Verified Oldest Human Beings in Recorded History (Scientifically Proven)

The longest lifespan that has been fully documented and verified by modern standards (birth certificate, official records, and international validation by organizations like Guinness World Records or the Gerontology Research Group) is:

• Jeanne Calment (France)
  Born: 21 February 1875
  Died: 4 August 1997
  Age: 122 years and 164 days
  She remains the only human ever to reach 122 years, and her records have withstood extensive scrutiny (including challenges that she might have been her daughter assuming her identity — these were ultimately debunked).

Current oldest living person (as of December 2025):

• Ethel Caterham (UK), born 21 August 1909 → 116 years old
• The oldest living man is currently around 115–116 years as well.

No one has ever been scientifically verified to have lived beyond 122 years and 164 days. Claims of people living to 130, 140, or more in modern times (e.g., some Soviet-era claims from the Caucasus, Yemen, or Pakistan) have all failed rigorous verification.

Oldest Ages Mentioned in Holy Books and Religious Traditions

Many ancient religious texts record extraordinarily long lifespans, especially in the pre-flood (antediluvian) period: Source Person Recorded Age Notes Hebrew Bible / Old Testament (Genesis 5) Methuselah 969 years Longest in the Bible Jared 962 years Noah 950 years Lived before and after the Flood Adam 930 years Post-flood (e.g., Abraham) 175 years Ages drop sharply after the Flood Sumerian King List (pre-biblical Mesopotamian) Various antediluvian kings Up to 43,200 years Mythological/historical blend Hindu Puranas (e.g., Bhagavata Purana) Many ancient rishis and kings Thousands to millions of years E.g., Devapi and Maru are said to still be alive in Kalpa cycles Jain tradition Tirthankaras and some kevalins Extremely long lives in earlier eras Lifespans decrease with cosmic ages Book of Jubilees (Jewish apocrypha) Similar to Genesis but slightly different numbers Up to ~900+ years Qur’an Noah (Nūḥ) Preached for 950 years (Surah 29:14) Total lifespan not explicitly stated, but very long

These ages are accepted as literal by many religious believers (especially young-earth creationists and some orthodox Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scholars), while most historians and biblical scholars treat them as symbolic, numerological, or reflecting a different way of counting time in antiquity.

Has Any Human Being Been Claimed and Proven to Be Eternal (Immortal) So Far?

No.

• There is no scientifically verified case of an immortal or eternally living human being in recorded history.
• Several people and groups have claimed immortality over the centuries, but all have either died or disappeared without proof: Claimant / Figure Claim Outcome Count of St. Germain (18th century) Alleged to be centuries old Died (or vanished) in 1784; no proof Comte de Saint-Germain variants Still alive today (conspiracy circles) Zero evidence Li Ching-Yuen (1677?–1933 May 1933) Claimed 256 years (herbalist in China) Official records show ~80 years; 256-year claim from hearsay Devraha Baba (Indian yogi) Claimed >250 years Died in 1990; no birth date unverified Mahavatar Babaji (Hindu tradition) Immortal guru mentioned by Yogananda No historical evidence of existence Various “immortal” Tibetan lamas or Jain munis Said to still be in remote meditation No verifiable contact or proof

In short:

• Maximum proven human lifespan: 122 years 164 days (Jeanne Calment).
• Religious texts record lifespans up to 969 years (Methuselah) or even longer in other traditions.
• No human has ever been proven to be immortal or eternal; all such claims remain in the realm of faith, legend, or pseudoscience.

COUNTRIES CLAIMED TO BE ETERNAL STILL IN EXISTING &Many perished

The one country Japan claims and still existing is having difficulty in finding heir to the throne, fertility rates suggest the possible demise in future.

Here are the polities that have officially claimed to be eternal (or everlasting/divinely perpetual) and still exist today as sovereign states or recognizable continuations. Very few meet both criteria. Polity / State Official or Historical Claim of Eternity Still Exists Today? Notes Japan “Bansei ikkei” (万世一系) – “unbroken imperial line for ages eternal”
Emperors are descendants of Amaterasu, the sun goddess, and the imperial house will continue forever. This is written into ancient chronicles (Kojiki, Nihon Shoki, 8th century) and was part of State Shinto until 1945. Yes Oldest continuing hereditary monarchy in the world (traditionally dated to 660 BCE – Emperor Jimmu; historically verifiable from at least the 5th–6th century). Emperor Naruhito is the 126th in direct line. Holy See / Vatican City “Ecclesia catholica semper manens” and “Sedes Romana numquam migrabit” – the Chair of Peter and the Roman Church are perpetual and indefectible until the end of time (dogma of the Catholic Church). Yes The Holy See has existed continuously since the 1st century; Vatican City State since 1929, but the sovereign entity “Holy See” is the older eternal claimant. China (People’s Republic of China & traditional historiography) “Tianxia” (All under Heaven) and the concept of “Zhongguo” (Central Kingdom) as an eternal civilizational state that continues forever regardless of dynasty. Modern PRC officially claims 5,000 years of continuous civilization and calls itself the eternal inheritor. Yes (as PRC) No single dynasty lasted forever, but the civilization/state entity is presented as eternal. The only civilization-level entity that still controls roughly the same core territory and calls itself the eternal continuation. Denmark Official motto since the 16th century on royal coats of arms: “Dominus providebit et regnum in aeternum” and the kingdom is traditionally described as existing “from time immemorial.” Yes One of the oldest continuing monarchies (since ~10th century), but the “eternal” claim is weaker than Japan’s. Ethiopia / Solomonic dynasty (until 1974) → modern Ethiopia “Kebra Nagast” (14th century) claims the emperors descend from Solomon and the Queen of Sheba and that the “Kingdom of David shall never end” in Ethiopia. Ras Tafari (Haile Selassie) was proclaimed “Elect of God” and the dynasty eternal. Partially Monarchy abolished 1974, but the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia still claims continuity with the ancient Aksumite and Solomonic realms and uses the Lion of Judah on some symbols.

Polities that claimed eternity but no longer exist as independent states

Former State Claim Fate Roman Empire / Eastern (Byzantine) Empire “Roma aeterna” and later “Basileia ton Rhomaion” as the eternal Roman Empire Fell 1453 (Constantinople) Persian Empire (Achaemenid → Sasanian) “Empire without end” (inscriptions of Darius, Ardashir) Conquered by Arabs 651 Holy Roman Empire “Sacrum Romanum Imperium” intended to last until the Second Coming Dissolved 1806 Ottoman Empire “Devlet-i Ebed-müddet” (The Eternal State) – official term from 17th century onward Abolished 1922 Kingdom of France “Royaume éternel” in some medieval chronicles Monarchy ended 1870 Third Reich “Tausendjähriges Reich” (claimed 1,000 years, effectively eternal) Lasted 12 years (1933–1945)

Verdict – Only three clear winners today

1. Japan – the strongest and most explicit claim of an eternal ruling house that still rules.
2. Holy See / Vatican – the Catholic Church’s claim that the papacy and the Church are divinely perpetual; the sovereign entity still exists.
3. China (civilizational state) – the only ancient civilization that still governs itself under the banner of eternal continuity.

No other currently existing country has both an ancient, serious claim to being “eternal” and unbroken sovereign continuity to the present day.