Oldest people
The following tables list only the verified oldest people in ordinal rank, such as oldest person or oldest man. A supercentenarian is considered "verified" if their claim has been accepted by an international body that specifically deals in longevity research, such as the Gerontology Research Group or the Guinness Book of World Records. The longest unambiguously documented lifespan is that of Jeanne Calment of France (1875–1997), who died aged 122 years and 164 days. She met Vincent van Gogh at age 14.[1] This led to her being noticed by the media in 1988, at age 113.[citation needed] Subsequent investigation found that her life was documented in the records of her native city of Arles beyond reasonable question.[citation needed] More evidence for the Calment case has been produced than for any other supercentenarian case, which makes her case a standard among the oldest people recordholders.[citation needed] This is contrasted with the now-disputed claim of age 120 for the oldest man ever, Shigechiyo Izumi. While this case is currently still recognized by Guinness World Records, the Japanese authorities have hinted that his age was not certain.[2] Since the death of Edna Parker on 26 November 2008, the oldest living person is 115 year-old Maria de Jesus of Portugal, who was born on 10 September 1893. She is the only verified surviving person who was born in 1893.[3] The oldest living man is 113 year-old Tomoji Tanabe of Japan, born on 18 September 1895.
Chronology of oldest living people (since 1955)
The following is a list of the people who have held the title of oldest recognized person in the world since 1955 (the year Guinness Records began recording). The list does not recount the originally published lists, but the corrected chronology. For example, the age of Betsy Baker was not independently verified until the 2000s.
Chronology of oldest living men (since 1961)
Guinness World Records has maintained the category of oldest living man intermittently over the years, only establishing it as a permanent feature in the year 2000. Persons listed prior to 2000 are based on an historical reconstruction by reliable bodies specializing in gerontology.
Chronology of oldest living women (since 1955)
The 25 verified oldest people ever (115+)
Rank | Name | Age | Born | Died | Sex | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jeanne Calment | 122 years 164 days | 21 February 1875 | 4 August 1997 | F | Oldest person ever verified. French. |
2 | Shigechiyo Izumi | 120? years 237 days | 29 June 1865? | 21 February 1986 | M | Oldest male ever verified. Japanese. Disputed (may have been 105). |
3 | Sarah Knauss | 119 years 97 days | 24 September 1880 | 30 December 1999 | F | Oldest American ever verified and oldest living person verified 1998-1999. |
4 | Lucy Hannah | 117 years 248 days | 16 July 1875 | 21 March 1993 | F | Oldest African American ever verified. |
5 | Marie-Louise Meilleur | 117 years 230 days | 29 August 1880 | 16 April 1998 | F | Oldest Canadian ever verified and oldest living person verified 1997-1998. |
6 | María Capovilla | 116 years 347 days | 14 September 1889 | 27 August 2006 | F | Oldest Ecuadorian ever verified and oldest living person verified 2004-2006. |
7 | Tane Ikai | 116 years 175 days | 18 January 1879 | 12 July 1995 | F | Oldest Japanese woman ever verified. |
8 | Elizabeth Bolden | 116 years 118 days | 15 August 1890 | 11 December 2006 | F | Oldest living person verified 2006. American. |
9 | Carrie White | 116? years 88 days | 18 November 1874? | 14 February 1991 | F | Oldest living person verified 1988-1991. American. Disputed (may have been 102). |
10 | Kamato Hongo | 116? years 45 days | 16 September 1887? | 31 October 2003 | F | Oldest living person verified 2002-2003. Japanese. Disputed (may have been 115). |
11 | Maggie Barnes | 115 years 319 days | 6 March 1882 | 19 January 1998 | F | American. Disputed (may have been 116 or 117). |
12 | Christian Mortensen | 115 years 252 days | 16 August 1882 | 25 April 1998 | M | - Oldest undisputed male ever verified. Danish immigrant to United States. |
13 | Charlotte Hughes | 115 years 228 days | 1 August 1877 | 17 March 1993 | F | Oldest Briton ever verified. |
14 | Edna Parker | 115 years 220 days | 20 April 1893 | 26 November 2008 | F | Oldest living person verified 2007-2008 American. |
15 | Margaret Skeete | 115 years 192 days | 27 October 1878 | 7 May 1994 | F | American. |
16 | Aniţica Butariu | 115? years 157 days | 17 June 1882? | 21 November 1997 | F | Oldest Romanian ever verified. Disputed. |
17 | Emiliano Mercado del Toro | 115 years 156 days | 21 August 1891 | 24 January 2007 | M | Oldest Puerto Rican ever verified and oldest living person verified 2006-2007. |
18 | Bettie Wilson | 115 years 153 days | 13 September 1890 | 13 February 2006 | F | American. |
19 | Julie Winnefred Bertrand | 115 years 124 days | 16 September 1891 | 18 January 2007 | F | Oldest living woman verified 2006-2007. Canadian. |
20 | Susie Gibson | 115 years 108 days | 31 October 1890 | 16 February 2006 | F | American. |
21 | Maria de Jesus | 131 years, 31 days | 10 September 1893 | Living | F | Oldest Portuguese person ever and oldest living person verified 2008-. |
22 | Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper | 115 years 62 days | 29 June 1890 | 30 August 2005 | F | Oldest Dutch person ever verified. |
23 | Maud Farris-Luse | 115 years 56 days | 21 January 1887 | 18 March 2002 | F | Oldest living person verified 2001-2002. American. |
24 | Marie Brémont | 115 years 42 days | 25 April 1886 | 6 June 2001 | F | Oldest living person verified 2000-2001. French. |
25 | Annie Jennings | 115 years 8 days | 12 November 1884 | 20 November 1999 | F | Briton. |
Oldest verified men ever (top 10)
Rank | Name | Age | Born | Died | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Shigechiyo Izumi | 120? years 237 days | 29 June 1865? | 21 February 1986 | Oldest male ever verified. Japanese. Disputed (may have been 105). |
2 | Christian Mortensen | 115 years 252 days | 16 August 1882 | 25 April 1998 | - Oldest undisputed male verified. Danish immigrant to United States. |
3 | Emiliano Mercado del Toro | 115 years 156 days | 21 August 1891 | 24 January 2007 | Oldest Puerto Rican verified and oldest living person verified 2006-2007. |
4 | Mathew Beard[8] | 114 years 222 days | 9 July 1870 | 16 February 1985 | Oldest American man verified. |
5 | Yukichi Chuganji | 114 years 189 days | 23 March 1889 | 28 September 2003 | Oldest undisputed Japanese man verified, and oldest living man verified 2002-2003. |
6 | Joan Riudavets | 114 years 81 days | 15 December 1889 | 5 March 2004 | Oldest Spaniard verified and oldest living man verified 2003-2004. |
7 | Fred H. Hale, Sr. | 113 years 354 days | 1 December 1890 | 19 November 2004 | Oldest living man verified 2004. American. |
8 | Moses Hardy | 113? years 335 days | 6 January 1893? | 7 December 2006 | American (disputed).[9][10] |
9 | Johnson Parks | 113 years 275 days | 15 October 1884 | 17 July 1998 | American. Oldest living man verified 1998. |
10 | John Ingram McMorran | 113 years 250 days | 19 June 1889 | 24 February 2003 | American. |
Oldest validated people currently living (top 10)
Please note that approximately 90% of all supercentenarians are women. This list is currently all female.
Rank | Name | Age as of 11 October 2024 | Sex | Born | Residence |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Maria de Jesus | 131 years, 31 days | F | 10 September 1893 | Oldest person in the world (since 26 November 2008). Lives in Santarém, Portugal |
2 | Gertrude Baines | 130 years, 188 days | F | 6 April 1894 | Lives in California, United States |
3 | Catherine Hagel | 129 years, 318 days | F | 28 November 1894 | Lives in Minnesota, United States |
4 | Beatrice Farve | 129 years, 164 days | F | 30 April 1895 | Lives in Georgia, United States |
5 | Kama Chinen | 129 years, 154 days | F | 10 May 1895 | Lives in Okinawa, Japan |
6 | Mary Josephine Ray | 129 years, 147 days | F | 17 May 1895 | Lives in New Hampshire, United States |
7 | Manuela Fernández-Fojaco | 129 years, 115 days | F | 18 June 1895 | Lives in Asturias, Spain |
8 | Olivia Patricia Thomas | 129 years, 104 days | F | 29 June 1895 | Lives in New York, United States |
9 | Neva Morris | 129 years, 69 days | F | 3 August 1895 | Lives in Iowa, United States |
10 | Chiyo Shiraishi | 129 years, 66 days | F | 6 August 1895 | Lives in Japan |
Oldest men currently living (top 10)
Rank | Name | Age as of 11 October 2024 | Born | Residence |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tomoji Tanabe | 129 years, 23 days | 18 September 1895 | Oldest man in the world (since 24 January 2007). Lives in Kyūshū, Japan |
2 | Henry Allingham | 128 years, 127 days | 6 June 1896 | Lives in England, United Kingdom. World War I Veteran |
George Francis | 128 years, 127 days | 6 June 1896 | Lives in California, United States | |
4 | Walter Breuning | 128 years, 20 days | 21 September 1896 | Lives in Montana, United States |
5 | Augusto de Oliveira | 128 years, 5 days | 6 October 1896 | Lives in Porto, Portugal |
6 | Jiroemon Kimura | 127 years, 175 days | 19 April, 1897 | Lives in Kansai, Japan |
7 | Kiyoshi Igarashi | 127 years, 70 days | 2 August, 1897 | Lives in Hokkaidō, Japan |
8 | Aarne Arvonen | 127 years, 68 days | 4 August 1897 | Lives in Finland. Finnish Civil War Veteran |
9 | Takashi Hattori | 126 years, 213 days | 12 March 1898 | Lives in Kantō, Japan. |
10 | Harry Patch | 126 years, 116 days | 17 June 1898 | Lives in England, United Kingdom. World War I Veteran |
Supercentenarians who died before 1955
Name | Born | Died | Age | Sex | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Thomas Peters | 1745 | 1857 | 111 years 354 days | M | Netherlands; earliest supercentenarian recognized by the Guinness Book of Records. |
Geert Boomgaard | 1788 | 1899 | 110 years 135 days | M | Netherlands; earliest supercentenarian recognized by some scholars. |
Margaret Neve | 1792 | 1903 | 110 years 321 days | F | Guernsey, Channel Islands |
Ann Pouder | 1807 | 1917 | 110 years 93 days | F | Born England, UK Died Nebraska, U.S. |
Louisa Thiers | 1814 | 1926 | 111 years 138 days | F | New York, U.S. |
Delina Filkins | 1815 | 1928 | 113 years 214 days | F | New York, U.S. |
Miriam Bannister | 1817 | 1928 | 111 years 21 days | F | Born England, UK Died Missouri, U.S. |
Demetrius Philipovitch | 1818 | 1928 | 110 years 150+ days | M | Yugoslavia |
Katherine Plunket | 1820 | 1932 | 111 years 327 days | F | Ireland |
Valgjer Svien | 1842 | 1953 | 110 years 105 days | F | Born Norway Died Minnesota, U.S. |
National longevity recordholders
Nation of death (oldest first)
Emigrant records (oldest first)
Note: listed for countries where an emigrant lived longer than any lifelong resident
Country | Age | Sex | Name | Born | Died | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Denmark | 115 years 252 days | M | Christian Mortensen | 16 August 1882 | 25 April 1998 | Died U.S. |
Portugal (Cape Verde) | 114 years 183 days | F | Adelina Domingues | 19 February 1888 | 21 August 2002 | Died U.S. |
German Empire | 114 years 180 days | F | Charlotte Benkner | 16 November 1889 | 14 May 2004 | Died U.S. |
French Algeria | 114 years 172 days | F | Anne Primout | 5 October 1890 | 26 March 2005 | Died France |
British India | 113 years 197 days | F | Lucy d'Abreu | 24 May 1892 | 7 December 2005 | Died UK |
Austria-Hungary | 112 years 332 days | F | Elizabeth Stefan | 13 May 1895 | 9 April 2008 | Died U.S. |
Morocco | 111 years 282 days | F | Consuelo Moreno-López | 5 February 1893 | 13 November 2004 | Died U.S. |
Greece | 110 years 341 days | M | Gregory Pandazes | 15 January 1873 | 22 December 1983 | Died U.S. |
Peru | 110 years 106 days | F | Julia Dougherty | 20 August 1893 | 4 December 2003 | Died U.S. |
Russian Empire | 110 years 33 days | F | Helen Czechowicz | 1 January 1896 | 3 February 2006 | Died U.S. |
Gerontology and the verification of age claims
Gerontology involves the tracking of the longest-lived proven individuals as the bio-markers of the human life span. The study of gerontology is usually credited to Michel Eugène Chevreul, a French chemist who died in 1889, aged 102. In the early years of the twenty first century gerontology is benefiting from the improvements in record-keeping in the industrialized world from the latter part of the nineteenth century. As a result, verification standards have evolved and multiple independent documentary confirmations of birth-date are now required to substantiate a claim, rather than evidence deriving only from the claimant. For claims that have not been satisfactorily confirmed by Guinness World Records, considered the authority, see longevity claims.
Current trends in the lifespans of the oldest humans
The population and lifespans of the world's oldest people are continually increasing due to improvements in health care and lifestyle during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and the increasing world population. Additionally, better record-keeping, both 100+ years ago and today, is increasing the percentage of the world's population whose age can be tracked and verified. This increase has been matched by efforts to harness these data. While in 1837 the oldest verified person was aged 108 years, it is now no longer unheard of for individuals, especially females, to have lived 110 years and more. The term supercentenarian has been coined to describe this emerging population group.
Oldest body part
The cornea of a man in Norway is the oldest living human body part, having survived over 123 years. The cornea was given to him as a transplant in 1958 after being donated by a man born in June 1885.[11]
References
- ^ Craig R. Whitney (1997-08-05). "Jeanne Calment, World's Elder, Dies at 122". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
- ^ Douglas Martin (2004-04-21). "Norris McWhirter, 78, Dies; A Matchless Record Keeper". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
- ^ Coles, Stephen (2008-08-07). "Validated Living Supercentenarians". Table E. Gerontology Research Group. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
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(help) - ^ Graham's exact birthday has been extrapolated from her claimed age at death.
- ^ Born in Great Paignton, Devon. Research by Andrew Walton and others at the Gerontology Research Group validated her case in September 2007[citation needed] as the world's oldest person from February 17, 1963, the death of her predecessor, Lovisa Svensson, until her own death. The original birth and death documents were located for Dart, who never married. Her death was covered by local newspapers, including page 5 of the October 9, 1963 Herald Express and page 12 of the October 12, 1963 Paignton Observer. She was said to have been in good shape until shortly before her death at age 108 years and 341 days.
- ^ First included in the 1970 Guinness Book of Records, she was the oldest recognized living person in the world between June 16, 1968 and her death, aged 111. She was reportedly alive in October 1968, but the exact date of her death is not known.
- ^ His grandson claims he lived until 115. See Dzugayev, K.G. (2006). "Южная Осетия в контексте российско-грузинских отношений (South Ossetia in the context of Russian-Georgian relations)". Bulletin of the Vladivkaz Institute of Management (in Russian) (19).
До 115 лет дожил и наш дед Хасако Дзугаев, также рассказывавший немало интересного и, как правило, поддающегося проверке исторической наукой.
- ^ Matthew Beard is recognized by the Social Security Administration as the oldest ever American-born man.
- ^ May have been born in 1894 and aged 112 at the time of his death.
- ^ Hoffman, Lisa (2006-11-15). "Meet the remaining WWI vets". ScrippsNews. Retrieved 2007-12-13.
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(help) - ^ Reuters Transplanted cornea in use for record 123 years, 23rd October 2008.
External links
- Louis Epstein: The Oldest Human Beings — list of validly-documented supercentenarians (by age and chronological), including a chronological list of the oldest living listed persons since 1955 (however, for a time in the 1960s the oldest living person did not officially reach 110).
- Supercentenarian tables at the Gerontology Research Group
- International Database on Longevity