Where are the oldest living people and what are the factors for living long lives?

Nation emblem for France

Several years ago the nation of Georgia proclaimed its citizen, Antisa Khvichava, as the oldest person in the world.  How long can the average person expect to live and what does knowing about this woman help the rest of us realize how to achieve longevity?

First of all, the evidence about the woman herself.


It was that she had been living in a remote mountain village and was 130 years old at the time of the report.  She was said to have been born in 1880 in a statement released by Georgiy Meurnishvili, a spokesman for the civil registry at the Justice Ministry in Georgia and published in East European newspapers. 

Khvichava, the report said, retired from her job as a corn picker at the age of 85, and lived in the mountains.  She was quoted as saying,“I’ve always been healthy, and I’ve worked all my life – at home and on the farm."  

In other words she exercises, gets plenty of fresh air, likes being healthy and appears to be happy with her life. This cluster of characteristics is what corresponds to what scientists say, is part of what helps people grow older in a healthy way.

These oldest persons are often written about every year, as people seek ways of living longer.  So where can we learn about life expectancy and how it is determined? 

A resource has suggested links to track life expectancy in the various countries of the world. Life expectancy is usually given for birth, however true life expectancy is determined from one’s present age. In other words, an individual who has lived to age 65 may have a longer life span prediction than the infant. Furthermore health and race factors must also be considered for determining an individual’s life expectancy. 

 Those interested can check out their life expectancy at RealAge.com where health factors are figured into the calculation of one's real age.

But what do we know about those factors for reaching a healthy old age?

One of the most important facts to aid in the understanding of life expectancy is that the longer you live, the longer you can expect to live.  In fact insurance rates and estimates are based on these factors, for the most part.  When an economist looks at one's life expectancy, to ascertain loss based on a disabling accident and the expected life for planning, he or she uses the present age of the individual as a starting point.

So the individual who is now 85 may expect to live five more years, perhaps, based on the present age.  On the other hand, someone at age 25 may have a different estimate as the age when life might end.

The Daily Mail reported that new middle age is 47, meaning that the average girl in Great Britain can expect to live to age 94, if she is presently at nursery school age.

But how can we expect to get that old?

Psychology Central offers what the experts say are the positive factors that predict successful aging.  These include not being a smoker, having a positive coping style, keeping weight under control, having a stable marriage, exercising regularly and getting a good education.

Yet we find statistics that show the oldest people are often in underdeveloped countries or live away from the hustle and bustle of modern life.  And that too, experts maintain makes a difference, as stress is a killer for sure.

Living old and loving it may be difficult for some, but these announcements of making it past 100 lets the rest of know that it's possible.

And while there is a claim on the Internet of the oldest person being 143 years old, that might be difficult to identify here.  The substantiated, i.e. verified list is considered to be here, with Jeanne Calmet of France at age 122 listed the oldest person alive today, at although Wikipedia is one of those places experts remind us must also be verified.  So the claims continue, but the fact remains people do live past 100 years old, and you and I may be one of those people, given our obedience to the factors some folks consider important.