Dubai began construction work on Monday on a tower that will stand higher than its Burj Khalifa, which stands at 828m and is currently the world's tallest skyscraper.

The building - simply named The Tower - "will be the world's tallest tower when completed in 2020", said a statement issued by Dubai developer giant Emaar Properties at a launch ceremony.

Emaar Properties has not revealed the exact final height of the tower, but said it will be "a notch" higher than Burj Khalifa.

The firm said in April that the structure will cost around US$1 billion (S$1.38 billion).