List of the oldest people by country
National longevity recordholders are those individuals who have survived to the oldest age in a given country. Such records can only be determined to the extent that the given country's records are reliable. Comprehensive birth registration largely came into being in the 20th century and, as of 2005, reliable records are necessarily fragmentary. The earliest comprehensive recordkeeping systems arose in Europe, in countries such as Sweden and the Netherlands. The United Kingdom organized a central recordkeeping system for England and Wales in 1837, which was compulsory by 1874.
This article gives the recordholders for various countries to the extent that they have been established. Male recordholders are also noted. Those born in one country who moved to another are identified insofar as information is available. If more than one recordholder is listed, this is due to disputed claims, alternative claims, or the lack of sufficient documentary evidence to make a clear determination between claimants. Countries are listed by nations in order of the age of the overall recordholder.
This article uses links to those with biographies and boldfaces the names of those without such biographies. However, some bold-faced entries have biographies; they just haven't been linked to them yet.
- For a global overview of longevity recordholders, see supercentenarian which includes a table of countries sorted by age of recordholder.
- There is a separate list of the living national longevity recordholders.
- For the need to treat exaggerated claims with skepticism given the extreme documented mortality curves see longevity myths.
Christina (Clay) Cock holds the female record at 114 years, 148 days (December 25, 1887–May 22, 2002).
John Henry "Jack" Lockett holds the male record at 111 years, 123 days (January 22, 1891–May 25, 2002).
Maria Mika holds the female record at 112 years, 178 days (May 23 1882-November 17 1994).
Leopold Vietoris, a notable mathematician, holds the male national record at 110 years, 309 days (June 4, 1891–April 9, 2002).
Joanna Catharina "Woinke" (Turcksin) DeRoover holds the female record at 112 years, 186 days (June 3, 1890–December 6, 2002).
As Jan Machiel Reyskens (see #Netherlands) retained Belgian citizenship, some consider him Belgium's male recordholder, which is correct officially. The oldest man who lived his entire life in Belgium however is Louis Marion, who was even the oldest inhabitant at the time of his deat at age 110 years, and 79 days (October 10, 1893-December 28, 2003.
Marie-Louise Meilleur holds the documented female record at 117 years, 230 days (August 29, 1880–April 16, 1998).
Herman Smith-Johannsen, nicknamed Jackrabbit Johannsen, is often claimed as the documented male recordholder at 111 years, 204 days (June 15, 1875–January 5, 1987). Though he was born in Norway and died there visiting family, he spent the bulk of his life in Canada (and introduced cross-country skiing to the country) and is buried there. The oldest man to actually die in Canada was UK-born George Ives (the last Boer War veteran, November 17, 1881 - April 12, 1993) at 111 years, 146 days. The oldest native-born Canadian man was Harry Chaloner (May 10, 1874 - October 30, 1984) at 110 years 173 days (Harry emigrated to the U.S., however, and the SSDI listed him as younger than claimed).
As Adelina Domingues was born in Cape Verde (though she later emigrated to the United States), she may be considered to hold the overall record at 114 years, 183 days (February 19, 1888–August 21, 2002).
Anne Matthiesen holds the Danish record at 111 years, 114 days (November 26, 1884–March 19, 1996).
Two Danish emigrants have lived longer: Johanne Svensson (January 24, 1892–May 29, 2003), who died in Sweden, is the oldest Danish-born woman (11 days older than Matthiesen), and Christian Mortensen went on to become the oldest man in the United States (see below at United States).
Lempi Maria "Maija" Rothovius holds the female record at 112 years, 259 days (October 2, 1887–June 17, 2000). She also holds the female record for the Nordic countries.
Jeanne Calment holds the female record at 122 years, 164 days (February 21, 1875–August 4, 1997). She also holds the overall world record.
Algerian-born Emile Fourcade holds the male record at 111 years, 153 days (July 29, 1884–December 29, 1995). Henri Pérignon formerly held the native male record at 110 years, 247 days (October 14, 1879 - June 18, 1990), but Maurice Floquet (born December 25, 1894) broke that record on August 30, 2005, and he is still with us at almost 111.
According to the German government:
Maria Laqua (February 12, 1889–February 9, 2002) holds the female record. Hermann Dörnemann holds the male record at at 111 years, 279 days (May 27, 1893–March 2, 2005).
However, in neither case have documents been made available to researchers. These cases are not in the Guinness Book, which dropped the "oldest by nationality" category in 1991. German-born Charlotte Benkner, who emigrated to the United States, surpassed all these lifespans in reaching 114 years, 180 days, and may therefore have some claim to the record.
As Gregory Pandazes was born in Greece (though he later emigrated to the United States), he may be considered to hold the male record at 110 years, 341 days (January 15, 1873–December 22, 1983).
Ioanna Lambropoulos holds the female record at 110 years, 25 days (May 8, 1884 - June 2, 1994). Lambrini Tsiatoura (1870 - February 19, 1981) hols the record for the longest-lived native Greek at 110 years, + days.
Csiki Sándorné, née Földes Rozália (having lived in Lepsény), born January 18, 1894, died July 22, 2004, held the female record with 110.5 years (at least among people who died recently).
Varga Jánosné (Irma néni), born March 10, 1895, died in August 2005, was the following record holder with 110 years and approx. 5 months.
The current, officially certified Hungarian record-holder is a man of 108 years (as of 2005).
Katherine Plunket (November 22, 1820–October 14, 1932) holds the Irish record, at 111 years 327 days.
The longest-lived Italian has been Virginia Dighero-Zolezzi (born December 24, 1891). Mrs. Dighero-Zolezzi broke the record of Maria Teresa Fumarola Ligorio (December 2, 1889–May 14, 2003) on June 6, 2005 to become the longest-lived Italian resident ever, and then the record of Amalia Ruggieri-Barone (October 6, 1884-June 26, 1998) to become the longest-lived person of Italian descent ever.
Antonio Todde holds the male record at 112 years, 346 days (January 22, 1889–January 3, 2002).
Shigechiyo Izumi's claim of 120 years, 237 days (June 29, 1865–February 21, 1986) is accepted by the Guinness Book of World Records but there is serious doubt among scholars as to whether he was in fact conflated with an older brother who died young.
Without more evidence for Izumi, most regard Tane Ikai (January 18, 1879–July 12, 1995) as the oldest reliably documented Japanese case at 116 years, 175 days. Certain older claims have been reported as valid by the Japanese government in the 1960s, but documentation was then of a lower standard.
Without Izumi, the oldest confirmed male Japanese is Yukichi Chuganji at 114 years, 189 days (March 23, 1889–September 28, 2003).
The oldest New Zealander was Ethel Booth, who died aged 110 years, 55 days (December 25, 1890–February 18, 2001).
Hendrikje van Andel holds the overall national record at 115 years and 62 days and was the world's oldest living person from May 29, 2004 until her death on August 30, 2005. She was born June 29, 1890.
Thomas Peters has a claim to holding the male record at 111 years, 354 days (April 6, 1745–March 26, 1857). However, the correlation of the birth and death records used to confirm his claim is considered questionable.
If Peters is discounted, the Belgian-born Jan Machiel Reyskens would hold the male record at 111 years, 241 days (May 11, 1878–January 7, 1990). Jan Pieter Bos would then hold the male record as the longest-lived native Dutchman at 111 years, 156 days (July 12, 1891–December 15, 2002).
Maren Bolette Torp holds the female record at 112 years, 61 days (December 21, 1876–February 20, 1989).
As Herman Smith-Johannsen (see Canada) was born in Norway, some consider him Norway's male recordholder. Otherwise it has to be Olav Hovatn, who died at 110 years, 185 days (October 23 1893-April 26 2004.
Maria do Couto Maia-Lopes holds the overall national record. She lived to be 114 years, 274 days old (October 24, 1890-July 25, 2005).
Jose Ferreira-Andrade holds the male record at 109 years, 304 days (April 24, 1890-February 22, 2000).
Rozwlia Mielzcarak (1868 - January 7, 1981) holds the Polish record, at 112 years + days.
Ramona Trinidad Iglesias Jordan holds the overall and the female record at 114 years, 272 (or 271) days (August 31 or September 1, 1889–May 29, 2004).
Emiliano Mercado del Toro, born August 21, 1891 and currently (November 2005) still alive and, as of mid-2005, is the Guinness-recognised world's oldest living man.
Anitica Butariu (or Anicuta Butariu) is considered to hold the record at 115 years, 157 days (June 17, 1882–November 21, 1997). However, there has been some question as to the source of the available documentation.
The oldest Russian Khasako Dzugayev who died aged 110 years + days (August 7, 1860 - August? 1970)
Marija Bandelj holds the female record at 108 years, 41 days (March 6, 1897–April 16, 2005).
Johanna Booyson holds the apparent South African record at 111 years, 151 days (January 17, 1857–June 16, 1968).
Joan Riudavets holds the overall and the male record for Spain at 114 years, 81 days (December 15, 1889–March 5, 2004).
Maria del Carmen Figueiro Freiria de Salgueiro, commonly known as Carmen Figueiro Freiria, holds the female record at 113 years, 209 days (October 28, 1883–May 25, 1997).
Elsa Moberg holds the female record at 112 years, 143 days (June 30, 1889–November 20, 2001).
Anders Engberg holds the male record at 111 years, 128 days (July 1, 1892–November 6, 2003).
From 1970–2004, four persons in Switzerland lived to 110 years or older; they died between 1993 and 2001, according to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office quoted by a journalist [1].
Articles about the Oldest Living Swiss of the moment reported on:
- Mathilde Bonzo-Wrede (May 29, 1890 in Dortmund, Germany – June 2000 in Winterthur) at 110 years and 10 days [2].
- Frieda Schöpf (November 17, 1890 in Basel–August 1, 2000? in Lucerne) at 109 [3].
- Emma Soller-Kellenberger (July 23, 1894–May 2003 in Neukirch) at 108 [4].
- Maria Siegrist-Stämpfli (November 6, 1894 in Grenchen–July 9, 2004? in Grenchen) at 109 [5].
- Anna Ringier-Kieser (born 12 April 1896) at 109 (in April 2005) [6], [7], [8].
Charlotte Marion Milburn Hughes holds the female record at 115 years, 252 days (August 1, 1877–March 17, 1993).
John Evans of Wales holds the male record at 112 years, 295 days (August 19, 1877–June 10, 1990).
Sarah Knauss holds the female record at 119 years, 97 days (September 24, 1880–December 30, 1999).
Christian Mortensen holds the male record at 115 years, 252 days (August 16, 1882–April 25, 1998). Mortensen immigrated to the USA from Denmark. Among native-born men, the Social Security Administration recognizes Mathew Beard at 114 years, 222 days (July 9, 1870–February 16, 1985); however, the census record match used in determining this case is considered questionable. The oldest American-born man clearly matched by early records is Fred H. Hale, Sr. at 113 years, 354 days (December 1, 1890–November 19, 2004).