World's largest dams

By height

name type¹ date of

completion river country height (m)

Nurek E 1980 Vakhsh Tajikistan 300

Grande Dixence G 1961 Dixence Switzerland 285

Inguri A 1980 Inguri Georgia 272

Vaiont² A 1961 Vaiont Italy 262

Chicoasen ER 1980 Grijalva Mexico 261

Tehri ER 2002³ Bhagirathi India 261

Mauvoisin A 1957 Drance de Bagnes Switzerland 250

Guavio ER 1989 Guavio Colombia 246

Sayano-Shushenskoye AG 1989 Yenisey Russia 245

Mica ER 1973 Columbia Canada 242

Ertan A 1999 Yalong (Ya-lung) China 240

Chivor ER 1957 Batá Colombia 237

By volume

name type¹ date of

completion river country volume

(000 cubic m)

Syncrude Tailings E N/A --⁴ Canada 750,000

New Cornelia Tailings E 1973 Ten Mile Wash U.S. 209,500

Tarbela ER 1977 Indus Pakistan 106,000

Fort Peck E 1937 Missouri U.S. 96,050

Lower Usuma E 1990 Usuma Nigeria 93,000

Tucurui EGR 1984 Tocantins Brazil 85,200

Ataturk ER 1990 Euphrates Turkey 84,500

Guri (Raúl Leoni) EGR 1986 Caroní Venezuela 77,971

Oahe E 1958 Missouri U.S. 66,517

Gardiner E 1968 Saskatchewan Canada 65,400

Mangla E 1967 Jhelum Pakistan 65,379

Afsluitdijk E 1932 IJsselmeer Netherlands 63,430

By size of reservoir

name type¹ date of

completion river country reservoir capacity

(000 cubic m)

Owen Falls G 1954 Victoria Nile Uganda 2,700,000,000⁵

Kakhovka EG 1955 Dnieper Ukraine 182,000,000

Kariba A 1959 Zambezi Zimbabwe-Zambia 180,600,000

Bratsk EG 1964 Angara Russia 169,270,000

Aswan High ER 1970 Nile Egypt 168,900,000

Akosombo ER 1965 Volta Ghana 153,000,000

Daniel Johnson M 1968 Manicouagan Canada 141,852,000

Guri (Raúl Leoni) EGR 1986 Caroní Venezuela 138,000,000

Krasnoyarsk G 1967 Yenisey Russia 73,300,000

W.A.C. Bennett E 1967 Peace Canada 70,309,000

Zeya B 1978 Zeya Russia 68,400,000

Cahora Bassa A 1974 Zambezi Mozambique 63,000,000

By power capacity

name type¹ date of

completion river country installed capacity

(megawatts)

Itaipú EGR 1982 Paraná Brazil-Paraguay 12,600

Guri (Raúl Leoni) EGR 1986 Caroní Venezuela 10,300

Grand Coulee G 1941 Columbia U.S. 6,480

Sayano-Shushenskoye AG 1989 Yenisey Russia 6,400

Krasnoyarsk G 1967 Yenisey Russia 6,000

Churchill Falls E 1971 Churchill Canada 5,428

La Grande 2 R 1978 La Grande Canada 5,328

Bratsk EG 1964 Angara Russia 4,500

Ust-Ilim R 1977 Angara Russia 4,320

Tucurui EGR 1984 Tocantins Brazil 4,200

Ilha Solteira ... 1973 Paraná Brazil 3,200

Tarbela ER 1977 Indus Pakistan 3,478

¹Key: A, arch; B, buttress; E, earth fill; G, gravity; M, multi-arch; R, rock fill.

²Vaiont Dam was the scene of a massive landslide and flood in 1963 and no longer operates.

³Diversion tunnels closed and reservoir filling begun December 2002.

⁴Impounds settling reservoir for fine tailings in oil sands operation near Fort McMurray, Alberta.

⁵Most of this reservoir is a natural lake.

Source: International Water Power and Dam Construction Yearbook (1996).