10 Oldest People in the World, Some Are Up to 122 Years Old
Jeanne Calment lived to be 122 years and 164 days old. (Photo: History Computer)
- Long, healthy and youthful life is the hope of many people. However, the fact is that not many people reach the age of 100, like the list of oldest people below. They, unlike most people, have successfully passed the age of 100 years or are called supercentertarians for those who have passed the age of 110 years.
Even though medical technology continues to develop over time, ironically it is not getting easier for someone to maintain their health, so that they can live a long life. Living a long life is not solely due to treatment but needs to be accompanied by a healthy lifestyle from childhood so that you have a strong immune system and are rarely affected by disease.
Now it is not uncommon to find people who are hundreds of years old, even among people who have passed the age of one hundred, only a few can claim that they are the oldest person in the world who has ever lived. To obtain the title of oldest person at least one needs to live a very long time and document proof. The oldest person in the world lived to the age of 122 years 164 days with clear evidence.
The following is a list of the 10 oldest people in the world as reported by History Computer, Tuesday (02/04/2024).
1. Jeanne Calment (122 Years, 164 Days)
The oldest person in the world was Jeanne Calment from France (1875-1997), who lived to be 122 years and 164 days old. He is the only person in the world ever verified to have lived at least 120 years. She outlived her daughter and grandchildren. His longevity attracted media attention when researchers began analyzing his lifestyle and habits to find out how long he could live.
2. Kane Tanaka (119 Years, 107 Days)
The world's second oldest person is Kane Tanaka (1903-2022), who took over the title of oldest living person from Chiyo Miyako, who was later on the list, when she died. Tanaka is the oldest Japanese person to have ever lived. He said his parents misreported his birth date and delayed filing related documents because he was born prematurely and they were uncertain whether he would survive.
3. Sarah Knauss (119 Years, 97 Days)
The oldest verified American, Sarah DeRemer Knauss (1880-1999) has many awards to her name. He is also the third oldest well-documented person in the world and the only person in the United States to reach the ages of 118 and 119 years. His date of birth has been independently verified using several census data. Knauss lived to be 119 years and 97 days old. She was the third daughter of German immigrants to Pennsylvania, where she lived until her death in 1999.
4. Lucile Randon (118 Years, 340 Days)
Known as Sister André, Lucile Randon (1904-2023) from France was the oldest living person after the death of Kane Tanaka. He lived to be 118 years and 340 days before he died. In her life, she was a teacher, nun, nanny, and missionary who later retired at the age of 75. He is the oldest person to survive SARS-CoV-2; he tested positive for Covid-19 just a month before his 117th birthday.
5. Prophet Tajima (117 Years, 260 Days)
Nabi Tajima (1990-2018) from Japan is the oldest living person after the death of Violet Brown, whose story is included in this list. Tajima died seven months after holding the title of oldest living person and was the last verified person born in the 19th century. He was 117 years and 260 days old when he died.
6. Marie-Louise Fébronie Meilleur (117 Years, 230 Days)
Marie-Louise Meilleur (1880-1998) was Canada's oldest living person and became the oldest person recognized after the death of Jeanne Calment, the oldest person who ever lived. He is a vegetarian and claims that the secret to a long life is hard work. He had 12 children, but only four survived.
7. Violet Brown (117 Years, 189 Days)
Born in Jamaica, Violet Brown (1900-2017) was once the oldest living person, after the death of Emma Morano. He survived Morano for five months before dying. Along with Nabi Tajima, he is one of the last people born in the 19th century still alive. He also currently holds the title of oldest person in Jamaica.
8. Emma Morano-Martinuzzi (117 Years, 137 Days)
Today, Italy is home to around 20,000 centenarians. However, supercentenarians who fall into the category of the oldest people who have ever lived like Emma Morano-Martinuzzi (1899-2017) are very rare, even in Italy. Morano-Martinuzzi is the oldest Italian to have ever lived and the third oldest European to have ever lived. He was 117 years and 137 days old when he died.
9. Chiyo Miyako (117 Years, 81 Days)
After the death of Nabi Tajima, Chiyo Miyako (1901-2018) became the oldest person in Japan and also the world. He is the 8th verified person to reach the age of 117 years and the 3rd Japanese person to reach that age, after Nabi Tajima and Misao Okawa (not on this list). Miyako was replaced by Kane Tanaka, who was previously on our list. Guinness World Records also verified Miyako as the oldest surgical patient ever to undergo surgery at the age of 116 years and 6 days.
10. Delphia Welford (117 Years, 66 Days)
Delphia Welford (1875-1992) claimed to be born in 1881, but research completed by the Gerontology Research Group in 2023 determined that she was born in 1875. She lived to be 117 years and 66 days old before dying in 1992.
The case stems from a Social Security study. Post-humous case validation regarding his age was presented at the World Supercentenarian Forum seminar in Paris in 2023. Welford and Sarah Knauss are the only two people verified to have reached the age of 117 in the United States.