When you think about the absolute limit of the human body, a certain number usually pops into your head. Maybe it's 100. Or maybe 110. But for one woman in France, those milestones were just the warmup. Honestly, when we ask how old was the world's oldest person, we aren't just talking about a birthday cake with a lot of candles. We are talking about someone who met Vincent van Gogh and lived long enough to see the internet take over the world.
That person was Jeanne Calment.
She lived to be 122 years and 164 days old.
She didn't just break the record; she shattered it. Most people who hit the "supercentenarian" mark—that’s the fancy word for people over 110—rarely make it past 115. Calment stayed in the game for another seven years after that. It’s a feat of biology that honestly kind of defies logic.
The Woman Who Outlived Time
Jeanne Calment was born in Arles, France, in 1875. To put that in perspective, the Eiffel Tower hadn't even been built yet. When she was a teenager, she sold colored pencils to Van Gogh. She later described him as "ugly as sin" and "disagreeable."
You've gotta love the honesty.
She lived through two world wars, the Spanish Flu, and the invention of the television. She didn't move into a nursing home until she was 110. Think about that. Most of us are worried about our knees at 40. She was still living independently at a century and a decade.
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Her diet? Not exactly what your doctor would recommend. She reportedly ate two pounds of chocolate a week and enjoyed her port wine and cigarettes until she was 117. She basically looked at the "wellness" industry and laughed.
Is the Record Even Real?
Now, because Calment’s age is such an outlier, there’s been some drama. A few years ago, some Russian researchers made waves by suggesting that Jeanne actually died in 1934 and her daughter, Yvonne, took her place to avoid inheritance taxes.
It sounds like a movie plot, right?
The "conspiracy" theory basically claimed that the woman who died in 1997 was actually 99, not 122. However, experts from the Gerontology Research Group and the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in France went back through the records. They looked at census data, family trees, and witness statements. They ultimately stuck by the original 122-year record.
While it's fun to speculate, the evidence for her being who she said she was is incredibly solid.
Who Are the Others in the "119 Club"?
While Jeanne Calment sits comfortably at the top, she isn't the only one who has pushed the boundaries of human survival. A few others have come incredibly close to that 120-year wall, but nobody has climbed over it since 1997.
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- Kane Tanaka (Japan): She reached 119 years and 107 days before passing in 2022. She was famous for her love of chocolate and playing the board game Othello.
- Sarah Knauss (USA): An American legend who lived to 119 years and 97 days. She died just two days before the year 2000 began. She missed the millennium by 48 hours.
- Lucile Randon (France): Also known as Sister André, she reached 118 years and 340 days. She famously survived COVID-19 at the age of 116 without even realizing she was sick.
It's sorta interesting that the top spots are almost exclusively held by women. In fact, the oldest man ever recorded, Jiroemon Kimura of Japan, lived to be 116 years and 54 days. That’s a massive gap. Men just don't seem to have the same "biological staying power" in the triple digits.
What is the Oldest Person Alive Right Now?
As of early 2026, the leaderboard has shifted. Longevity is a moving target. Currently, the title of the world's oldest living person belongs to Ethel Caterham from the United Kingdom.
She was born on August 21, 1909.
Ethel is 116 years old. She took over the top spot in April 2025 after the passing of Inah Canabarro Lucas. What's wild is that Ethel actually worked as an au pair in British India back in the 1920s. She’s seen the British Empire rise and fall, and now she’s the last surviving person on earth born in the 1900s decade.
Current Leaders of Longevity (January 2026)
- Ethel Caterham (UK): 116 years old. Born August 1909.
- Marie-Rose Tessier (France): 115 years old. Born May 1910.
- Naomi Whitehead (USA): 115 years old. Born September 1910.
- Lucia Laura Sangenito (Italy): 115 years old. Born November 1910.
It is a very exclusive club. To get on this list, you need more than just good genes. You need a mix of luck, a stress-free attitude, and apparently, a very stubborn refusal to stop breathing.
The "Secret" to Living This Long
If you ask these supercentenarians how they did it, the answers are all over the place.
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Ethel Caterham says her secret is "never arguing with anyone" and doing what she likes. Kane Tanaka credited soda and math. Emma Morano, an Italian woman who lived to 117, swore by eating two raw eggs every single day for 90 years.
Biologically, though, it’s mostly about "negligible senescence."
That’s a fancy term for people whose bodies don't seem to age at the same rate as the rest of us. Most people hit a "mortality plateau" if they make it to 105. At that point, your chance of dying next year is basically a coin flip—50/50. It doesn't get higher; it just stays there. If you keep winning that coin flip, you end up like Jeanne Calment.
Why You Probably Won't Hit 122
Scientists are still debating if 122 is the "hard ceiling" for humans. Some research suggests that our biological systems simply can't handle more than 120 to 150 years of wear and tear. Even if we cure cancer and heart disease, the basic "cellular noise" of living eventually breaks the machine.
But then again, they said nobody would ever beat the 110-year record back in the day.
Actionable Insights for Longevity
You might not hit 122, but you can certainly aim for a healthy 90 or 100. Based on the patterns seen in "Blue Zones" and the lives of these supercentenarians, here is what actually works:
- Prioritize Low-Level Movement: Don't just hit the gym for an hour. Stay moving throughout the day. Tomiko Itooka, who lived to 116, was still climbing mountains in her 70s and 80s.
- Manage Social Stress: Almost every person on this list mentions "not arguing" or "staying positive." Chronic stress releases cortisol, which literally melts your telomeres (the protective caps on your DNA).
- Eat for Vitality, Not Just Fuel: Whether it’s raw eggs or dark chocolate, find high-quality foods that bring you joy.
- Maintain a "Purpose": In Japan, they call it Ikigai. Having a reason to get out of bed—even if it's just to play Othello or see your great-great-grandchildren—keeps the brain engaged.
The story of how old was the world's oldest person isn't just a trivia fact. It's a reminder that the human body is capable of far more than we give it credit for. Whether it’s Jeanne Calment’s 122 years or Ethel Caterham’s current 116, these lives prove that age is a flexible boundary.
To learn more about your own longevity potential, look into your family's history of "Super Agers" and focus on maintaining your mobility above all else. Keeping your legs strong is often the best predictor of whether you'll be the one breaking records in the future.