
They say ‘out with the old and in with the new’ but ‘new’ hardly seems to work in this case…
Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas, the Brazilian nun who was born on June 8, 1908, in São Francisco de Assis, a Brazilian municipality in the western part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, died April 30, 2025, aged 116 years old.
That means the title of world’s oldest person now moves on to Britain’s Ethel Caterham, who at 115 years, 254 days is thought to be the last surviving subject of King Edward VII, according to the Gerontology Research Group.
In addition to being the oldest person on Earth, the group said Caterham is also the oldest known living Brit of all time.
Caterham was born on Aug. 21, 1909, as the seventh of eight children.
According to LongeviQuest, at 18, Caterham was inspired to travel and journeyed alone, by ship to India, where she worked as a nanny to a British family.
Speaking to the BBC last year, Caterham attributed her long life to “never arguing with anyone” and living on her own terms.
“I do what I like,” she said.
In addition to her own longevity, Caterham had an older sister, Gladys, who lived to be 104 years old.

