Ever feel like you’re falling apart at 40? Try being 116. Honestly, it’s a number that doesn't even feel real. Most of us are just hoping to make it to retirement with our knees intact. But for the small handful of humans on the list of oldest living people, 100 was just the halfway point of their "senior" years.
Right now, as of early 2026, the world is watching a tiny group of women—and it’s almost always women—who have survived world wars, the Spanish Flu, the invention of the internet, and several global pandemics. These aren't just "old people." They are supercentenarians. That’s the fancy term for someone who hits 110. It’s a club with a brutal entry fee: you basically have to be biologically "bulletproof."
The Current Heavyweight: Ethel Caterham
The woman at the top of the mountain right now is Ethel Caterham. She’s British, 116 years old, and she’s the last person on Earth verified to have been born in the 1900s—specifically August 21, 1909.
Think about that.
When she was born, Edward VII was on the throne. The Titanic hadn't even been built yet. She’s lived through the reigns of five different British monarchs.
What’s wild is how "normal" her life sounds until you see the dates. She was a nanny in India in the 1920s. She drove her own car until she was 97. Most people are forced to give up the keys in their 70s or 80s because their reflexes go, but Ethel was still navigating roundabouts nearly three decades past that. She even survived COVID-19 at the age of 110. If that’s not a flex, I don’t know what is.
Who Else Is on the List?
The leaderboard changes fast because, well, biology is a relentless opponent. But as of January 2026, the rankings are dominated by a few key names.
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Marie-Rose Tessier from France is holding strong at 115. She’s the oldest person in France and has been the "Doyenne of the French" for a while now. France actually has a weirdly high number of supercentenarians. Some people say it’s the wine or the olive oil, but researchers like those at the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) think it’s a mix of great public health and, frankly, winning the genetic lottery.
Then you’ve got Naomi Whitehead in the United States. She’s also 115. She lives in Pennsylvania and is currently the oldest living American.
And we can't forget the men. It’s a much shorter list. Men usually don't make it this far. João Marinho Neto from Brazil is currently the oldest living man at 113. He’s a bit of an outlier. Most supercentenarians are women—about 90% of them, actually.
The Top Verified Living People (January 2026)
- Ethel Caterham (UK) – Born 1909. Age: 116.
- Marie-Rose Tessier (France) – Born 1910. Age: 115.
- Naomi Whitehead (USA) – Born 1910. Age: 115.
- Lucia Laura Sangenito (Italy) – Born 1910. Age: 115.
- Yolanda Beltrão de Azevedo (Brazil) – Born 1911. Age: 115.
Why Do They Live So Long?
You’ll always hear the same "secrets" to longevity. "I drink a glass of whiskey every night." "I never got married." "I eat a lot of chocolate."
Ethel Caterham liked bridge. Tomiko Itooka, who held the title before her and passed away in late 2024, loved bananas and Calpis (a Japanese yogurt drink). But honestly? It’s probably not the yogurt.
Scientists who study these "Super-Agers" find that they often have a different internal clock. Their cells seem to repair themselves more efficiently. They also tend to have very high levels of "good" cholesterol and lower rates of chronic inflammation.
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But there’s a psychological part too.
Most people on the list of oldest living people share a certain "don't sweat the small stuff" attitude. They have a sense of humor. They aren't stressed about the 24-hour news cycle. When you’ve lived through the 1918 flu and two World Wars, a Twitter (or X) controversy probably feels pretty insignificant.
The Validation Game: Why Some People Aren't on the List
You’ve probably seen headlines about a guy in a remote village claiming to be 140. He says he lost his birth certificate in a fire in 1890.
Yeah, the GRG and Guinness World Records don't play that.
Validation is incredibly strict. To get on the official list of oldest living people, you need "bulletproof" documentation. We're talking birth certificates, baptismal records, marriage certificates, and census data that tracks you every decade of your life.
Many claims from the 130+ crowd fall apart under scrutiny. Often, it turns out the person is actually using their father’s or older brother’s identity. It’s not always a scam; sometimes, records in the late 1800s were just messy. But without that paper trail, you don't make the cut.
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What This Means for the Rest of Us
We aren't all going to live to 116. Sorry. Most of us don't have the "L-gene" (longevity gene).
However, watching this list tells us a lot about the "ceiling" of human life. For a long time, scientists thought 115 was the absolute limit. Then Jeanne Calment hit 122 back in 1997. She’s still the record holder, and nobody has come close since.
The fact that we now have multiple people hitting 115 and 116 simultaneously suggests that the ceiling might be slowly moving. We are getting better at keeping the "fragile" elderly alive through better medicine and nutrition.
Actionable Takeaways from Supercentenarian Research
- Prioritize Social Ties: Almost every person on the list had a strong community or family till the very end. Isolation is a literal killer.
- Move, Even a Little: Ethel Caterham was playing bridge and staying active well into her 100s. You don't need to run marathons, but you do need to keep the "machinery" moving.
- Check Your Genetics: If your great-grandparents lived to 95, you’ve got a head start. Use it.
- Adopt the "Super-Ager" Mindset: Longevity experts like Dr. Nir Barzilai note that many centenarians are naturally optimistic. Stress is inflammatory. If you can let go of the small stresses, your heart will literally thank you.
The list of oldest living people is more than just a curiosity. It’s a map of what the human body is capable of when everything goes right. Whether it's the bridge games in Surrey or the yogurt drinks in Japan, these people prove that age really is just a number—provided you’ve got the genes to back it up.
Track these updates through official sources like the Gerontology Research Group to see who might break the 117 barrier next. It’s the ultimate endurance race, and the finish line keeps moving.