# On average, how often does the current world's oldest person die?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-average-how-often-does-the-current-worlds-oldest-person-die/213030
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 13, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-average-how-often-does-the-current-worlds-oldest-person-die/213030 "2003-11-13T15:11:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-average-how-often-does-the-current-worlds-oldest-person-die/213030/1 "2003-11-13T15:11:46Z")
In other words, how long on average does a person hold the title of world’s oldest person before they die?
And to get the obvious joke about the awkward title out the way: “They only die once! Hyuk yuk yuk!”
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### Author:  [@lembranca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lembranca)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-average-how-often-does-the-current-worlds-oldest-person-die/213030/2 "2003-11-13T16:26:48Z")
I don’t have the answer but I think this article may be of some interest
[http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OBIT\_OLDEST\_PERSON?SITE=FLDAY&SECTION=HOME](http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OBIT_OLDEST_PERSON?SITE=FLDAY&SECTION=HOME)
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### Author:  [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-average-how-often-does-the-current-worlds-oldest-person-die/213030/3 "2003-11-13T17:19:55Z")
Well, here’s a guess: [This site](http://www.finance.cch.com/text/c40s05d030.asp) gives a life expectancy table, supposedly from an IRS publication (?), that includes the following data:
```auto
Age Remaining Years
100 2.9
101 2.7
102 2.5
103 2.3
104 2.1
105 1.9
106 1.7
107 1.5
108 1.4
109 1.2
110 1.1
```
Wherever this comes from, I can’t believe there’s a lot of data points for the life expectancy of people who are ~110 years old. Nevertheless, I imagine the oldest people are in the 112-114 range, and I would assume (extrapolating a little) that these people probably have a life expectancy of a little under a year. How’s that?
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### Author:  [@Genghis\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genghis_Bob)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-average-how-often-does-the-current-worlds-oldest-person-die/213030/4 "2003-11-13T17:27:36Z")
Hah! **Revtim** , you missed one:
“On average, how often does the current world’s oldest person die?”?
Every time, buddy. Every time.
🙂
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-average-how-often-does-the-current-worlds-oldest-person-die/213030/5 "2003-11-13T17:39:49Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by zut \*
> \*\*Wherever this comes from, I can’t believe there’s a lot of data points for the life expectancy of people who are ~110 years old. Nevertheless, I imagine the oldest people are in the 112-114 range, and I would assume (extrapolating a little) that these people probably have a life expectancy of a little under a year. How’s that? \*\*
It’s a start; but to get the answer we need to know how many are in the top bracket. Actually, we need to know the top bracket of just one person!
**lembranca** , it was her death that got me wondering. Actually, I wonder every time I see the “oldest person dies” headline.
**rimshotgdansk** , I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more appropriate username! 😉
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### Author:  [@IzzyR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IzzyR)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-average-how-often-does-the-current-worlds-oldest-person-die/213030/6 "2003-11-13T18:05:39Z")
Here’s how you figure it out. Look at 30 years of Guiness Books of World Records, and see how often the title changes hands.
You will miss a few who died within a year, such as the most recent title-holder, but only a few. Add in one or two guys, and you have your answer.
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### Author:  [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-average-how-often-does-the-current-worlds-oldest-person-die/213030/7 "2003-11-13T18:55:12Z")
rimshot: And _you_ missed another! “Once.”
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### Author:  [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-average-how-often-does-the-current-worlds-oldest-person-die/213030/8 "2003-11-13T18:57:04Z")
Ah! Good idea, **Izzy**. [Here’s](http://www.recordholders.org/en/list/oldest.html) a list of the oldest living humans since 1955 (scroll down to the bottom). From Oct 24, 1955, until October 31, 2003, there were 24 people who held the title of world’s oldest human, which means that the average length of time anyone held the title was almost exactly two years. Of course, the median is less than that.
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-average-how-often-does-the-current-worlds-oldest-person-die/213030/9 "2003-11-13T19:39:42Z")
Hey looks like that’s it! Good job **zut**.
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2013, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-average-how-often-does-the-current-worlds-oldest-person-die/213030/10 "2013-05-15T01:40:26Z")
ZOMBIE THREAD RESURRECTION AFTER TEN YEARS:
According to this:
> **['Oldest Person' Title Changes Every .65 Years](https://www.newser.com/story/167929/oldest-person-title-changes-every-65-years.html)**
>
> Because mathematicians wanted to know, that's why
the answer is “Every .65 Years”.
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### Author:  [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2013, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-average-how-often-does-the-current-worlds-oldest-person-die/213030/11 "2013-05-15T02:00:05Z")
Awesome!
Question: Did you just happen to come across this one day, or have you done nothing for the past 10 years, neglecting all other obligations, in the quest for an answer?
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-average-how-often-does-the-current-worlds-oldest-person-die/213030/12 "2013-05-15T04:14:23Z")
Now I just look at myself in the mirror and ask, what now?
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### Author:  [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2013, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-average-how-often-does-the-current-worlds-oldest-person-die/213030/13 "2013-05-15T04:49:31Z")
Revtim, how long does the world’s youngest person hold that title? Seriously, it’s like less than a second or so on average, isn’t it?
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### Author:  [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2013, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-average-how-often-does-the-current-worlds-oldest-person-die/213030/14 "2013-05-15T04:54:48Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#):
>
> Revtim, how long does the world’s youngest person hold that title? Seriously, it’s like less than a second or so on average, isn’t it?
If you were hoping this would give **Revtim** something to live for for the _next_ ten years, I’m sorry to have to tell you that this is a very easily answered question. 😉 The [World Population Clock](http://www.census.gov/popclock/) increments by 1 in less than a second (and that’s counting attrition from deaths at the same time), so the title of World’s Youngest Human is subject to _very_ rapid turnover.
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### Author:  [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2013, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-average-how-often-does-the-current-worlds-oldest-person-die/213030/15 "2013-05-15T05:20:19Z")
Here’s an up-to-date list of the oldest living people since 1955:
> **[Oldest people](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldest_people)**
>
> This is a list of tables of the oldest people in the world in ordinal ranks. To avoid including false or unconfirmed claims of old age, names here are restricted to those people whose ages have been validated by an international body dealing in longevity research, such as the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) or Guinness World Records (GWR), and others who have otherwise been reliably sourced.
> The longest documented and verified human lifespan is that of Jeanne Calment of France (1875–1997)...
The list is about a third of the way down.
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### Author:  [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2013, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-average-how-often-does-the-current-worlds-oldest-person-die/213030/16 "2013-05-15T23:15:30Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#):
>
> Revtim, how long does the world’s youngest person hold that title? Seriously, it’s like less than a second or so on average, isn’t it?
I used to hold that title! But now, I just can’t keep up with these KIDS! Every new record hold is younger and younger. 🆒
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### Author:  [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2013, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-average-how-often-does-the-current-worlds-oldest-person-die/213030/17 "2013-05-15T23:37:14Z")
According to [this site](http://www.peterrussell.com/Odds/pop.php)there are 4.17 births per second. so the average newborn will holod this record for just under a quarter of a second.