Acentenarian is aperson who hasreached the age of 100. Becauselife expectancies at birth worldwide are well below 100, the term is invariably associated withlongevity. TheUnited 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]
Asworld population and life expectancy continue to increase, the number of centenarians is expected to increase substantially in the 21st century.[3] According to theOffice 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 population 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 2024Ig Nobel Prize[13] found these numbers are inflated by welfare and pensionfraud and poor record-keeping, neither of which are uniform across jurisdictions.[14]
Asupercentenarian, 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.
An aspect ofblessing in many cultures is to offer a wish that the recipient lives to 100 years old. AmongHindus 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. InJudaism,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.
In Italy, "A hundred of these days!" (cento di questi giorni) is anaugury for birthdays, to live to celebrate 100 more birthdays.[88] 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 expressionνα 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.[89] 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.[89]
In the United States, centenarians may request a letter of congratulation from thepresident of the United States to mark their longevity.[90]Jimmy Carter became the first (and currently only) president to reach the age of 100 on 1 October 2024.[91][92]
Today also presents a segment honoring centenarians and older, sponsored bySmuckers. The tradition was created in 1983 by weather presenterWillard Scott, and is now presented by his successorAl Roker.[93]
In the state ofNew Mexico, centenarians have been exempt from state income tax since tax year 2002, if they are not dependents of another taxpayer.[94]
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 thePresident of the Philippines and a ₱100,000 "Centenarian Gift" from theDepartment of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).[100]
German centenarians receive a letter of congratulations from thepresident of Germany.
In Ireland, centenarians can receive a €2,540 "Centenarians' Bounty" and a letter from thepresident of Ireland, even if they areresident abroad.[104] Irish people celebrating their 101st birthday may also receive a special silver minted coin with a quote by a famous Irish writer or poet.[105]
InCommonwealth realms including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand centenarians can receive congratulations card greetings from themonarchKing Charles III on their 100th birthday. In the UK, greeting cards are also sent by the monarch on every birthday beginning with the 105th.[108][109][110]
In Commonwealth realms in which the monarch does not ordinarily reside, honorees can also receive congratulations from thegovernor-general. In Canada, application must be made through the GGS official website.[110] Similarly, in New Zealand, honorees must apply for greetings through the official government website.[109]
Queen Elizabeth II sent a greeting card to centenarians as a congratulations.
The traditions of British centenarians receiving greetings and congratulations was established byKing Edward VII in 1908.
The famousacrobat andtightrope walkerHenry Johnson received a congratulatory letter from Edward VII via his royal courtierViscount Knollys in 1906.[111] The tradition of royal congratulations continued in 1908, when the secretary for King Edward VII sent a congratulatory letter to Reverend Thomas Lord ofHorncastle, 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 KingGeorge V, who also sent congratulations then sent by a telegram on the attainment of adiamond 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 QueenElizabeth II ascended the throne.[108] 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.[112]
While the number of centenarians per capita was much lower in ancient times than today, the data suggest that they were not unheard of.[113][better source needed]
Estimates oflife expectancy in antiquity are far lower than modern values largely due to the far greater incidence of deaths in infancy or childhood, though adult mortality was also considerably greater than today. 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;[114]Psalm 90:10 in theHebrew 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 theOxford 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 inChambers Biographical Dictionary who died between 1900 and 1949 had a median lifespan of 71.5 years, with a range between 29 and 105 years. But as indicated above, far fewer in antiquity survived even from early adulthood to such advanced age – probably under a fifth, compared to a global average of two-thirds today.
The author of a 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.[115] though this is flatly contradicted by 19th- and early 20th-century census and registration data and by estimates for medieval and ancient populations: US and English expectation of remaining years at age 15 for example rose from about 44 in the mid-19th century to 56 by 1950, and has since increased to 65–67; for English landholders (a relatively privileged group) it was 33 years c.1300, while Ulpian's life table for ancient Rome indicates only 30 years.
A rare record of an ordinary person who lived to be a centenarian is the tombstone ofRoman British legionary veteran Julius Valens, inscribed "VIXIT ANNIS C".[120]
Research in Italy suggests that healthy centenarians have high levels of bothvitamin A andvitamin E and that this seems to be important in causing their extreme longevity.[122] Other research contradicts this, however, and has found that this theory does not apply to centenarians fromSardinia, for whom other factors probably play a more important role.[123] A preliminary study carried out in Poland showed that, in comparison with young healthy female adults, centenarians living inUpper Silesia had significantly higher red blood cellglutathione reductase andcatalase activities, although serum levels ofvitamin E were not significantly higher.[124] Researchers in Denmark have also found that centenarians exhibit a high activity ofglutathione 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 thisenzyme.[125]
Other research has found that people whose parents became centenarians have an increased number of naïveB 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.[126] A variation in the geneFOXO3A 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.[127]
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.[128] 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.[129]
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.[130] 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.[131] PARP activity measured in the permeabilized mononuclearleukocyte blood cells of thirteenmammalian species correlated with maximum lifespan of the species.[132] These findings suggest that PARP mediated DNA repair activity contributes to the longevity of centenarians, consistent with theDNA damage theory of aging.[133]
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 inShimane Prefecture than the national average. This ratio was also 92% higher inOkinawa Prefecture.[134][135][136] In Okinawa, studies have shown five factors that have contributed to the large number of centenarians in that region:[134]
A diet that is heavy on grains, fish, and vegetables and light on meat, eggs, and dairy products.
Low-stress lifestyles, which are proven significantly less stressful than that of the mainland inhabitants of Japan.
A caring community, where older adults are not isolated and are taken better care of.
High levels of activity, where locals work until an older age than the average age in other countries, and more emphasis on activities like walking and gardening to keep active.
Spirituality, where a sense of purpose comes from involvement in spiritual matters and prayer eases the mind of stress and problems.[134]
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.[134]
A historical study from Korea found that maleeunuchs 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.[137]
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, thecerebellum is the youngest brain region (and probably body part) in centenarians (about 15 years younger than expected[138]) according to an epigenetic biomarker of tissue age known asepigenetic clock.[139]
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.[140]
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