LongeviQuest is saddened to report the passing of Inah Canabarro Lucas, the world’s oldest living person, in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. She passed away today, 30 April, at the age of 116 years, 326 days.
With her passing, the title of the world’s oldest person now passes to Ethel Caterham, a resident of Surrey, England, who is currently 115 years and 252 days old. Also, at 114, Izabel Rosa Pereira has now succeeded her as Brazil’s oldest resident.
Early life
Inah Canabarro Lucas was born on 8 June 1908 in São Francisco de Assis, Rio Grande do Sul. Her parents were João Antônio Lucas (1870–1923) and Mariana Canabarro Lucas (1878–1954). Although she claimed her birthdate was 27 May 1908, research determined it was likely 11 days later. As a frail child, many doubted she would survive. She was the great-granddaughter of General David Canabarro.
(Source: Courtesy of the family)
At 16, she began her religious path at the Santa Teresa de Jesus boarding school in Santana do Livramento. She was baptized there on 21 April 1926. Later, she moved to Montevideo, Uruguay, where she was confirmed in the Catholic Church on 1 October 1929, at age 21. In 1930, she returned to Brazil to teach Portuguese and mathematics in Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro. She renewed her vows in 1932 and again in 1933, and on 27 July 1934, at age 26, she took her perpetual vows, officially becoming a nun.
Later Life
In the early 1940s, she returned to Santana do Livramento. Thereafter, she resumed her work as a teacher in July 1942. She served in Itaqui twice—first from February 1949 for over a decade, then again in March 1979. Between those periods, she worked as a professor and secretary in Santana do Livramento. In February 1980, she joined the Provincial House in Porto Alegre, where she continued her religious and educational mission.
In 2018, upon celebrating her 110th birthday, she received an apostolic blessing from Pope Francis.
When asked about the secret to her longevity, she attributed it to the Lord, saying that He helped her live these many years. “He is the secret of life. He is the secret of everything,” she remarked.
Longevity Records
On 30 July 2022, following the passing of Colombia’s Sofia Rojas, she became the oldest validated living person in both South and Latin America.
In February 2024, the LongeviQuest team visited her at the age of 115, officially recognizing her as Brazil’s oldest living person.
On 29 December 2024, following the passing of 116-year-old Tomiko Itooka (Japan), she became the World’s Oldest Living Person. At the time, she was 116 years and 204 days old.
At the time of her passing, she was the 15th-oldest documented person in history. She was also the third-oldest ever in Latin America, and the second-oldest from Brazil.
Inah Canabarro Lucas is the second-oldest nun in history, following France’s Lucile Randon, who lived to 118 and held the title of the world’s oldest person in 2022 and 2023.
We extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of Inah Canabarro Lucas. Her long and meaningful life touched many, and her legacy as a devoted educator, religious sister, and a supercentenarian will be remembered with great admiration.
