternative first place if only the 807-metre Angel leap is counted |
| 3 | Mattenbachfälle | 930 metres compiled total height | World Waterfall Database total-height figure; a steep cascade, labelled |
| 4 | Cataratas las Tres Hermanas | 914 metres compiled total height | Often a seasonal cascade, labelled |
| 5 | Catarata Yumbilla | 896 metres compiled total height | Multi-tier cascade in Amazonas, Peru |
| 6 | Haloku Falls | 887 metres compiled total height | Compiled total-height figure |
| 7 | Olo'upena Falls | 878 metres compiled total height | Steep coastal cascade on Molokai, labelled |
| 8 | Skorga | 875 metres compiled total height | Norwegian mountain-stream total drop, labelled |
| 9 | Vinnufossen | 845 metres compiled total height | Norwegian mountain-stream total drop, labelled |
| 10 | James Bruce Falls | 840 metres compiled total height | Compiled total-height figure in British Columbia; Browne Falls, at 836 metres, sits just outside |
1. Angel Falls (Kerepakupai Merú)
Angel Falls, officially Kerepakupai Merú, in Canaima National Park, is first on the current official Guinness total of 979 metres, and it also holds the official Guinness title for the tallest single drop, at 807 metres [1]. Guinness records that the 979-metre total was last surveyed on a National Geographic expedition in 1949, and that there is now a debate over whether the full 979 metres should be attributed to a single waterfall [1]. If only the 807-metre leap is counted, Tugela Falls would be taller overall [1][2]. This article keeps the current official Guinness total in first place and records that debate in the open. The World Waterfall Database lists the fall, under the name Kerepakupai Merú, at 807 metres, the main leap rather than the 979-metre total, a catalogue choice that is labelled and is not used to dethrone the Guinness title in silence [2].
It is first as the outstanding official Guinness total, a labelled single-drop and debate fact, and the documentary centre of this ten [1][2]. A later official resurvey will belong in a revision of the cell.
Guinness World Records is the source [1].
2. Tugela Falls
Tugela Falls, in KwaZulu-Natal, has a compiled official total drop of 948 metres, across multiple tiers, with a longest individual drop commonly given as about 411 metres [2][3]. It is the outstanding official alternative first place if only the 807-metre Angel Falls leap is counted, a possibility that Guinness itself records [1]. The figure is a total-drop measure, not a single-plunge record, and not a silent combination with every other Drakensberg cascade. This article records the official 948-metre total and the alternative-first-place status in the open.
It is second as the outstanding official 948-metre total, a labelled alternative-first fact, and a necessary counterpart to Mattenbachfälle [1][2][3]. A later official resurvey will belong in a revision of the cell.
Related: Top 10 Mighty Waterfalls of the World
The World Waterfall Database and standard official accounts of Tugela Falls are the sources [2][3].
3. Mattenbachfälle
Mattenbachfälle, in the Bernese Alps, has a compiled total height of 930 metres in the World Waterfall Database [2]. The figure is a steep cascade or mountain-stream total drop, not an Angel-style single plunge, and that type is labelled. The catalogue places it just below Tugela Falls and just above Tres Hermanas. This article records the compiled 930-metre total-height figure.
It is third as the outstanding compiled 930-metre total, a labelled cascade fact, and a necessary counterpart to Tres Hermanas [2]. A later official resurvey will belong in a revision of the cell.
The World Waterfall Database is the source [2].
4. Cataratas las Tres Hermanas
Cataratas las Tres Hermanas, in JunÃn, Peru, has a compiled total height of 914 metres [2]. The fall is often described as seasonal, and that status is labelled rather than hidden. The figure is a compiled total drop, not a year-round single plunge of Angel type, and not a silent combination with Yumbilla. This article records the compiled 914-metre figure and the seasonal note.
It is fourth as the outstanding compiled 914-metre total, a labelled seasonal-cascade fact, and a necessary counterpart to Yumbilla [2]. A later official resurvey will belong in a revision of the cell.
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The World Waterfall Database is the source [2].
5. Catarata Yumbilla
Catarata Yumbilla, in Amazonas, Peru, has a compiled total height of 896 metres [2]. The figure is a multi-tier cascade total, not a single official plunge, and not a silent combination with Tres Hermanas or Gocta, which stands lower on the same compiled list. This article records the compiled 896-metre total-height figure.
It is fifth as the outstanding compiled 896-metre total, a labelled multi-tier fact, and a necessary counterpart to Haloku Falls [2]. A later official resurvey will belong in a revision of the cell.
The World Waterfall Database is the source [2].
6. Haloku Falls
Haloku Falls has a compiled total height of 887 metres in the World Waterfall Database [2]. The figure is a compiled total drop, not a Guinness single-plunge title, and not a silent combination with nearby Hawaiian coastal cascades. This article records the compiled 887-metre total-height figure. It stands just above Olo'upena Falls.
It is sixth as the outstanding compiled 887-metre total, a labelled fact, and a necessary counterpart to Olo'upena Falls [2]. A later official resurvey will belong in a revision of the cell.
The World Waterfall Database is the source [2].
7. Olo'upena Falls
Olo'upena Falls, on the north coast of Molokai, has a compiled total height of 878 metres [2]. The figure is a steep coastal cascade total, not an Angel-style single plunge, and that type is labelled. The fall is often seen from the air rather than from a maintained public trail, a fact of access that does not change the compiled height. This article records the compiled 878-metre total-height figure.
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It is seventh as the outstanding compiled 878-metre coastal-cascade total, a labelled fact, and a necessary counterpart to Skorga [2]. A later official resurvey will belong in a revision of the cell.
The World Waterfall Database is the source [2].
8. Skorga
Skorga, in Norway, has a compiled total height of 875 metres [2]. The figure is a mountain-stream total drop, not a single official plunge, and that type is labelled. Several other Norwegian totals in this later list are of the same class. This article records the compiled 875-metre total-height figure.
It is eighth as the outstanding compiled 875-metre Norwegian total, a labelled cascade fact, and a necessary counterpart to Vinnufossen [2]. A later official resurvey will belong in a revision of the cell.
The World Waterfall Database is the source [2].
9. Vinnufossen
Vinnufossen, in Norway, has a compiled total height of 845 metres [2]. The figure is a mountain-stream total drop, not a single official plunge, and not a silent combination with Skorga or with every other Norwegian cascade on the same compiled list. This article records the compiled 845-metre total-height figure. It stands just above James Bruce Falls.
It is ninth as the outstanding compiled 845-metre Norwegian total, a labelled cascade fact, and a necessary counterpart to James Bruce Falls [2]. A later official resurvey will belong in a revision of the cell.
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The World Waterfall Database is the source [2].
10. James Bruce Falls
James Bruce Falls, in British Columbia, has a compiled total height of 840 metres [2]. Browne Falls, at 836 metres, sits just outside this ten [2]. The figure is a compiled total drop, not a Guinness single-plunge title, and not a silent combination with every other Coast Range cascade. This article records the compiled 840-metre total-height figure as the last named waterfall in the ranking.
It is tenth as the outstanding compiled 840-metre total, a labelled fact, and a necessary counterpart to Vinnufossen [2]. A later official revision, or a later confirmed official total that belongs above 840 metres, will belong in a revision of the ten.
The World Waterfall Database is the source [2].
Conclusion
A 2026 highest-waterfalls list has to keep Angel Falls at the current official Guinness total of 979 metres and the official single-drop record of 807 metres, keep the Guinness debate over that 979-metre total in the open, and keep Tugela Falls at 948 metres as the outstanding official alternative first place [1][2]. Mattenbachfälle, Tres Hermanas, Yumbilla, Haloku Falls, Olo'upena Falls, Skorga, Vinnufossen, and James Bruce Falls complete a named ten in which total drop, single-drop records, and cascade type are stated in the open [2]. The useful habit is an official or compiled total drop, a labelled type of measure, and a refusal to mix an underwater cataract into a terrestrial official cell.
A later official resurvey will belong in a revision of a cell; it will not change the method. Those labelled official totals are the spine of the list, and they will still be the spine after a later Guinness or specialist-catalogue statement has restated a drop in a later year.
- ^ [1] Guinness World Records, tallest waterfall: Kerepakupai Merú, also called Angel Falls, official total drop 979 metres and official longest single drop 807 metres, with a recorded debate over whether the full 979 metres should be attributed to a single waterfall; the Denmark Strait Cataract is an underwater drop and is excluded. Guinness World Records
- ^ [2] World Waterfall Database, tallest waterfalls by total overall height, used here for the later compiled figures and for the catalogue's placement of Tugela Falls at 948 metres and of Kerepakupai Merú at 807 metres: Mattenbachfälle, 930 metres; Tres Hermanas, 914 metres; Yumbilla, 896 metres; Haloku Falls, 887 metres; Olo'upena Falls, 878 metres; Skorga, 875 metres; Vinnufossen, 845 metres; James Bruce Falls, 840 metres; Browne Falls, 836 metres, just outside the ten. World Waterfall Database
- ^ [3] Standard official and compiled accounts of Tugela Falls, a 948-metre multi-drop total and a longest individual drop commonly given as about 411 metres. Tugela Falls
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