Who is the oldest person in recorded history?
The undisputed holder of the record for the oldest person in human history is Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who lived to be 122 years and 164 days old. Born on February 21, 1875, she passed away on August 4, 1997. Her age is exceptionally well-documented, with official records tracing her life from birth, including a trail of census documents, to validate her remarkable longevity. Her existence as the only person definitively proven to have lived past 120 years makes her case a crucial benchmark in demography and the study of aging.
The process of age verification
To be officially recognized by a body like Guinness World Records or the Gerontology Research Group, claims of extreme longevity must undergo a strict and multi-faceted verification process. The standards for proving an age of 115 years or more are particularly rigorous due to the statistical rarity of such a feat.
Key steps include:
- Securing a birth certificate: This is the foundational document, though its existence is not always guaranteed for people born in earlier centuries.
- Establishing a verifiable paper trail: Researchers must find supporting records, such as census data, marriage certificates, and other official documents that track the individual's age throughout their life.
- Cross-referencing family information: Details like the names of parents, siblings, or children are checked against historical records and interviews with family members.
- Ensuring clear identity: Independent corroboration is vital to ensure that the birth record belongs unequivocally to the person making the claim.
Jeanne Calment's claim met all of these criteria, which is why it has stood as the benchmark for decades, despite some controversial and largely discredited theories suggesting fraud.
Unverified claims of living to 124
Despite Jeanne Calment holding the verified record, claims of even greater longevity have emerged, especially in regions with less consistent historical record-keeping. Two notable, yet unverified, cases in recent years highlight the ongoing fascination and controversy surrounding extreme old age.
- Marcelino Abad (Peru): In April 2024, Peruvian authorities claimed that Marcelino Abad, a resident of the Huanuco region, had turned 124. They asserted he was born in 1900 and were assisting him in applying for verification with Guinness World Records. Abad, who was identified by the government in 2019 and provided a pension, credits his longevity to a diet rich in fruits and lamb meat, along with chewing coca leaves. As of September 2025, his age remains unverified by an international body.
- Francisca Susano (Philippines): In November 2021, reports surfaced that Francisca Susano, believed to be the world's oldest living person, had died in the Philippines at age 124. Local records suggested a birthdate in 1897, but Guinness World Records had not completed its verification of her documents at the time of her death. Similar to other such cases, the claim was prominent in local reports but lacked the definitive international certification required for historical record status.
These unverified claims showcase a common pattern: extraordinary longevity is often reported but fails to pass the rigorous scrutiny needed for validation. The discrepancy is often due to a lack of complete, consistent records from birth to death, which were uncommon in many parts of the world a century or more ago.
Scientific perspective: Maximum human lifespan debate
Scientific opinion is divided on whether there is a fixed upper limit to the human lifespan. Some researchers have historically pointed to a flattening mortality rate among supercentenarians, suggesting a biological ceiling, while others argue that continued advances could push the limits further.
| Feature | Fixed Lifespan Perspective | Expanding Lifespan Perspective |
|---|---|---|
| Mortality Rate | Suggests a plateau or limit where the risk of death stabilizes after a certain age (e.g., 105), indicating a biological cap. | Argues that historical data quality issues and small sample sizes for supercentenarians skew analysis, and that mortality rates may continue to increase with age. |
| Jeanne Calment | Views Calment as an outlier who represents the approximate, if not absolute, upper boundary of what is biologically possible. | Acknowledges Calment's status but notes that continued population growth makes it statistically more likely that her record will eventually be broken. |
| Future Outlook | Proposes that maximum lifespan might not change dramatically, even with population growth, though more people will reach advanced ages due to improvements in healthcare. | Predicts with a high degree of probability that the current record will be broken in the 21st century, possibly reaching 125 to 132 years. |
Regardless of the theoretical maximum, science suggests that individuals reaching these extreme ages possess a combination of robust health and genetic predisposition that allows them to delay or escape age-related diseases for decades longer than average.
Conclusion
While claims regularly surface of individuals living beyond the established record, the answer to has anyone lived to be 124 years old? remains no, based on verifiable documentation. The benchmark for human longevity continues to be Jeanne Calment at 122 years. The cases of Marcelino Abad and Francisca Susano, while compelling, highlight the critical difference between anecdotal reports and scientifically validated age. As demographics and healthcare continue to evolve, the possibility of someone surpassing Calment's record grows. However, until such a claim is met with the rigorous and extensive proof required, Calment's extraordinary lifespan will continue to represent the longest, fully documented human life in history.
