SURREY, England – Ethel Caterham, recognized as the world’s oldest living person, celebrated her 117th birthday Friday with a private gathering of family and friends in southern England.
Caterham was born Aug. 21, 1909, in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, during the reign of King Edward VII. Guinness World Records and the research organization LongeviQuest recognize her as the world’s oldest living person and the oldest verified person in British history.
Her lifetime has stretched from the years before World War I through the expansion of commercial aviation, the first moon landing, the digital revolution and the coronavirus pandemic. She was a toddler when the Titanic sank in 1912 and was 29 when World War II began.
Caterham was the second-youngest of eight children. In 1927, at age 18, she traveled to India and worked as a nanny for a British family before returning to England. She later met Norman Caterham, a British Army officer, and the couple married at Salisbury Cathedral in 1933.
Military postings took the family to Hong Kong and Gibraltar before they returned to England. The couple had two daughters. Norman Caterham died in 1976, and Ethel later outlived both of their children.
She became the world’s oldest verified living person after the death of Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas on April 30, 2025. Caterham had already become the oldest person ever recorded in Britain, surpassing the previous national longevity record.
Family members have described her as someone who takes life as it comes, avoids unnecessary arguments and maintains her independence of mind. Longevity researchers caution that no personal habit can fully explain an exceptional lifespan. Genetics, environment, medical care and chance all play roles.
Claims about the world’s oldest person require documentary verification because birth registration was incomplete in many countries during the early 20th century. Guinness relies on specialists who examine birth records, family documents, census material and other evidence before recognizing an age record.
Living to 110 or older is extraordinarily rare. People in that age group are known as supercentenarians, and women make up most verified cases. Researchers study them for clues about healthy aging, but their experiences do not provide a formula that can guarantee longevity for others.
ABC News reported that Caterham marked the milestone privately. Guinness World Records also recognized the birthday, making her one of the few people in documented history to reach 117.
Source: ABC News, published Aug. 21, 2026. Additional verification: Guinness World Records and LongeviQuest.
