WORLD’S OLDEST PERSON TURNS 116: María Branyas Morera, American-born Spanish Woman, Achieves Rare Milestone

News Lifestyle

María Branyas Morera, the world’s oldest person, has reached the age of 116.  Before today, the age of 116 had been verifiably reached by only 25 people in history.  Mrs. Branyas Morera assumed the title of world’s oldest person earlier this year upon the death of 118-year-old Lucile Randon of France.    

 

Yesterday, Branyas Morera was honored at her home in Olot, Catalonia by representatives of LongeviQuest, a research company which tracks the world’s oldest people.  LongeviQuest representatives from Spain, Mexico, and the United States presented Branyas Morera with a trophy recognizing her world-leading status, along with a sampling of messages from well-wishers across the globe. 

 

Born on the Pacific Coast in the US city of San Francisco in 1907, Mrs. Branyas Morera emigrated with her family to Catalonia in 1915 and has lived in the region for over a century.  Recognized as the oldest living person in Spain since December 2019, Branyas Morera is also the oldest person ever born in the U.S. state of California.  Branyas Morera’s status is also recognized by Guinness World Records.

 

LongeviQuest (LQ) is the global authority on maximum human longevity.  The organization was founded in 2022 as a collaboration between many of the world’s leading age validation experts, with professional researchers in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.  In its brief history, LongeviQuest has already validated the first recognized supercentenarians in India and the Philippines.  Further information, including the largest database of validated living supercentenarians, can be found at LongeviQuest.com.