A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100 years. Because life expectancies worldwide are below 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. The United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living centenarians worldwide in 2012, [1] and 573,000 in 2020, almost quadruple the 2000 estimate of 151,000. [2]
As world population and life expectancy continue to increase, the number of centenarians is expected to increase substantially in the 21st century. [3] According to the Office of National Statistics in the United Kingdom, one-third of babies born in the country in 2013 are expected to live to 100. [4]
According to a 1998 United Nations demographic survey, Japan is expected to have 272,000 centenarians by 2050; [5] other sources suggest that the number could be closer to 1 million. [6] The incidence of centenarians in Japan was one per 3,522 people in 2008. [7]
In Japan, the number of centenarians is highly skewed towards females. Japan in fiscal year 2016 had 57,525 female centenarians, while there were 8,167 males, a ratio of 7:1. The increase of centenarians was even more skewed at 11.6:1. [8]
The total number of centenarians in the world is uncertain. The Population Division of the United Nations estimated that there were 23,000 in 1950, 110,000 in 1990, 150,000 in 1995, 209,000 in 2000, 324,000 in 2005, [9] 455,000 in 2009, [10] and 935,000 in 2024. [11]
These older estimates, however, did not take into account downward adjustments of national estimates made by several countries such as the United States. The UN estimated in 2012, as a result of these adjustments, that there were only 316,600 centenarians worldwide. [1] The following table gives estimated centenarian populations by country, including both the latest and the earliest known estimates, where available.
A study [12] which received a 2024 Ig Nobel Prize [13] found these numbers are inflated by welfare and pension fraud and poor record-keeping, neither of which are uniform across jurisdictions. [14]
Country | Latest estimate (year) | Earliest estimate (year) | Centenarians per 100,000 people |
---|---|---|---|
Andorra | 7 (2002) [15] | – | 10.2 |
Argentina | 7,299 (2023) [16] | 234 (1869); [17] 863 (1947) [18] | 15.5 |
Australia | 8,262 (2021) [19] | 50 (1901) | 32.1 |
Austria | 1,686 (2022) [20] | 232 (1990), [21] 25 (1960) [21] | 18.8 |
Barbados | 114 (2016) [22] [23] | – | 39.9 |
Belgium | 2,163 (2021) [24] | 23 (1950) [25] | 18.8 |
Brazil | 23,760 (2010) [25] | – | 12.5 |
Bulgaria | 353 (2022) [26] | 233 (2010) | 5.5 |
Cambodia | 3,143 (2019) [27] | – | 20.2 |
Canada | 12,822 (2021) [28] | – | 33.5 |
China | 54,166 (2013) [29] | 4,469 (1990), [25] 17,800 (2007) [30] | 4.0 |
Czech Republic | 845 (2020) [31] | 404 (2006) [32] | 7.9 |
Denmark | 1,220 (2022) [33] | 32 (1941) [34] | 20.8 |
Dominica | 23 (July 2021) [35] | 31.9 | |
Estonia | 154 (2021) [36] | 42 (1990) [21] | 11.6 |
Finland | 1,038 (2020) [37] | 11 (1960) [21] | 18.8 |
France | 25,961 (2021) [38] | 100 (1900) [39] | 38.4 [40] |
Germany | 23,513 (2021) [41] | 232 (1885) [42] | 28.2 |
Hungary | 3,363 (2021) [36] | 76 (1949), 227 (1990) [43] | 34.6 |
Iceland | 43 (2021) [36] [44] | 3 (1960) [21] | 11.7 |
India | 27,000 (2015) [45] | – | 2.1 |
Ireland | 2,179 (2021) [36] | 87 (1990) [21] | 43.5 |
Israel | 3,061 (2017) [46] | – | 35.1 |
Italy | 22,552 (2024) [47] | 99 (1872) [34] | 38.23 |
Japan | 95,119 (2024) [48] | 81 (1884), [49] 105 (1930), [50] 97 (1950), [50] 155 (1960), [51] 54,397 (2013) [52] | 76.5 |
Malaysia | 2,296 (2024) [53] | 6.7 | |
Mexico | 18,295 (2020) [54] | 2,403 (1990) | 14.5 |
Netherlands | 2 555 (2024) [55] | 18 (1830) [56] | 14.4 |
New Zealand | 1,078 (2024) [57] | 18 (1960); [21] 297 (1991) [58] | 20.9 |
Norway | 1,309 (2022) [59] | 44 (1951) [34] | 24.1 |
Peru | 2,707 (2013) | 1,682 (2011) [60] | 8.4 |
Poland | 7,232 (2021) [36] | 500 (1970) [61] | 19.1 |
Portugal | 5,025 (2021) [36] | – | 48.8 |
Romania | 2,087 (2024) [62] | - | 10.9 |
Russia | 22,600 (2020) [63] | 6,700 (2007) | 15.5 |
Singapore | 1,500 (2020) [64] | 41 (1990) [21] | 26.38 |
Slovenia | 281 (2021) [65] | 2 (1953), [66] 224 (2013) [65] | 13.3 [65] |
Slovakia | 401 (2021) [67] | 7.4 | |
South Africa | 15,581 (2011) [68] | – | 30.1 |
South Korea | 21,912 (2020) [69] | 961 | 42.4 |
Spain | 19,573 (2022) [70] | 4,269 (2002) [71] | 41.1 |
Sweden | 2,410 (2021) [72] | 46 (1950) | 23.1 |
Switzerland | 1,726 (2021) | 7 (1860) [34] | 19.9 |
Thailand | 26,137 (2021) [73] | – | 39.5 |
Turkey | 5,780 (2021) [36] | – | 6.9 |
United Kingdom | 15,120 (2020) [74] | 107 (1911) [34] [75] | 23 |
United States | 83,732 (2023) [76] | 2,300 (1950), [77] 53,364 (2010) [78] | 25.0 |
Uruguay | 519 (2011) [79] | – | 15.8 [80] |
World estimates | 934,776 (2024) [11] | 23,000 (1950), 316,600 (2012) [1] | 11.6 |
A supercentenarian, sometimes hyphenated as super-centenarian, is a person who has reached the age of 110 years. This age milestone is only achieved by about one in a thousand centenarians.
Even rarer is a person who has lived to 115. There are 75 people in recorded history who have indisputably reached 115. Only three of the people who have reached 115 are men. Tomiko Itooka, Inah Canabarro Lucas, Ethel Caterham and Okagi Hayashi are the only verified people currently alive who have reached the 115 years milestone. [81] [82] [83] [84]
Jeanne Calment from France is the only age-verified person in human history to have reached the age of 120 years.
An aspect of blessing in many cultures is to offer a wish that the recipient lives to 100 years old. Among Hindus in India, where touching feet of elders and respected is a tradition, people who touch the feet of elders are often blessed with "May you live a hundred years". In Sweden, the traditional birthday song states, May he/she live for one hundred years. In Judaism, May you live to be 120 years old is a common blessing. In Poland, Sto lat , a wish to live a hundred years, is a traditional form of praise and good wishes, and the song "sto lat, sto lat" is sung on the occasion of the birthday celebrations—arguably, it is the most popular song in Poland and among Poles around the globe.
According to legends, Sages from ancient India lived and meditated for tens of thousands of years while Great Kings ruled their kingdoms for thousands of years.
Chinese emperors were hailed to live ten thousand years, while empresses were hailed to live a thousand years.
In Italy, "A hundred of these days!" (cento di questi giorni) is an augury for birthdays, to live to celebrate 100 more birthdays. [85] Some Italians say "A cent'anni!", which means "(up) To a hundred years", in that they wish that they could all live happily for a hundred years. In Greece, wishing someone Happy Birthday ends with the expression να τα εκατοστήσεις (na ta ekatostisis), which can be loosely translated as "may you make it one hundred birthdays". In Sri Lanka, it is a custom to bless as "you may live 220 instead of 120".
In many countries, people receive a gift or congratulations from federal/state institutions on their 100th birthday.
As of 2019, there were an estimated 72,000 centenarians living in the U.S.; the 2020 census officially counted 80,139, and the 2010 census had 53,364. [86] However, the U.S. Census Bureau claimed in 1999 that as many as a third of people stating their age as over 100 might be exaggerating. [86]
In the United States, centenarians may request a letter of congratulation from the president of the United States to mark their longevity. [87] Jimmy Carter became the first (and currently only) former president to reach the age of 100 on October 1, 2024. [88] [89]
Today also presents a segment honoring centenarians and older, sponsored by Smuckers. The tradition was created in 1983 by weather presenter Willard Scott, and is now presented by his successor Al Roker. [90]
Japanese centenarians receive a silver cup and a certificate from the prime minister of Japan upon the Respect for the Aged Day following their 100th birthday, honouring them for their longevity and prosperity in their lives. [91] [92] [93]
In Madhya Pradesh, India, the award known as Shatayu Samman is given out to people who live at least 100 years to promote awareness of good health. [94]
North Korean centenarians receive a birthday congratulatory letter from the Supreme Leader of the DPRK. On 6 July 2022, Pak Hak Sil, a centenarian living in Koup-ri of Kangnam County, Pyongyang, received a birthday letter sent by Kim Jong Un. [95]
In the Philippines, Republic Act No. 10868 better known as the Centenarians Act of 2016 mandates that all living Filipinos residing in the Philippines or overseas receive a birthday congratulatory letter from the President of the Philippines and a ₱100,000 "Centenarian Gift" from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). [96]
In Taiwan, people aged 100 or above receive a golden pendant necklace on Chong Yang Festival each year from the president and Ministry of Health and Welfare. [97] [98] [99]
German centenarians receive a letter of congratulations from the president of Germany.
In Ireland, centenarians can receive a €2,540 "Centenarians' Bounty" and a letter from the president of Ireland, even if they are resident abroad. [100] Irish people celebrating their 101st birthday may also receive a special silver minted coin with a quote by a famous Irish writer or poet. [101]
Centenarians born in Italy receive a letter of congratulations from the president of Italy.[ citation needed ]
In the Netherlands, the monarch and their commissioner sends a letter on the 100th birthday and on every birthday beginning with the 105th. [102]
Swedish centenarians receive a telegram from the king and queen of Sweden. [103]
In Commonwealth realms including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand centenarians can receive congratulations card greetings from the monarch King Charles III on their 100th birthday. In the UK, greeting cards are also sent by the monarch on every birthday beginning with the 105th. [104] [105] [106]
In Commonwealth realms in which the monarch does not ordinarily reside, honorees can also receive congratulations from the governor-general. In Canada, application must be made through the GGS official website. [106] Similarly, in New Zealand, honorees must apply for greetings through the official government website. [105]
The traditions of British centenarians receiving greetings and congratulations was established by King Edward VII in 1908.
The famous acrobat and tightrope walker Henry Johnson received a congratulatory letter from Edward VII via his royal courtier Viscount Knollys in 1906. [107] The tradition of royal congratulations continued in 1908, when the secretary for King Edward VII sent a congratulatory letter to Reverend Thomas Lord of Horncastle, Lincolnshire, in a newspaper clipping, declaring, "I am commanded by the King to congratulate you on the attainment of your hundredth year, after a most useful life".[ citation needed ]
The practice was formalised from 1917, under the reign of King George V, who also sent congratulations then sent by a telegram on the attainment of a diamond wedding anniversary (or jubilee) marking 60 years of marriage.
During the reign of King George V, only 24 telegrams were sent; however, with the aging population, this increased to 273 during 1952, when the longest-reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne. [104] The Queen also sent a telegram, and later a portrait-style greeting card with the notation, "I am so pleased to know that you are celebrating your one hundredth birthday. I send my congratulations and best wishes to you on such a special occasion." Each few years the card was updated with a current updated picture of the Queen to ensure people did not receive the same card more than once. The Queen further sent her congratulations on one's 105th birthday and every year thereafter as well as on special wedding anniversaries. [108]
While the number of centenarians per capita was much lower in ancient times than today, the data suggest that they were not unheard of. [109] [ better source needed ]
Estimates of life expectancy in antiquity are far lower than modern values mostly due to the far greater incidence of deaths in infancy or childhood. Those who lived past early childhood had a reasonable chance of living to a relatively old age. [110] The assumption of what constitutes "old age", or being "elderly", at least, seems to have remained unchanged since antiquity, the line being generally drawn at either sixty or sixty-five years; [111] Psalm 90:10 in the Hebrew Bible appears to give seventy to eighty years as the natural life expectancy of a person surviving into old age, "The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty".
A survey of the lifespans of male individuals with entries in the Oxford Classical Dictionary (i.e., a sample pre-selected to include those who lived long enough to attain historical notability) found a median lifespan of 72 years, and a range of 32 to 107 years, for 128 individuals born before 100 BC (though the same study found a median lifespan of 66 years for 100 individuals born after 100 BC but no later than 602 AD); by comparison, male individuals listed in Chambers Biographical Dictionary who died between 1900 and 1949 had a median lifespan of 71.5 years, with a range between 29 and 105 years.
The author of the 1994 study concluded that it was only in the second half of the 20th century that medical advances have extended the life expectancy of those who live into adulthood. [112]
Reliable references to individuals in antiquity who lived past 100 years are quite rare, but they do exist. For instance, Cicero's wife Terentia was reported by Pliny the Elder to have lived from 98 BC to 6 AD, 103 years. [113] Regnal dates of Bronze Age monarchs are notoriously unreliable; the sixth dynasty Egyptian ruler Pepi II is sometimes listed as having lived c. 2278 – c. 2184 BC, as he is said to have reigned for 94 years, [114] but alternative readings cite a reign of just 64 years. [115] Adad-guppi, mother of the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire Nabonidus apparently lived from c. 648-544 BC (c. 104 years) according to inscriptions on funeral steles. [116]
Diogenes Laërtius (c. AD 250) gives one of the earliest references regarding the plausible centenarian longevity given by a scientist, the astronomer Hipparchus of Nicaea (c. 185 – c. 120 BC), who, according to the doxographer, said that the philosopher Democritus of Abdera (c. 470/460 – c. 370/360 BC) lived 109 years. Other ancient accounts of Democritus agree that the philosopher lived at least 90 years. The case of Democritus differs from those of, for example, Epimenides of Crete (7th and 6th centuries BC), who is said to have lived an implausible 154, 157, or 290 years, depending on the source.
Other ancient Greek philosophers thought to have lived beyond the age of 90 include Xenophanes of Colophon (c. 570/565 – c. 475/470BC), Pyrrho of Ellis (c. 360 – c. 270 BC), and Eratosthenes of Cirene (c. 285 – c. 190 BC). Also, the Greek rhetorician Isocrates of Athens (436-338 BC) lived 97/98 years and the famous Greek tragedian Sophocles (497/496-406/405 BC) lived at least 90 years.
Hosius of Córdoba, the man who convinced Constantine the Great to call the First Council of Nicaea, reportedly lived to age 102.[ citation needed ]
A rare record of an ordinary person who lived to be a centenarian is the tombstone of Roman British legionary veteran Julius Valens, inscribed "VIXIT ANNIS C". [117]
In the medieval period, Albert Azzo II, Margrave of Milan (d. 1097) is said by Bernold of Constance to have lived past 100 years (iam maior centenario). [118]
Research in Italy suggests that healthy centenarians have high levels of both vitamin A and vitamin E and that this seems to be important in causing their extreme longevity. [119] Other research contradicts this, however, and has found that this theory does not apply to centenarians from Sardinia, for whom other factors probably play a more important role. [120] A preliminary study carried out in Poland showed that, in comparison with young healthy female adults, centenarians living in Upper Silesia had significantly higher red blood cell glutathione reductase and catalase activities, although serum levels of vitamin E were not significantly higher. [121] Researchers in Denmark have also found that centenarians exhibit a high activity of glutathione reductase in red blood cells. In this study, the centenarians having the best cognitive and physical functional capacity tended to have the highest activity of this enzyme. [122]
Other research has found that people whose parents became centenarians have an increased number of naïve B cells. It is well known that the children of parents who have a long life are also likely to reach a healthy age, but it is not known why, although the inherited genes are probably important. [123] A variation in the gene FOXO3A is known to have a positive effect on the life expectancy of humans, and is found much more often in people living to 100 and beyond – moreover, this appears to be true worldwide. [124]
Men and women who are 100 or older tend to have extroverted personalities, according to Thomas T. Perls, the director of the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University. [125] Centenarians will often have many friends, strong ties to relatives and high self-esteem. In addition, some research suggests that the offspring of centenarians are more likely to age in better cardiovascular health than their peers. [126]
Lymphoblastoid cell lines established from blood samples of centenarians have significantly higher activity of the DNA repair protein PARP (Poly ADP ribose polymerase) than cell lines from younger (20 to 70 years old) individuals. [127] The lymphocytic cells of centenarians have characteristics typical of cells from young people, both in their capability of priming the mechanism of repair after H2O2 sublethal oxidative DNA damage and in their PARP capacity. [128] PARP activity measured in the permeabilized mononuclear leukocyte blood cells of thirteen mammalian species correlated with maximum lifespan of the species. [129] These findings suggest that PARP mediated DNA repair activity contributes to the longevity of centenarians, consistent with the DNA damage theory of aging. [130]
Many experts attribute Japan's high life expectancy to the typical Japanese diet, which is particularly low in refined simple carbohydrates, and to hygienic practices. The number of centenarians in relation to the total population was, in September 2010, 114% higher in Shimane Prefecture than the national average. This ratio was also 92% higher in Okinawa Prefecture. [131] [132] [133] In Okinawa, studies have shown five factors that have contributed to the large number of centenarians in that region: [131]
Although these factors vary from those mentioned in the previous study, the culture of Okinawa has proven these factors to be important in its large population of centenarians. [131]
A historical study from Korea found that male eunuchs in the royal court had a centenarian rate of over 3%, and that eunuchs lived on average 14 to 19 years longer than uncastrated men. [134]
By measuring the biological age of various tissues from centenarians, researchers may be able to identify tissues that are protected from aging effects. According to a study of 30 different body parts from centenarians and younger controls, the cerebellum is the youngest brain region (and probably body part) in centenarians (about 15 years younger than expected [135] ) according to an epigenetic biomarker of tissue age known as epigenetic clock. [136]
These findings could explain why the cerebellum exhibits fewer neuropathological hallmarks of age related dementias compared to other brain regions. Further, the offspring of semi-supercentenarians (subjects who reached an age of 105–109 years) have a lower epigenetic age than age-matched controls (age difference=5.1 years in peripheral blood mononuclear cells) and centenarians are younger (8.6 years) than expected based on their chronological age. [137]
Human life expectancy is a statistical measure of the estimate of the average remaining years of life at a given age. The most commonly used measure is life expectancy at birth. This can be defined in two ways. Cohort LEB is the mean length of life of a birth cohort and can be computed only for cohorts born so long ago that all their members have died. Period LEB is the mean length of life of a hypothetical cohort assumed to be exposed, from birth through death, to the mortality rates observed at a given year. National LEB figures reported by national agencies and international organizations for human populations are estimates of period LEB.
Longevity may refer to especially long-lived members of a population, whereas life expectancy is defined statistically as the average number of years remaining at a given age. For example, a population's life expectancy at birth is the same as the average age at death for all people born in the same year.
Maximum life span is a measure of the maximum amount of time one or more members of a population have been observed to survive between birth and death. The term can also denote an estimate of the maximum amount of time that a member of a given species could survive between birth and death, provided circumstances that are optimal to that member's longevity.
A supercentenarian, sometimes hyphenated as super-centenarian, is a person who is 110 years or older. This age is achieved by about one in 1,000 centenarians. Supercentenarians typically live a life free of significant age-related diseases until shortly before the maximum human lifespan is reached.
Longevity claims are unsubstantiated cases of asserted human longevity. Those asserting lifespans of 110 years or more are referred to as supercentenarians. Many have either no official verification or are backed only by partial evidence. Cases where longevity has been fully verified, according to modern standards of longevity research, are reflected in an established list of supercentenarians based on the work of organizations such as the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) or Guinness World Records. This article lists living claims greater than that of the oldest living person whose age has been independently verified, Japanese woman Tomiko Itooka, aged 116 years, 206 days, and deceased claims greater than that of the oldest person ever whose age has been verified, French woman Jeanne Calment, who died aged 122 years and 164 days. The upper limit for both lists is 130 years.
This is a list of tables of the oldest people in the world in ordinal ranks. To avoid including false or unconfirmed claims of old age, names here are restricted to those people whose ages have been validated by an international body dealing in longevity research, such as the Gerontology Research Group or Guinness World Records, and others who have otherwise been reliably sourced.
A blue zone is a region in the world where people are claimed to have exceptionally long lives beyond the age of 80 due to a lifestyle combining physical activity, low stress, rich social interactions, a local whole-foods diet, and low disease incidence. Examples of blue zones include Okinawa Prefecture, Japan; Nuoro Province, Sardinia, Italy; the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; and Icaria, Greece. The name "blue zones" derived simply during the original survey by scientists, who "used a blue pen on a map to mark the villages with long-lived population."
The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) based in Los Angeles, California, US, is a global non-profit scientific organization of researchers in various fields of gerontology, primarily concerned with validating the ages of, recording and researching supercentenarians.
Jean-Marie Robine is a French social scientist, who works in the field of demography and gerontology, and is an author and journalist, who is best known as being the co-validator of the longevity of Jeanne Calment, the oldest verified supercentenarian of all time, with whom he collaborated.
A centenarian is a person who has attained the age of 100 years or more. Research on centenarians has become more common with clinical and general population studies now having been conducted in France, Hungary, Japan, Italy, Finland, Denmark, the United States, and China. Centenarians are the second fastest-growing demographic in much of the developed world. By 2030, it is expected that there will be around a million centenarians worldwide. In the United States, a 2010 Census Bureau report found that more than 80 percent of centenarians are women.
Stanisław Kowalski was a Polish supercentenarian masters athlete who, aged 105, became the oldest ever competing athlete in the newly formed M105 age division in sprinting, shot put, and discus throw.
Arthur Roger Thatcher was a British statistician. Thatcher was born in Birmingham and spent his formative early years in Wilmslow, Cheshire. He attended The Leys School in Cambridge and went on to university at St John's College, Cambridge, where he concentrated his studies in statistics, economics, and mathematics. After brief training in meteorology as part of his national service, he instructed Royal Navy pilots in weather patterns. He married his wife Mary in 1950; they had two children.
Kane Tanaka was a Japanese supercentenarian who, until her death at the age of 119 years, 107 days, was the world's oldest verified living person, following the death of Chiyo Miyako on 22 July 2018. She is the oldest verified Japanese person and the second-oldest verified person ever, after Jeanne Calment.
This timeline lists notable events in the history of research into senescence or biological aging, including the research and development of life extension methods, brain aging delay methods and rejuvenation.
On this analysis, it is only in the present half-century that advances in medicine have allowed us to outlive those ancients of the BC era who managed to survive the early perils.