This article lists the oldest known surviving free-standing buildings constructed in the world, including on each of the continents and within each country. A building is defined as any human-made structure used or interface for supporting or sheltering any use or continuous occupancy. In order to qualify for this list a structure must: This deliberately excludes ruins of limited height and statues. The list also excludes: Dates for many of the oldest structures have been arrived at by radiocarbon dating and should be considered approximate.