Gracia dos Santos Pinto, age 110 and Rose Santos, age 109. Photo provided.

News Release

LONDON — LongeviQuest has announced the age validation of the world’s oldest known living sisters.

As of March 1, Gracia dos Santos Pinto, born Sept. 4, 1913, aged 110 years, 179 days and her younger sister, Rosa Santos, born Feb. 7, 1915, aged 109 years, 23 days, hold the title for the world’s oldest known pair of living siblings. Their combined age totals 219 years and 202 days.

Their parents Carolina and Barnabé had 8 children, of which Gracia, born in 1913, was their third, followed by Rosa, their fourth, in 1915. The two sisters were inseparable and assisted their mother in caring for their four younger siblings.

At some point, the family moved to a large house in the city center, constructed by their father. However, the onset of World War II and the passing of their father brought challenges, causing some family members to move to São Paulo in search of better job opportunities.

Gracia and Rosa initially remained at home to assist their mother, and both trained in the embroidery and sewing industry. Upon moving to São Paulo, Gracia found a job at Madame Rosita’s Haute Couture Studio on Avenida Angélica. She soon met her husband, moved to another residence, and eventually had a son.

As their younger siblings married or pursued careers, only Rosa and their mother Carolina remained in the family home. In 1954, their mother passed away, leaving Rosa alone to manage the household. Three years later, when Rosa’s youngest sister welcomed her first child, Rosa went to assist with childcare.

Despite intending to return home afterward, her sister insisted Rosa stay with them, as she would otherwise have lived alone. Eventually, Gracia became a widow and moved in with her younger sister’s family also. Rosa took care of her brother-in-law until his passing in 2011. From 2011 onward, both sisters relied on a caregiver, and in 2016, they moved into a nursing home together.

Interestingly, none of the sisters’ immediate family members lived anywhere near as long as they have. Of their 6 siblings, only their brother Manuel lived past the age of 90. The sisters do not currently hold the record for the oldest combined age of two living siblings ever recorded. The record was set by Japanese sisters Kame Ganeko and Kikue Taira, whose combined age was 223 years, 1 day at the time of Ganeko’s passing in 2019.

LongeviQuest is the global authority on maximum human longevity. The organization was founded in 2022 as a collaboration between the world’s leading age validation experts, with professional researchers in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.