As women live longer than men on average, women predominate in combined records. The longest lifespan for a man is that of Jiroemon Kimura of Japan (1897–2013), who lived to the age of 116 years Roboforex Review and 54 days. She rose to prominence in 1986 when, at the age of 111, Calment became the oldest person alive in France. By 1988, she had become the oldest living person in the entire world. And by the time she died in 1997 at the extremely ripe old age of 122, Jeanne Calment was recognized as the oldest verified person ever. Today, the oldest person alive (as of August 2025), is the UK’s Ethel Caterham.

Caterham, Guinness World Records notes, was married in 1933 to her late husband Norman Caterham, who died in 1976. Caterham outlived her kids, as Gem died in the early 2000s and Anne died of cancer in February 2020, at age 82. Jean-Pierre Fizet/Getty ImagesAt the end of her life, Jeanne Calment smoked, drank, and enjoyed eating chocolate and red meat. But there are also people throughout history whose ages, for whatever reason, remain unverified. Huvaydo Umarova of Uzbekistan has a passport that appears to confirm her alleged age of 128 years old.

Chronological list of the oldest-known living people since 1951

• She was born on 21 August 1909 in Hampshire, UK, during the reign of Edward VII.
• She lived on her own until the age of 110, when she had to move into a nursing home.
• The centenarian also told Britain’s Salisbury Journal in 2011, “Say yes to every opportunity because you never know what it will lead to. Have a positive mental attitude and have everything in moderation.”
• Calment was born in France in 1875 and lived a life of relative ease and luxury.

With different cultural, hygienic, and scientific reasons, average life expectancy around the world changes depending on which country you live in and even where in that country you live. She lived on her own until the age of 110, when she had to move into a nursing home. Working as a girl in her father’s shop in Arles, France, she had sold painting canvasses to Van Gogh. “He was ugly as sin, had a vile temper and smelled of booze,” she later recalled. Though her longevity is technically verified, some have suggested that Jeanne Calment was not who she claimed to be.

Oldest person ever

Finally, we have Jeralean Talley, who was also from the USA. She was born on 23 May 1899 and passed away on 17 June 2015. She was born on 10 March 1900 and passed away on 15 September 2017. Born on 2 January 1903 and passing away on 19 April 2022, the Japanese woman lived to be 119 years and 107 days old. The world’s oldest living person is celebrating turning 116 on Thursday. Eric Fougere/Getty ImagesJeanne Calment with a glass of wine on her 120th birthday.

Ethel, 115, receives congratulations from King

She lived to be 116 years and 311 days old and was born on 6 July 1899 and died on 12 May 2016. The Italian supercentenarian also lived to be 117 years old (plus 137 days) and was born on 29 November 1899 before her death on 15 April 2017. The Japanese supercentenarian was born on 19 April 1897 and lived through to 12 June 2013. The Guinness World Records quotes him as saying “eat light to live long” and states that he continued to engage in agriculture until he was 90. Her husband, whom she first met back in 1931, died in 1976, leaving behind his classic Triumph Dolomite car, which she still drove until the age of 97.

The world’s oldest living person is celebrating turning 116. She was born on 4th March 1907 in San Francisco, California, and lived in Texas and New Orleans before her Spanish family returned to Catalonia during World War I, according to Guinness World Records. According to the Guinness World Records, she was the second of eight children. Remarkably, her older sister Gladys Babilas also made it past the 100 mark, living to 104 years and 78 days.

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• Caterham is also credited for being the oldest woman living and the oldest person in the United Kingdom.
• There are verified supercentenarians like Jeanne Calment, who reportedly lived to the age of 122 on a diet that included red wine, olive oil, and chocolate.
• Finally, we have Jeralean Talley, who was also from the USA.
• The Japanese supercentenarian was born on 19 April 1897 and lived through to 12 June 2013.

And astoundingly, some claim that Li Ching-Yuen of China was 256 when he died in 1933. When María Branyas Morera died aged 117 in August 2024 aged 117 years 168 days, she was the eighth-oldest person (with a verifiable age) in history. Yet another Japanese supercentenarian, Nabi Tajima lived to be 117 years and 260 days old, from her birth on 4 August 1900 to her death on 21 April 2018. Another Frenchwoman, Lucile Randon (see main picture) lived to the age of 118 years and 340 days old.

Skeptics think that the real Calment possibly died in 1934 and her daughter Yvonne may have assumed her identity. Officially, Yvonne was the one who died in 1934 of pneumonia, and experts have called the conspiracy theory “shaky,” but it does cast at least some doubt upon the identity of the world’s oldest person to ever live. LongeviQuest had the opportunity to learn about the life of Mr. Ryōji Shinoda of Osaka, who lived independently until the age of 110. Through his family’s account, we introduce his balanced approach to daily living, guided by a calm routine and meals rooted in the Japanese principle of ichiju-tasai—one soup accompanied by many small dishes. Ethel Caterham, who lives in a care home in Lightwater, Surrey, became the oldest living person in April following the death of Brazilian nun Sister Inah Canbarro Lucas aged 116.

In the video below we look back at the oldest people on record and explore the science behind old age. And is it likely that anyone will beat the current record? Experts give us their take on the future of this record, and what makes humans live to a ripe old age. The truth in cases like Umarova’s and Li’s can be difficult to untangle. But regardless of whether their ages were verified or unverified, these are some of the world’s longest-living people — and their fascinating stories. LongeviQuest is the global authority on maximum human longevity.

Caterham is also credited for being the oldest woman living and the oldest person in the United Kingdom. Ethel Caterham, who was born Aug. 21, 1909, was recognized in April by Guinness World Records as the oldest person living, following the death of Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas at 116 on April 30, 2025. Systematic verification of longevity has only been practiced since the 1950s and only in certain parts of the world. Jeanne was also famous for her wit, and felt that her sense of humour also played its part in her remarkable longevity. At her 120th birthday, journalists asked her what kind of future she expected.

Related Records

Born on 11 February 1904, she passed away on 17 January 2023. The UN estimates that the worldwide life expectancy is now 73.3 years – that’s about nine years longer than people lived in 1995. The verifiably oldest ever person in the world is Jeanne Louise Calment, who lived to the age of 122 years and 164 days old. According to Guinness World Records, Caterham was born in the village of Shipton Bellinger in Hampshire and was one of eight siblings.

There are verified supercentenarians like Jeanne Calment, who reportedly lived to the age of 122 on a diet that included red wine, olive oil, and chocolate. There are also people still living today who are well over 100 years old and may outlive Calment, such as María Branyas Morera, the oldest person alive right now. Jeanne Louise Calment is the oldest verified person to have ever lived. The Frenchwoman lived to the ripe old age of 122 years and 164 days old. She was born on 21 February 1875 and passed away aged 122 on 4 August 1997. The longest documented and verified human lifespan is that of Jeanne Calment of France (1875–1997), a woman who lived to the age of 122 years and 164 days.

She currently lives in a nursing home in Lightwater, Surrey. The oldest living person as of August 2025 is Ethel Caterham. Find out who the oldest person alive is and see who else has worn the crown.