Award Banner
Award Banner

119-year-old Brazilian woman stakes claim as world's oldest person

119-year-old Brazilian woman stakes claim as world's oldest person
Deolira Gliceria Pedro da Silva, 119, sits in her house in Itaperuna, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil on Jan 14, 2025.
PHOTO: Reuters

RIO DE JANEIRO — Two months away from what she says is her 120th birthday, Deolira Gliceria Pedro da Silva, a great-grandmother from the state of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is rushing to be recognised as the world's oldest living person by the Guinness World Records.

The institution currently features another Brazilian, Inah Canabarro Lucas, a nun from the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul as the oldest living person at 116 years, but Deolira's family and doctors are confident that she will soon take the religious woman's title. 

"She is still not in the book, but she is the oldest in the world according to the documents we have on her, as I recently discovered," said Deolira's granddaughter Doroteia Ferreira da Silva, who is half her age. 

The documents show that Pedro da Silva was born on March 10th 1905 in the rural area of Porciuncula, a small town in the state of Rio. She now lives in a colourfully painted house in Itaperuna, where her two granddaughters Doroteia, 60, and Leida Ferreira da Silva, 64, take care of her. 

Read Also
1,575 push-ups in 1 hour: 59-year-old Canadian grandma smashes Guinness World Record
lifestyle
1,575 push-ups in 1 hour: 59-year-old Canadian grandma smashes Guinness World Record

The grandmother is also supervised by doctors and researchers who are interested in how she outlived the average life expectancy in Brazil, which currently sits at 76.4 years, by more than four decades.

"Deolira, in 2025, will be 120 years old. She is in a good general state of health for her condition, she is not taking any medication," said geriatric doctor Juair de Abreu Pereira, who checks up on Pedro da Silva frequently and is assisting her family in the process with Guinness World Records. 

In a statement, Guinness said it couldn't confirm receiving Pedro da Silva's application, because it receives many from people around the world who claim to be the oldest living person.

Major floods in the region almost twenty years ago destroyed most of Deolira's original documents, her doctor said. That may pose a challenge for the official recognition of her age. 

Even if her age is not precise, Pedro da Silva is certainly older than 100 years, according to Mateus Vidigal, a researcher at the University of Sao Paulo who has studied her case as part of a project to understand the super elderly population of Brazil. 

"Deolira has not been excluded from the study, but there is this fragility which is the lack of documentation that is approved by those organisations," Vidigal said, referring to vetting institutions such as the Guinness World Records.

Pedro Silva's healthy diet and sleeping habits are key to her longevity, according to Dr. Pereira. To this day, she has a good interaction with her family and likes eating bananas. 

"I wish I could get to her age and be like that," Ferreira da Silva, her granddaughter, said. "While we have high blood pressure and diabetes, she does not have any of that."

Read Also
singapore
'Living independently with dignity': Residents of first assisted-living flats in Bukit Batok embrace senior-friendly features

Source: Reuters

homepage

trending

trending
    Trump threatens to hike China tariffs further as market plunge continues
    More than 11,000 DBS, Bank of China customers' information compromised after data attack on vendor
    Man, 63, drove through a playground and into a swimming pool after drinking alcohol
    Robert Ng, son of late billionaire Ng Teng Fong, and 3 children to be designated as 'politically significant persons'
    Islamic association says former NMP Calvin Cheng's comments on pro-Palestine activists 'dehumanising, dismissive'
    140 coffeeshops in Singapore offering SG60 promotions and discounts, here's what to expect
    'I felt lonely and upset': Grandma, 73, worked at hawker stall to support grandkids during daughter's imprisonment
    Thrill or chill: Enjoy more for less at Resorts World Genting
    47 injured in Tokyo expressway bus accident; at least 1 Singaporean on board
    New platform for a new era: Audi A5 Sedan now available in Singapore
    Man charged for allegedly stealing over $1,800 worth of items at Changi Airport in 3 hours
    Govt's response to US tariffs 'partly to instil fear': PSP chairman Tan Cheng Bock

Singapore

Singapore
    • 'I thought I could outwit scammers': Woman who lost over $78,000 to job scam in 4 days
    • 'Akan datang': WP Sengkang MPs coy on whether they will remain as team in GE2025
    • Woman hit by car at Sengkang East Drive pedestrian crossing after cars refuse to give way
    • Former MOF director Shawn Loh seen at Jalan Besar GRC community events
    • SCDF team recovers body from partially collapsed hotel after Myanmar quake, sets up 2 medical outposts
    • Salt, sauces and instant noodles to have Nutri-Grade labels by mid-2027
    • Singaporeans have to work together to deal with uncertainty, says SM Lee, citing new Trump tariffs
    • Fewer candidates this time, but PSP confirms it is contesting West Coast-Jurong West and Chua Chu Kang GRCs
    • SG60 initiative timing not planned to coincide with GE, says Tan See Leng
    • Man, 55, found dead in car left stationary for 2 days in Paya Lebar

Entertainment

Entertainment
    • NewJeans changes social media handles and deletes posts after court ruling
    • 'My brain got so fried up': Gurmit Singh hit by anxiety attack while acting in his 1st Chinese drama
    • Edwin Goh proposes to Rachel Wan, both returning to Singapore after 2 years in Australia
    • Hong Kong actor Lee Lung Kei still plans to marry fiancee 37 years younger after her release from prison
    • Blink-182 now much more honest with each other after Mark Hoppus' cancer diagnosis
    • Paul Sculfor says his kids gave him 'purpose' after battling addiction issues
    • Ed Sheeran releases new single Azizam
    • UK police charge comedian Russell Brand with rape, sexual assaults
    • Jean-Claude Van Damme accused of having sex with trafficked women
    • Gossip mill: Diana Ser's son to enlist, Takeshi Kaneshiro back after 3 years, agency says late Sulli wasn't forced to film nude scene

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
    • The rise of Chinese F&B brands in Singapore: What stirs Singaporeans' appetites?
    • AI and art: Studio Ghibli-inspired trend sparks debate on ethics and consent
    • The iconic Milo Van beverage is now available in supermarkets
    • Disney's Beauty and the Beast musical to make Asia premiere in Singapore this December
    • A bright minimalist condo apartment with a loft
    • The truth about integrated developments in Singapore: 5 homeowners share their living experience
    • How to pay in China like a local: 2025 guide for foreigners and tourists
    • Battlebox, but make it art: Portals will change how you see this underground bunker
    • 5 things I didn't expect to find in my new BTO estate
    • Sunda Festival 2025: 2 friends shaping Singapore's music and festival scene

Digicult

Digicult
    • A $500 wake-up call: How the Samsung Galaxy Ring made me realise my stress
    • Monster Hunter Wilds producer explains how game has remained unique and fresh over 20 years
    • Russian court fines Telegram app for refusal to remove anti-government content, TASS reports
    • One Beijing man's quest to keep cooking — and connecting with Americans — on camera
    • Nintendo Switch 2 to launch in June with US$449.99 price tag
    • Games in April: RPGs, racing and Ronaldo in a fighting game
    • Is it time to get a MacBook at a good price? The M4 MacBook Air says yes
    • China's Baidu launches 2 new AI models as industry competition heats up
    • China's top universities expand enrolment to beef up capabilities in AI, strategic areas
    • International Women's Day: Meet the Singapore women levelling up in gaming

Money

Money
    • Giant deal: Malaysian company to acquire Cold Storage and Giant supermarket chains in Singapore
    • Nearly 50 countries want tariff deals, Trump trade chief Greer says
    • Stocks dive in Asia, markets hunger for rapid US rate cuts
    • EU seeks unity in first strike back at Trump tariffs
    • US stock futures tumble indicating another plummet on Wall Street
    • Trump compares tariffs to 'medicine' as markets point to rough week ahead
    • Personal loans for new parents: When do they make sense?
    • 9 best personal loans in Singapore with lowest interest rates (April 2025)
    • Best travel insurance policies for places prone to natural disasters (2025)
    • 'We spent just $5,000 on reno': Why some buyers are skipping big renovations in 2025

Latest

Latest
  • US Supreme Court lets Trump pursue deportations under 1798 law, with limits
  • UN food agency WFP: US funding cuts could be 'death sentence' for millions
  • Israeli military says killing of 15 aid workers in Gaza caused by 'sense of threat'
  • Trump, hosting Netanyahu, urges end to Gaza war, thinks that is not 'too distant'
  • Daily roundup: Man charged for allegedly stealing over $1,800 worth of items at Changi Airport in 3 hours — and other top stories today
  • China calls US tariffs 'bullying', urges others to continue with consultation
  • China holds military drills at newly expanded Cambodian naval base
  • North Korea holds first Pyongyang marathon after pandemic
  • Iran-backed militias in Iraq ready to disarm to avert Trump wrath

In Case You Missed It

In Case You Missed It
  • 'She should be with her family': Employer gives maid plane ticket, $800 to return to Myanmar and search for missing mum
  • 'He needed something to help him fight,' says man who bought Hokkien mee for dying patient
  • Thai woman struggles to evacuate during earthquake while her dog sleeps unfazed
  • Workers painting exterior of Geylang block discover man's skeletal remains in flat
  • 'New, younger' PAP team vows to reclaim WP-controlled Sengkang GRC, says Lam Pin Min
  • New face Jackson Lam 'very good on the ground' and will be asset to Parliament, says Shanmugam
  • Woman who publicised tips on how she evaded GST for luxury purchases fined $18k
  • Powerful quake in Southeast Asia kills several, 81 trapped in Bangkok building rubble
  • Dog dies after being skinned alive in Malaysia, animal welfare group condemns 'barbaric' act
This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.