Ethel Caterham, WORLD’S OLDEST LIVING PERSON, celebrated her 117th birthday

The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) is delighted to announce that Mrs. Ethel Caterham (née Collins), the WORLD’S OLDEST LIVING PERSON, celebrated her 117th birthday in Lightwater, Surrey, England, on 21 August 2026.

Born as Ethel May Collins, on 21 August 1909, in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, England, UK, and raised in Tidworth, Wiltshire, was the second-youngest of eight siblings born to Alfred Willie and Fanny Collins. Notably, one of her sisters, Gladys Maud Babilas (21 December 1897 – 9 March 2002), lived to be 104. In 1927, at the age of 18, Ethel embarked on a journey to India, working as a nanny for a British family. Her solo voyage to India by ship lasted three weeks, and she spent three years there before returning to England.

In 1931, Ethel met her future husband, Norman Caterham (1905–1976), a major in the British Army, at a dinner party. Their love story culminated in marriage on 18 February 1933. They initially lived in Harnham, England, before being stationed in Hong Kong and Gibraltar.

During her time in Hong Kong, Ethel established a nursery for local and British children, where she taught English, games, and crafts. In Gibraltar, she and her husband started a family, ultimately raising two daughters in the UK. Sadly, Norman passed away in 1976.

In her later life, Ethel Caterham has resided in Surrey, England, for over five decades. Remarkably, she continued to drive until she was 97 years old and remained an avid bridge player well into her centenarian years. Currently, she resides in a care home in Lightwater, Surrey.

In 2020, at the age of 110, Ethel Caterham contracted COVID-19 during the global coronavirus pandemic. Fortunately, she made a successful recovery, becoming one of the oldest known survivors of the disease.

To celebrate her 111th birthday in August 2020, Ethel Caterham enjoyed a tea party and had a special visit from the Mayor of Surrey Heath. A week before this milestone, she and her granddaughter were interviewed on BBC Radio Surrey, providing a glimpse into her remarkable life and experiences.

The case of Ethel Caterham was verified by Oliver Trim and Dr. Wacław Jan Kroczek, and validated by the GRG on 28 January 2023.

Ethel Caterham’s remarkable journey in terms of age-related milestones is as follows:

• Following the passing of 109-year-old Kay Hurley on 17 January 2019, Ethel Caterham became the oldest known living person in Surrey.
• After the death of 112-year-old Mollie Walker on 22 January 2022, Ethel Caterham became the oldest known living person in the United Kingdom.
• In August 2022, Ethel Caterham celebrated her 113th birthday, marking her as the first person in the United Kingdom to achieve this age since Olive Boar in 2017.
• On 8 September 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Caterham became one of only two people in the United Kingdom to have been a subject during the reigns of both Edward VII and Charles III. After Rose Eaton’s passing on 7 October 2022, Caterham became the last living person in the United Kingdom born in the 1900s decade and the last surviving British subject of Edward VII.
• After Lucile Randon’s death on 17 January 2023, Ethel Caterham became the second-oldest known (validated) living person in Europe, with Maria Branyas Morera of Spain holding the top spot. She is also the oldest known (validated) living person born in Europe.
• Following the passing of Ada Thompson on 13 March 2023, Ethel Caterham became the last known surviving British person born before 1911.
• With the death of Nina Willis of the USA on 17 May 2023, Caterham entered the top 10 list of the oldest validated living people worldwide.

In August 2023, Ethel Caterham celebrated her 114th birthday, becoming the first person in the United Kingdom to reach this age since Ethel Lang in 2014 and the first British-born person to do so since Phyllis Ridgway of Canada in 2021.

Record-breaking

On celebrating her 115th birthday in August 2024, Ethel became one of only three people from the UK to reach this age (after Charlotte Hughes and Annie Jennings). She was also the first to do so since November 1999.

Ethel surpassed the final age of Charlotte Hughes (1 August 1877 – 17 March 1993) on 7 April 2025, becoming the oldest British person ever. In August 2025, Ethel turned 116, making her the only British-born person to reach this age. On 18 September 2025, shortly after turning 116, she was visited at her care home by King Charles III, reining monarch of the UK.

On the sad passing of Inah Canabarro Lucas of Brazil on 30 April 2025, Ethel is now the oldest known and validated person living. Her age and achievement is recognised by Guinness World Records. Ethel is also the last person in the world, whose age is validated, born before 1910.

On 21 August 2026, Ethel celebrated her 117th birthday, became one of only 13 people in the world whose age is validated by the GRG to reach this age.

Ethel Caterham currently lives in a care home in Lightwater, Surrey, England, UK, at the impressive age of 117.

The GRG extends warm congratulations to Mrs. Ethel Caterham on her 117th birthday. We wish her continued good health and happiness.

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