The World's Most Exclusive Age Club
An exceptionally small number of people are confirmed to be living at age 115 or older. This number changes frequently as individuals reach and pass this milestone. The individuals who achieve this are known as supercentenarians, a term for anyone who has verifiably reached the age of 110. As of late 2025, British woman Ethel Caterham is the oldest living validated person, having reached her 116th birthday. She represents the extreme upper limit of human longevity, an age that only a tiny fraction of the world’s population ever reaches.
The rarity of this achievement is difficult to overstate. According to researchers, the number of people who have ever lived to 115 is very low, historically a few dozen at most. The pool of candidates is so limited that reliable statistics are challenging to maintain, and the list of living individuals is meticulously tracked by specialized organizations like the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) and LongeviQuest, which publish rankings of the world's oldest people.
The Rigorous Process of Age Validation
Unlike a regular birthday, claiming to be over 110 or 115 requires extensive documentation to be accepted by the scientific community. Exaggerated age claims are common, so research groups have developed strict validation procedures. This process involves gathering and cross-referencing multiple historical documents, including:
- Birth certificates
- Census records
- Marriage licenses
- Social Security or other government records
The goal is to create an irrefutable paper trail of the individual's age. This meticulous process ensures the integrity of longevity research. Without this validation, an age claim is considered unverified and is typically not included in official rankings. A 2024 paper by Saul Justin Newman highlighted potential past errors and bias in validating some extreme age claims, underscoring the critical importance of rigorous checks.
Challenges in verification
- Incomplete or lost historical records.
- Discrepancies in documents from different periods.
- Differences in record-keeping standards across countries.
- Intentional exaggeration for social or financial reasons.
Factors Behind Extreme Longevity
So, what separates the very old from the rest of the aging population? Research into supercentenarians and longevity hotspots known as 'Blue Zones' offers several insights, suggesting a combination of genetics, lifestyle, and environment play a role.
The role of genetics
Research into supercentenarians often reveals a strong genetic component. Exceptional longevity tends to run in families, suggesting certain genes or gene combinations provide significant protective effects against age-related diseases. Studies like the New England Centenarian Study have found that siblings of centenarians have a much higher probability of living to 100 or older compared to their peers. A variant of the gene FOXO3 is one example that has been associated with higher odds of extreme longevity.
Lifestyle factors from Blue Zones
Studies of long-lived populations have identified several lifestyle traits in common:
- Natural Movement: These individuals often live in environments that encourage constant, low-intensity physical activity throughout the day, such as gardening, walking, and manual household tasks.
- Sense of Purpose: Having a reason to wake up in the morning, known as 'Ikigai' in Okinawa, is linked to a longer lifespan.
- Stress Management: Incorporating daily routines like napping, praying, or meditation helps to shed stress, which is linked to chronic inflammation.
- Plant-Based Diets: The cornerstone of most centenarian diets is a high intake of beans, legumes, vegetables, and fruits, with meat consumed only sparingly.
- Moderate Alcohol Consumption: Many studies note that moderate, regular drinkers in Blue Zones tend to outlive non-drinkers, with consumption typically centered around meals and social gatherings.
- Strong Social Bonds: Belonging to a community, and prioritizing family relationships, provides a strong social support network that has been shown to improve mental and overall health.
Centenarians vs. Supercentenarians: A Comparison
To understand the extraordinary nature of reaching 115, it helps to compare supercentenarians with their slightly younger, though still exceptional, counterparts.
| Feature | Centenarian (100–109) | Supercentenarian (110+) |
|---|---|---|
| Incidence | Far more common, with hundreds of thousands worldwide. | Exceptionally rare, with perhaps a few hundred alive at any time. |
| Health Status | Often delay major age-related diseases until their late 90s, with a significant period of health. | Exhibit an even more pronounced delay of morbidity, compressing illness into the last few years or months of life. |
| Genetics vs. Environment | A combination of lifestyle and genetics contribute, though the genetic component is significant. | The role of genetics becomes a much more dominant factor, as individuals at this age appear to have unique protective variants. |
| Lifestyle Variations | Shows a wider variation in diet and lifestyle choices. | More homogeneous in health profiles, suggesting a selection for traits that protect against aging. |
A Global Perspective on Extreme Longevity
The pursuit of longevity is a global phenomenon, but the reality of reaching the most extreme ages is concentrated in specific regions. The search for individuals who are 115 or older highlights geographical differences in healthcare, nutrition, and social support. Verification efforts rely on international collaboration between researchers and authorities to ensure accuracy. Despite these efforts, data suggests that even in countries with a high number of centenarians, the progression to supercentenarian status remains an outlier event, heavily influenced by a unique combination of biological and random factors.
Conclusion: The Ultimate Biological Lottery
Ultimately, the question of how many people alive are over 115 reveals a simple but profound truth: very few. These individuals are not just old; they represent the pinnacle of human endurance and the farthest reaches of the human lifespan. Their existence offers a unique window into the biological, environmental, and behavioral factors that govern aging. While a fortunate few win the ultimate biological lottery, the rest of us can learn from the healthy habits and positive outlooks that characterize so many of those who have passed the century mark.
For the most up-to-date validated list of living supercentenarians, consult the official rankings from the Gerontology Research Group: Gerontology Research Group
