Ethel Caterham turns 117: she is the world's oldest person.

Ethel Caterham has blown out 117 candles. A birthday that is not just a family event, but a milestone in the history of human longevity. Born on August 21, 1909, in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, the British woman is the world's oldest living person and the first woman in the United Kingdom to reach 117.

Its record was officially recognized in 2025, following the death of Brazilian Inah Canabarro Lucas. Since then, Caterham has become a symbol of British and international longevity. With this new milestone, it continues to move closer to the very select circle of people who have lived to be 117 years old.

A life that began before the Great War

When Ethel came into the world, Edward VII was on the British throne and the outbreak of World War I was still a few years away. She was the second youngest of eight children and lived through virtually the entire twentieth century, reaching the digital age and the Covid-19 pandemic.

At 18, she chose to leave England and embarked alone on a long ship journey to India, where she worked as a nanny for a British family. This experience would mark the beginning of a life spent far from her homeland.

She later met Norman Caterham, a British Army officer. The two married in 1933 and followed the transfers related to her husband's military career. The couple also lived in Hong Kong and Gibraltar, before returning permanently to England.

The marriage produced two daughters. Norman died in 1976, leaving Ethel a widow when she was 67.

Driving until almost 100 years old

Among the most surprising curiosities of her biography is her relationship with the automobile. Caterham continued to drive until she was nearly 100, a detail that speaks volumes about how long she remained independent and active.
His story is filled with experiences that are hard to reconcile with the traditional image of old age. He traveled, worked abroad, raised a family, and maintained a vibrant social life.
At 110, he also contracted and overcame Covid-19, adding another chapter to his extraordinary biography.

In recent years, she continued to live in a facility in Surrey, surrounded by her family. After her previous birthday, she even received a visit from King Charles III, who wanted to personally meet the oldest woman in the United Kingdom.

Ethel's advice: Live without exaggeration

When asked about the secret to her longevity, Caterham doesn't offer any miracle formulas or special elixirs. Her approach is decidedly simpler: keep living, stay busy, enjoy things in moderation, and avoid pointless arguments.

A message that almost seems like a summary of his existence. No universal recipe, therefore, but a life characterized by activities, social relationships, and the ability to adapt to profoundly different eras.

Her story is also a journey through the transformation of the world: when she was born, there was no mass television, modern commercial aviation, antibiotics, or the Internet. She witnessed the British Empire change, numerous states rise and fall, man landed on the moon, and medicine radically transformed.

The ranking of the longest-lived people ever

Ethel Caterham is the oldest living person today, but she is not yet the longest-lived person in history.
The all-time record belongs to Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, born in 1875 and died in 1997 at the age of 122 years and 164 days. She is the only person whose age over 120 has been fully verified.

She is followed by other legendary figures in longevity. American Sarah Knauss reached 119 years and 97 days, while Japanese Kane Tanaka reached 119 years and 107 days. They are followed by Frenchwoman Lucile Randon, who died at 118, and a string of women who have lived past 117.

The top 10 longest-lived people verified

1. Jeanne Calment – ​​France: 122 years and 164 days
   Kane Tanaka – Japan: 119 years and 107 days
   Sarah Knauss – United States: 119 years and 97 days
   Lucile Randon – France: approximately 118 years and 340 days
   Nabi Tajima – Japan: 117 years and 260 days
   Marie-Louise Meilleur – Canada: 117 years and 230 days
   Violet Brown – Jamaica: 117 years and 189 days
   Emma Morano – Italy: 117 years and 137 days
   Chiyo Miyako – Japan: 117 years and 81 days
   Misao Okawa – Japan: 117 years and 27 days

Italy thus occupies a prominent position in the history of longevity thanks to Emma Morano, born in 1899 in Civiasco, Piedmont, and died in 2017 at 117 years and 137 days. She remains the longest-lived Italian person ever, according to a verified age.

How many centenarians are there in the world?

This phenomenon isn't just a few exceptional cases. The global population of centenarians has grown enormously over the last century.
According to United Nations estimates used by the Pew Research Center, in 2024 there were approximately 722 people aged 100 and over living in the world.

The ranking in absolute numbers sees Japan in the lead, followed by the United States, China, India and Thailand.

Countries with the most centenarians

1. Japan – approximately 146 thousand
2. United States – approximately 108 thousand
3. China – approximately 60 thousand
4. India – approximately 48 thousand
5. Thailand – approximately 38 thousand

The rankings must be read carefully, however: the absolute number also depends on the overall population of each country. Japan, for example, is not only among the countries with the highest number of centenarians, but also one of the countries with the highest incidence of centenarians.

Demographic projections also indicate very significant growth in the coming decades: by 2054, the global population of centenarians could approach four million.

And in Italy? Over 23 centenarians.

Italy is among the longest-living countries in the world and Istat data show very marked growth.
As of January 1, 2025, there were 23.548 Italian residents aged 100 and over, over 2,000 more than the 21.211 of the previous year. Compared to 2009, when there were 10.158, the number has increased by 130 percent.

The female component is clearly prevalent: it represents approximately 83 percent of Italian centenarians.
The group of centenarians is even smaller: at the beginning of 2025, there were 724 people aged 105 or over, while there were 19 citizens aged 110 or over.

The Italian ranking by concentration

Looking at the absolute number, the region with the most centenarians is Lombardy, with almost 4 people, followed by Lazio and Emilia-Romagna, both with over 2.
But the ranking changes completely when considering the ratio with the resident population.

The regions with the most centenarians per 100 inhabitants

1. Molise – approximately 61 centenarians per 100 inhabitants
2. Liguria – 59,4
3. Friuli-Venezia Giulia – 55,4
4. Tuscany – 49,1
5. Umbria – approximately 49
6. Abruzzo – approximately 48
7. Trentino – approximately 48
8. Emilia-Romagna – approximately 47
9. Marche – approximately 47
10. Calabria – approximately 45

At the bottom of the list is Campania, with approximately 26 centenarians per 100 residents.

The most interesting data is therefore the difference between absolute quantity and incidence: a highly populated region can have many centenarians in numerical terms without necessarily being the one with the highest concentration of people over 100 years old.

The longest-lived woman in Italy lives in Campania.

Campania can, however, boast a very significant individual record.
Lucia Laura Sangenito, known as "Grandma Laurina," lives in Sturno, in the province of Avellino. Born on November 22, 1910, she turned 115 in November 2025, making her the oldest person in Italy.

Her story is particularly significant for Campania: according to the Gerontology Research Group, Sangenito is a supercentenarian with a validated age and in 2026 was listed as the oldest living person in Italy.

Behind him is Vitantonio Lovallo, born in Basilicata in 1914, who celebrated his 112th birthday in March 2026 and was designated by the Gerontology Research Group as the oldest living man in Italy.

Women are the protagonists of longevity

The data that emerges most clearly from the statistics is the clear female prevalence.
In Italy, among the 23.548 centenarians registered at the beginning of 2025, more than eight in ten are women. The percentage rises further among those aged 105 and over: among the 724 Italian semi-supercentenarians, 657 are women, equal to 90,7 percent.
It is therefore no coincidence that the world ranking of the longest-lived people ever is dominated by women.

Ethel Caterham represents the latest chapter in this story. At 117, she continues to set her own record, but there still lies a near-legendary peak ahead of her: the 122 years and 164 days achieved by Jeanne Calment in Arles.
Five years may seem like a short time. In the history of human longevity, however, it represents an abyss.