119 Year-old Brazilian Woman Seeks Recognition From Guinness World Records as World’s Oldest Person

A 119-year-old great-grandmother from Brazil, Deolira Gliceria Pedro da Silva, is making headlines as she pushes for official recognition as the world’s oldest living person.

With just two months to go until her 120th birthday, her family and doctors are working to secure her place in the Guinness World Records.

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Currently, Inah Canabarro Lucas, a 116-year-old nun from Rio Grande do Sul, holds the title of the oldest living person, but Pedro da Silva’s supporters believe she rightfully deserves the recognition.

"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 her granddaughter, Doroteia Ferreira da Silva, who, at 60 years old, is still half her grandmother’s age.

Doroteia Ferreira da Silva, 60, feeds her grandmother Deolira Gliceria Pedro da Silva, 119. Reuters.

Pedro da Silva was born on March 10, 1905, in Porciúncula, a small town in Rio de Janeiro state. She now resides in Itaperuna, in a colorfully painted home, where she is cared for by her two granddaughters, Doroteia, 60, and Leida Ferreira da Silva, 64.

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Brazil’s average life expectancy is 76.4 years, meaning Pedro da Silva has outlived it by more than four decades. Researchers and doctors are fascinated by her extraordinary health.

"Mrs. 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 frequently monitors her condition and is assisting with the Guinness World Records application.

However, her case presents a challenge—major floods nearly two decades ago destroyed many of her original documents, potentially complicating official verification.

The birth certificate of Deolira Gliceria Pedro da Silva, 119. Reuters.

Despite this, Mateus Vidigal, a researcher at the University of São Paulo, has studied Pedro da Silva as part of a project on Brazil’s super-elderly population.

"Mrs. Deolira has not been excluded from the study, but there is this fragility which is the lack of documentation that is approved by those organizations," Vidigal explained.

What’s Her Secret?

Pedro da Silva maintains good interactions with her family and follows a healthy diet, which includes bananas—one of her favorite foods.

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

Pictured in her home. Reuters.

With Guinness still vetting applications, here’s hoping Pedro da Silva secures her rightful spot in the record books soon!