Oldest people

Editor's note: the below article is currently out-of-date. It may be edited (repaired) in the future. Until then, please view the below material as "archival".

The following tables list only the oldest validated people in ordinal rank, such as oldest person or oldest man. For centenarians known for anything other than their extreme age, see list of oldest living notable people.

The longest unambiguously documented lifespan is that of Jeanne Calment of France (1875–1997), who died aged 122 years, 164 days. She met Vincent van Gogh at age 14. This led to her being noticed by the media in 1988, at age 113. Subsequent investigation found that her life was documented in the records of her native city of Arles beyond reasonable question. More evidence (over 25 documents) for the Calment case has been produced than for almost any other supercentenarian case, which makes her case a gold standard among the oldest people recordholders. The oldest verified man ever is Jiroemon Kimura of Japan (1897–2013) who lived to 116 years, 54 days old.

Oldest living people

See Oldest living people

World's Oldest Person Titleholders (as of 2008)

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). This list does not reflect the original lists, but is instead retroactive - for example, the Betsy Baker case was not independently verified until the 2000s.

From	To	Name	Age when oldest	Lived	Sex	Country
Title began in 1955	24 Oct 1955	Betsy Baker	? –113	20 Aug 1842 – 24 Oct 1955	F	ENG, UK (born) USA (Nebraska) (died)
24 Oct 1955	25 Jun 1959	Martha Graham	110–114	27? Dec 1844 – 25 Jun 1959	F	USA (North Carolina)
25 Jun 1959	10 Feb 1961	James Henry Brett, Jr.	110–111?	25 Jun 1849? – 10 Feb 1961	M	USA (Texas)
10 Feb 1961	16 Mar 1962	Joseph Saint-Amour	108–110	26 Feb 1852 – 16 Mar 1962	M	CAN (Quebec)
16 Mar 1962	17 Feb 1963	Lovisa Svensson	108–109	20 Nov 1853 – 17 Feb 1963	F	SWE
17 Feb 1963	8 Oct 1963	Ellen Dart	108	1 Nov 1854 – 8 Oct 1963	F	ENG, UK
8 Oct 1963	6 Mar 1965	Elizabeth Kensley	108–109	12 May 1855 – 6 Mar 1965	F	ENG, UK
6 Mar 1965	24 Jul 1965	Auguste Pahl	109	23 Nov 1855 – 24 July 1965	F	GER
24 Jul 1965	10 Jan 1966	Hannah Smith	109–110	7 Jan 1856 – 10 Jan 1966	F	ENG, UK
10 Jan 1966	21 Mar 1968	John Mosley Turner	109–111	15 June 1856 – 21 Mar 1968	M	ENG, UK
21 Mar 1968	16 Jun 1968	Johanna Booysen	111	17 Jan 1857 – 16 June 1968	F	ZAF (Transvaal)
16 Jun 1968	4 May 1969	Marie Bernatkova	110–111	22 Oct 1857 – 4 May 1969	F	CZE (Czechoslovakia)
4 May 1969	11 Jan 1970	Ada Roe	110–111	6 Feb 1858 – 11 Jan 1970	F	ENG, UK
11 Jan 1970	27 Feb 1973	Josefa Salas Mateo	109–112	14 July 1860 – 27 Feb 1973	F	ESP
27 Feb 1973	18 Aug 1973	Alice Stevenson	111–112	10 July 1861 – 18 Aug 1973	F	ENG, UK
18 Aug 1973	31 Oct 1973	Elizabeth Watkins	110	10 Mar 1863 – 31 Oct 1973	F	NIR, UK (born) ENG, UK (died)
31 Oct 1973	31 May 1975	Mito Umeta	110–112	27 Mar 1863 – 31 May 1975	F	JPN (Kyushu)
31 May 1975	16 Nov 1976	Niwa Kawamoto	111–113	5 Aug 1863 – 16 Nov 1976	F	JPN (Kansai)
16 Nov 1976	21 Feb 1986	Shigechiyo Izumi	111–120?	29 Jun 1865? – 21 Feb 1986	M	JPN (Kyushu)
20 Feb 1986	20 Sep 1986	Mamie Eva Keith	112–113	22 Mar 1873 – 20 Sep 1986	F	USA (Illinois)
20 Sep 1986	2 Feb 1987	Mary McKinney	113	30 May 1873 – 2 Feb 1987	F	USA (California)
2 Feb 1987	27 Dec 1987	Anna Eliza Williams	113–114	2 June 1873 – 27 Dec 1987	F	ENG, UK (born) WAL, UK (died)
27 Dec 1987	11 Jan 1988	Florence Knapp	114	10 Oct 1873 – 11 Jan 1988	F	USA (Pennsylvania)
11 Jan 1988	14 Feb 1991	Carrie White	113–116?	18 Nov 1874? – 14 Feb 1991	F	USA (Florida)
14 Feb 1991	4 Aug 1997	Jeanne Calment	115–122	21 Feb 1875 – 4 Aug 1997	F	FRA (Provence)
4 Aug 1997	16 Apr 1998	Marie-Louise Meilleur	116–117	29 Aug 1880 – 16 Apr 1998	F	CAN (Ontario)
16 Apr 1998	30 Dec 1999	Sarah Knauss	117–119	24 Sep 1880 – 30 Dec 1999	F	USA (Pennsylvania)
30 Dec 1999	2 Nov 2000	Eva Morris	114	8 Nov 1885 – 2 Nov 2000	F	ENG, UK
2 Nov 2000	6 Jun 2001	Marie Bremont	114–115	25 Apr 1886 – 6 June 2001	F	FRA (Anjou)
5 Jun 2001	18 Mar 2002	Maud Farris-Luse	114–115	21 Jan 1887 – 18 Mar 2002	F	USA (Michigan)
19 Mar 2002	31 Oct 2003	Kamato Hongo	114–116?	16 Sep 1887? – 31 Oct 2003	F	JPN (Kyushu)
31 Oct 2003	13 Nov 2003	Mitoyo Kawate	114	15 May 1889 – 13 Nov 2003	F	JPN (Chugoku)
13 Nov 2003	29 May 2004	Ramona Trinidad Iglesias-Jordan	114	31 Aug 1889 – 29 May 2004	F	PRI,USA
29 May 2004	27 Aug 2006	Maria Capovilla	114–116	14 Sep 1889 – 27 Aug 2006	F	ECU
27 Aug 2006	11 Dec 2006	Elizabeth Bolden	116	15 Aug 1890 – 11 Dec 2006	F	USA (Tennessee)
11 Dec 2006	24 Jan 2007	Emiliano Mercado del Toro	115	21 Aug 1891 – 24 Jan 2007	M	PRI,USA
24 Jan 2007	28 Jan 2007	Emma Tillman	114	22 Nov 1892 – 28 Jan 2007	F	USA (Connecticut)
29 Jan 2007	13 Aug 2007	Yone Minagawa	114	4 Jan 1893 – 13 Aug 2007	F	JPN (Kyushu)
13 Aug 2007	26 Nov 2008	Edna Parker	114–115	20 Apr 1893 – 26 Nov 2008	F	USA (Indiana)

Followed by Maria de Jesus (dos Santos) and Gertrude Baines. The longest consecutive time with the title of World's Oldest Person held was by Shigechiyo Izumi of Japan for 3384 days from 16 November 1976 to 21 February 1986. The shortest consecutive time was by Emma Tillman of the United States for 4 days from 24 January 2007 to 28 January 2007. The average length of time served as World's Oldest Person for the 37 people following Betsy Baker (prior to Edna Parker) has been approximately 511.6 days. (This figure would drop to 431.8 days if Izumi were not included in the statistic). The country with the most people on the list is the United States with 12 (14 including Puerto Rico), followed by the United Kingdom with 9, and Japan with 6. This graph represents the list of people who have held the record as the oldest living person of which there is data, each person is represented by a single grey dot placed in the place of their final age and the date of when it was. The red circles represent the list of people who have progessively become the oldest people in history. The blue placemark indicates the recent oldest person in the world, Edna Parker. The case of Shigechiyo Izumi is disputed, therefore, all people in his supposed record time period are counted, including Mathew Beard. However, if his case was proven, then he would be counted and all people under him would be erased.

Oldest living men (since 1961)

Note: Guinness World Records has only maintained the category of oldest living man intermittently over the years, not establishing it permanently until the year 2000. Persons listed prior to 2000 may be based on an historical reconstruction.

From	To	Name	Age when oldest	Lived	Country
10 Feb 1961	16 Mar 1962	Joseph Saint-Amour	108–110	26 Feb 1852 – 16 Mar 1962	CAN (Quebec)
16 Mar 1962	21 Mar 1968	John Mosley Turner	105–111	15 June 1856 – 21 Mar 1968	ENG, UK
21 Mar 1968	5 May 1973	Friedrich Wedeking	105–110	10 Oct 1862 – 5 May 1973	GER (West Germany)
5 May 1973	9 Mar 1974	Frederick Butterfield	109–110	28 Feb 1864 – 9 Mar 1974	ENG, UK
9 Mar 1974	21 Feb 1986	Shigechiyo Izumi	108–120?	29 Jun 1865? – 21 Feb 1986	JPN (Kyushu)
20 Feb 1986	14 Dec 1986	Joe Thomas	110–111	1 May 1875 – 14 Dec 1986	USA (Louisiana)
14 Dec 1986	5 Jan 1987	Herman Smith-Johannsen	111	15 June 1875 – 5 Jan 1987	NOR (lived inCAN (Quebec))
5 Jan 1987	25 Nov 1988	Alphaeus Philemon Cole	110–112	12 July 1876 – 25 Nov 1988	USA (New Jersey)
25 Nov 1988	10 Jun 1990	John Evans	111–112	19 Aug 1877 – 10 Jun 1990	WAL, UK
10 Jun 1990	18 Jun 1990	Henri Perignon	110	14 Oct 1879 – 18 June 1990	FRA (Normandy)
18 Jun 1990	16 Oct 1991	James Wiggins	110–112	15 Oct 1879 – 16 Oct 1991	USA (Arkansas)
16 Oct 1991	14 Jun 1993	Frederick Frazier	111–113	27 Jan 1880 – 14 June 1993	USA (Alabama)
14 Jun 1993	25 Apr 1998	Christian Mortensen	110–115	16 Aug 1882 – 25 Apr 1998	DEN (born) USA (California) (died)
25 Apr 1998	17 July 1998	Johnson Parks	113	15 Oct 1884 – 17 July 1998	USA (Florida)
17 July 1998	25 Dec 1998	Walter Richardson	112–113	7 Nov 1885 – 25 Dec 1998	USA (Illinois)
25 Dec 1998	29 Apr 1999	Denzo Ishisaki	112	20 Oct 1886 – 29 Apr 1999	JPN (Kanto)
29 Apr 1999	15 Nov 1999	Antonio Urrea-Hernandez	111	16 Feb 1888 – 15 Nov 1999	ESP (Catalonia)
15 Nov 1999	1 Mar 2001	John Painter	111–112	20 Sept 1888 – 1 Mar 2001	USA (Tennessee)
1 Mar 2001	3 Jan 2002	Antonio Todde	112	22 Jan 1889 – 3 Jan 2002	ITA (Sardinia)
3 Jan 2002	28 Sep 2003	Yukichi Chuganji	112-114	23 Mar 1889 – 28 Sep 2003	JPN (Kyushu)
28 Sep 2003	5 Mar 2004	Joan Riudavets	113-114	15 Dec 1889 – 5 Mar 2004	ESP (Minorca)
5 Mar 2004	19 Nov 2004	Fred Hale, Sr.	113	1 Dec 1890 – 19 Nov 2004	USA (Maine)
19 Nov 2004	24 Jan 2007	Emiliano Mercado del Toro	113-115	21 Aug 1891 – 24 Jan 2007	PRI,USA
24 Jan 2007	19 Jun 2009	Tomoji Tanabe	111–113	18 Sept 1895 – 19 Jun 2009	JPN (Kyushu)

Followed by Henry Allingham and Walter Breuning.

The longest consecutive time with the title of World's Oldest Man held was by Shigechiyo Izumi of Japan for 4,367 days from March 9, 1974 to February 21, 1986. The shortest consecutive time was by Henri Perignon of France for 8 days from June 10, 1990 to June 18, 1990. The country with the most people on the list is the United States with 9, followed by Japan with 4, and the United Kingdom with 3.

Oldest people ever (115+)

See List of oldest validated supercentenarians

#	Name	Age	Born	Died	Sex	Notes
1	Jeanne Calment	122 years, 164 days	21 Feb 1875	4 August 1997	F	Oldest Person from France; Oldest Person ever
2	Sarah Knauss	119 years, 97 days	24 Sep 1880	30 Dec 1999	M	Oldest Person in the United States
3	Lucy Hannah	117 years, 248 days	16 July 1875	21 Mar 1993	F	Oldest African American
4	Marie-Louise Meilleur	117 years, 230 days	29 Aug 1880	16 Apr 1998	F	Oldest Person from Canada
5	Maria Capovilla	116 years, 347 days	14 Sep 1889	27 Aug 2006	F	Oldest Person from Ecuador
6	Tane Ikai	116 years, 175 days	18 Jan 1879	12 July 1995	F	Oldest Preson from Japan
7	Elizabeth Bolden	116 years, 118 days	15 Aug 1890	11 Dec 2006	F
8	Besse Cooper	116 years, 100 days	26 Aug 1896	4 Dec 2012	F	Oldest person ever of Georgia
9	Jiroemon Kimura	115 years, 268 days	19 April 1897	Living	M	Oldest man ever.
10	Maggie Barnes	115 years, 319 days	6 Mar 1882	19 Jan 1998	F	American. Disputed (may have been 117)
11	Christian Mortensen	115 years, 252 days	16 August 1882	25 April 1998	M	2nd-Oldest man ever. Danish immigrant to United States
12	Charlotte Hughes	115 years, 228 days	1 August 1877	17 March 1993	F	Oldest Briton
13	Edna Parker	115 years, 220 days	20 April 1893	26 Nov 2008	F	World's Oldest Person 2007–2008
14	Margaret Skeete	115 years, 192 days	27 October 1878	7 May 1994	F	American
15	Anitica Butariu	115? years, 157 days	30 June 1882?	21 November 1997	F	Oldest Romanian; Disputed
16	Emiliano Mercado del Toro	115 years, 156 days	21 August 1891	24 January 2007	M	Oldest Puerto Rican; Oldest living person 2006–2007
17	Bettie Wilson	115 years, 153 days	13 Sep 1890	13 February 2006	F
18	Julie Bertrand	115 years, 124 days	16 September 1891	18 January 2007	F	Oldest living woman 2006-2007
19	Susie Gibson	115 years, 108 days	31 October 1890	16 February 2006	F
20	Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper	115 years, 62 days	29 June 1890	30 August 2005	F	Oldest Dutch person
21	Maud Farris-Luse	115 years, 56 days	21 January 1887	18 March 2002	F	Oldest living person 2001–2002
22	Marie Bremont	115 years, 42 days	25 April 1886	6 June 2001	F	Oldest living person 2000–2001
23	Koto Okubo	115 years, 19 days	24 Dec 1897	12 Jan 2013	F	Oldest living woman 2012–2013
24	Chiyono Hasegawa	115 years, 12 days	20 Nov 1896	2 Dec 2011	F	Oldest living Japanese person 2010–2011
25	Annie Jennings	115 years, 8 days	12 November 1884	20 November 1999	F

Oldest men ever (top 10)

See List of male supercentenarians

#	Name	Age	Born	Died	Notes
1	Jiroemon Kimura	116 years, 54 days	19 April 1897	12 June 2013	JPN Oldest validated man ever
2	Christian Mortensen	115 years, 252 days	16 Aug 1882	25 April 1998	DEN –USA Oldest male migrant. Danish immigrant to U.S.
3	Emiliano Mercado del Toro	115 years, 156 days	21 Aug 1891	24 Jan 2007	PRI,USA Oldest Puerto Rican and oldest living person 2006–2007
4	Mathew Beard	114? years, 222 days	9 July 1870?	16 Feb 1985	USA Disputed
5	Walter Breuning	114 years, 205 days	21 Sep 1896	14 April 2011	USA
6	Yukichi Chuganji	114 years, 189 days	23 Mar 1889	28 Sep 2003	World's oldest person 2002-2003
7	Joan Riudavets	114 years, 81 days	15 Dec 1889	5 Mar 2004	ESP Oldest Spaniard and oldest living man 2003–2004
8	Fred Hale, Sr.	113 years, 354 days	1 Dec 1890	19 Nov 2004	USA Oldest living man 2004.
9	Israel Kristal	113 years, 330 days	15 Sep 1903	11 Aug 2017	POL ISR
10	Johnson Parks	113 years, 275 days	15 Oct 1884	17 July 1998	USA

Oldest validated people currently living (2013)

See Oldest living people

Please note that approximately 90% of all supercentenarians are women. This list currently reflects that.

Name	Age	Sex	Born	Residence
Gertrude Baines	130 years, 13 days	F	April 6 1894	Lives in California, United States
Jiroemon Kimura			April 19 1897	lives in Kyoto, Japan
Mary Josephine Ray	128 years, 337 days	F	May 17 1895	Lives in New Hampshire, USA
Olivia Patricia Thomas	128 years, 294 days	F	June 29 1895	Lives in New York, USA
Neva Morris	128 years, 259 days	F	August 3 1895	Lives in Iowa, United States
Chiyo Shiraishi	128 years, 256 days	F	August 6 1895	Lives in Kanto, Japan
Maggie Renfro			November 14 1895	lives in Louisiana, United States

Oldest men currently living (July 2009)

See List of oldest living men

Name	Age	Born	Residence
Walter Breuning	127 years, 210 days	September 21 1896	Lives in Montana, United States
Jiroemon Kimura	127 years, 0 days	April 19 1897	Lives in Kansai, Japan

Supercentenarians who died before 1955

Name	Born	Died	Age	Sex	Notes
Thomas Peters	1745	1857	111 years, 354 days	M	NED; earliest supercentenarian recognized by Guinness World Records
Geert Boomgaard	1788	1899	110 years, 135 days	M	NED; earliest supercentenarian recognized by some scholars
Margaret Ann Neve	1792	1903	110 years, 321 days	F	GGY, UK , Channel Islands
Ann Pouder	1807	1917	110 years, 93 days	F	ENG, UK Born USA (Nebraska) Died
Louisa Thiers	1814	1926	111 years, 138 days	F	USA (New York)
Delina Filkins	1815	1928	113 years, 214 days	F	USA New York, U.S.
Miriam Bannister	1817	1928	111 years, 21 days	F	UK England, UK Born USA Missouri, U.S. Died
Demetrius Philipovitch	1818	1928	110 years 144+ days	M	Yugoslavia
Katherine Plunket	1820	1932	111 years 327 days	F	IRL Ireland
Anna Wheeler	1833	1943	110 years 288 days	F	USA New York, U.S.
Velgjer Svien	1842	1953	110 years 105 days	F	NOR Born USA Minnesota, U.S. Died

National longevity recordholders

Main article: National longevity recordholders

Nation of death (oldest first)

Country	Age	Sex	Name	Born	Died
FRA	122 years, 164 days	F	Jeanne Calment	21 Feb 1875	4 Aug 1997
USA	119 years, 97 days	F	Sarah Knauss	24 Sep 1880	30 Dec 1999
CAN	117 years, 230 days	F	Marie-Louise Meilleur	29 Aug 1880	16 Apr 1998
JAM	117 years, 189 days	F	Violet Brown	10 Mar 1900	15 Sept 2017
ITA	117 years, 137 days	F	Emma Morano	29 Nov 1899	15 Apr 2017
JPN	123 years, 258 days	F	Nabi Tajima	4 Aug 1900	Living
ECU	116 years, 347 days	F	Maria Capovilla	14 Sep 1889	27 Aug 2006
ESP	122 years, 172 days	F	Ana Vela-Rubio	15 Dec 1889	Living
UK	115 years, 228 days	F	Charlotte Hughes	1 Aug 1877	17 Mar 1993
ROU	115? years, 157 days	F	Anitica Butariu	30 Jun 1882?	21 Nov 1997
POR	115 years, 114 days	F	Maria de Jesus	10 Sep 1893	2 Jan 2009
NED	115 years, 62 days	F	Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper	29 Jun 1890	30 Aug 2005
AUS	114 years, 148 days	F	Christina Cock	25 Dec 1887	22 May 2002
NZL	113 years, 109 days	F	Florence Finch	22 Dec 1893	10 Apr 2007
SWE	113 years, 0 days	F	Astrid Zachrison	15 May 1895	15 May 2008
GER	112 years, 362 days	F	Maria Laqua	12 Feb 1889?	9 Feb 2002
SUI	112 years, 327 days	F	Rosa Rein	24 Mar 1897	14 Feb 2010
FIN	112 years, 259 days	F	Lempi Maria Rothovius	2 Oct 1887	17 Jun 2000
BEL	112 years, 186 days	F	Joanna Deroover	3 Jun 1890	6 Dec 2002
AUT	112 years, 178 days	F	Maria Mika	23 May 1882?	17 Nov 1994
NOR	112 years, 61 days	F	Maren Bolette Torp	21 Dec 1876	20 Feb 1989
IRL	111 years, 327 days	F	Hon. Katherine Plunket	22 Nov 1820	14 Oct 1932
ZAF	111 years, 151 days	F	Johanna Booysen	17 Jan 1857	16 Jun 1968
DEN	111 years, 114 days	F	Anne Matthiesen	26 Nov 1884	19 Mar 1996
URU	111 years, 107 days	F	Manolita Pina	24 Feb 1883	11 Jun 1994

Emigrant records (oldest first)

Note: Listed for countries where an emigrant lived longer than any lifelong resident. Some of these essentially moved from colonies back to their mother-country.

Country	Age	Sex	Name	Born	Died	Died in
DEN	115 years, 252 days	M	Christian Mortensen	16 Aug 1882	25 Apr 1998	USA
CPV	114 years, 183 days	F	Adelina Domingues	19 Feb 1888	21 Aug 2002	USA
GER	114 years, 180 days	F	Charlotte Benkner	16 Nov 1889	14 May 2004	Died U.S.A.
ALG	114 years, 172 days	F	Anne Primout	5 Oct 1890	26 Mar 2005	Died France
IND	113 years, 197 days	F	Lucy d'Abreu	24 May 1892	7 Dec 2005	Died UK
HUN	112 years, 332 days	F	Elizabeth Stefan	13 May 1895	9 Apr 2008	Died U.S.
MAR	111 years, 282 days	F	Consuelo Moreno-Lopez	5 Feb 1893	13 Nov 2004	Died U.S.
GRE	110 years, 341 days	M	Gregory Pandazes	15 Jan 1873	22 Dec 1983	Died U.S.
PER	110 years, 106 days	F	Julia Dougherty	20 Aug 1893	4 Dec 2003	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 this 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.

See also

• List of the verified oldest people
• List of the verified oldest men

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