This is a list of the oldest people by country and in selected territories. It includes the individual(s) for each given country or territory who are reported to have had the longest lifespan. Such records can only be determined to the extent that the given country's records are reliable. Comprehensive birth registration is largely a 20th-century phenomenon, so records establishing human longevity are necessarily fragmentary. The earliest comprehensive recordkeeping systems arose in Western Europe. For example, the United Kingdom organized a central recordkeeping system for England and Wales in 1837, making it compulsory by 1874.
Oldest ever This list comprises longest-lived individuals who were born and are living or died in each country. Where known, records for both males and females are noted, as are those born in one country who emigrated to another. Multiple entries for a given country and sex indicate that the oldest person is disputed. Entries for living people are rendered by .