118 years and 73 days old Lucile Randon, also known as Sister André, is now the world’s oldest woman as well as the oldest known living person on planet earth.
Sister Andre who worked as a teacher, a governess, and looked after children during World War II is the third-oldest French person and the third-oldest European person ever recorded.
After the war, she spent 28 years working with orphans and elderly people at a hospital before becoming a Catholic nun. Sister Andre today also holds the record for the oldest nun living.
She also holds the record for the oldest living COVID-19 survivor. She tested positive for coronavirus on 16 January 2021, and was back to normal without any symptoms or side effects, in time to celebrate her 117th birthday.
Today at age 118, she is partially deaf and uses a wheelchair, but otherwise quite active. She really loves sweets, especially chocolate, and a glass of wine every day.
Prior to this Kane Tanaka, aged 119 was the world’s oldest person. According to Guinness World Records, Tanaka was born prematurely on Jan. 2, 1903 — the same year the Wright brothers brought powered flight to the world. In course of her life, Kane Tanaka witnessed a number of historic events, such as World War One, World War Two and the 1918 Spanish flu.
Tanaka became the world’s oldest living person at the age of 116 years and 28 days on Jan 30, 2019, and held the title for three years, until her death on April 19.
Tanaka surpassed Sarah Knauss of the U.S. to become the second-longest lived person in recorded history.
Curiously, women, on average, live longer than men. The longest verified human lifespan is that of Jeanne Calment of France (1875–1997), who lived to age 122 years and 164 days.
The longest lifespan for a man is that of Jiroemon Kimura of Japan (1897–2013), who lived to age 116 years and 54 days.
The oldest living man today is Juan Vicente Pérez Mora, of Venezuela, aged 112 years, 336 days.
Japan holds the record for the maximum number of old people in the world followed by Italy, and Portugal. Seniors account for over 28 percent of Japan’s population and 12.9 percent of its labor force.
The number of Japanese aged 90 or older reached 2.31 million, including over 71,000 centenarians. The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research projects that Japan’s elderly will make up 30.0 percent of the population in 2025 and 35.3 percent in 2040.
