The Oldest Person Alive In 2025 Could Reach Another Milestone Soon

When Englishwoman Ethel Caterham was born, Europe had yet to plunge into World War I, King Edward VII was the monarch, women weren't able to vote in either the U.K. or the U.S., and the first passenger flight took place in Germany. Yes indeed, Caterham has seen quite a lot of changes and had loads of experiences in her 115 years. And on August 21, 2025, she'll see another milestone by turning 116.

This was the age of Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas, a Brazilian nun who previously held the Guinness World Record as the oldest living person, when she died in April 2025 a month shy of her 117th birthday. When you're a record-holding supercentenarian, every day counts. Surprisingly, Caterham would need to live another six years to beat the oldest person in history, Jeanne Calment, a Frenchwoman who lived to be 122 —although there are a few skeptics who believe Calment may have been a fraud.

Born Ethel Collins in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, England, Caterham worked as a nanny for a British family in India beginning in 1927, when the country was still under direct British rule. She later married Norman Caterham, a major in the British Army, and lived in far-flung locales such as Hong Kong and Gibraltar. She not only outlived her husband, who died in 1976, but also her two daughters, Gem and Anne.

She also survived a bout of COVID-19 at age 110, making her one of the oldest people to do so. Caterham drove a Triumph sportscar into her late 90s and told the BBC that the secret to longevity was "never arguing with anyone, I listen and I do what I like." This advice contrasts a bit with that of Kane Tanaka, a Japanese supercentenarian who also held the record of oldest living person until her death in 2022 at 119. Her secret to longevity was to do math and stay curious. To each their own.

Ethel Caterham now resides in a retirement home in Surrey, where at her last birthday the facility threw a big party that included her friends and family and named a newly renovated garden after her. When she turned 115, she admitted to the BBC that she didn't know what all the "fuss" was about, but enjoyed receiving a special letter from King Charles III wishing her well. While no plans for her next birthday have been reported, it's likely to be similar to the last one. And perhaps the king will again send well wishes. Caterham is, after all, the oldest person alive.

She is still in good health and continues to participate in activities at the retirement home. As of now, Caterham remains the oldest living person. The second oldest person is Marie-Rose Bousseau, who was born in France on May 21, 1910, making her nine months younger than Caterham, not that it's a competition. But if you ask Guinness, they might not agree.