The following table lists the largest man-made dams by volume of fill/structure. By general definition, a dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams, hence tailings dams are relegated to a separate list. Data on volume of structure is not as easily available or reliable as data on dam height and reservoir volume.
Type: TE - Earth; ER - Rock-fill; PG - Concrete gravity; CFRD - Concrete face rock fill; AG - Arch-gravity.
Rank
Name
Country
Year completed
Structure volume [106 m3 ]
Structure height [m]
Reservoir volume [109 m3 ]
Installed capacity [MW]
Type
1
Tarbela Dam [ 1]
Pakistan
1976
153
143
13.7
4,888
TE/ER
2
Fort Peck Dam [ 2]
United States
1940
96
76.4
23
185
TE
3
Atatürk Dam [ 3]
Turkey
1990
84.5
166
48.7
2,400
TE/ER
4
Houtribdijk
Netherlands
1968
78[ 4]
13
2[ 5]
0
TE/ER
5
Oahe Dam [ 2]
United States
1963
70.3
75
29
786
TE/ER
6
Mangla Dam
Pakistan
1967
65.4
147
7.25
1,000
TE or TE/ER
7
Gardiner Dam [ 6]
Canada
1967
65.4
64
9.4
186
TE
8
Oroville Dam
United States
1968
59.6
230
4.36
819
TE/ER
9
San Luis Dam (BF Sisk Dam)
United States
1967
59.6
93
2.52
424
TE
10
Nurek Dam
Tajikistan
1980
54
300
10.5
3,200
TE
11
Samara Dam
Russia
1955
54[ 4]
52
57.3
2,315
TE or ER
12
Garrison Dam [ 2]
United States
1954
50.8
64
29
583.3
TE
13
Cochiti Dam
United States
1975
50.2
76.5
0.73
NA
TE
14
Aswan Dam [ 7]
Egypt
1970
44.3
111
169
2,100
TE/ER
15
W. A. C. Bennett Dam
Canada
1968
43.7
186
7.4
2,876
TE
16
San Roque Dam
Philippines
2003
40[ 8]
200
0.835
345
TE or ER
17
Fort Randall Dam [ 2]
United States
1953
38.2
50.3
6.7
320
TE/ER
18
Afsluitdijk
Netherlands
1932
36.5[ 4]
13
5.5
0
TE/ER
19
Kölnbrein Dam
Austria
1979
35.2
200
0.2
1,028.5
TE
21
Guri Dam
Venezuela
1978
29.8
162
135
10,235
PG/ER
22
Three Gorges Dam
China
2008
27.4[ 9]
181
39.3
22,500
PG
23
Indira Sagar Dam
India
2005
12.2
92
9.75
1,000
PG
List of largest tailings dams
Type: TE - Earth; ER - Rock-fill; PG - Concrete gravity; CFRD - Concrete face rock fill.
See also
References
Africa Asia Australasia Europe North America South America
Structural extremes
Tallest Largest Longest