Is the oldest living person actually in Uzbekistan?

After the passing of 116-year-old Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas on May 1 this year, the title of the world's oldest living person was passed on to 115-year-old British citizen Ethel Caterham.

Caterham, who lives in Surrey, England, was officially recognized at the age of 115 years and 252 days. Meanwhile, social media continues to circulate claims about Khuvaydo Umarova, a woman reportedly aged 130 and living in Uzbekistan, effectively spanning three centuries.

On May 12, Shahnoza Mirziyoyeva, First Deputy Director of the National Agency for Social Protection and daughter of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, together with her husband Otabek Umarov, Deputy Chairman of the National Olympic Committee, visited the elderly woman. Umarova was born in 1895 and currently resides in the Buvayda district of the Fergana region.

“While we were speaking, I sincerely prayed to God to grant my parents a long and blessed life,” Shahnoza Mirziyoyeva shared in a social media post.

During the visit, Otabek Umarov remarked: “The oldest woman in the Guinness World Records is 116, but there is a grandmother named Khuvaydo living in Uzbekistan.”

So why has Khuvaydo Umarova not been officially recognized as the world’s oldest living person?

This question was previously addressed by journalist Sharifa Murod in an article published in the newspaper "Jadid". The piece highlighted that longevity runs in Khuvaid’s family: her husband Toshmat Ota lived to be 101, her uncle Mullakodir reportedly reached 130, and her aunt Saidiniso lived to the age of 125. Currently, Nematjon Mamasoliyev, a professor at the Andijan State Medical Institute, is researching the genetic factors behind her extraordinary longevity. If the biological secrets behind her long life are discovered, they may contribute to scientific breakthroughs that benefit all of humanity.

Several years ago, officials began collecting the necessary documentation to submit Khuvaydo Umarova for recognition by the Guinness World Records as the oldest person on Earth. They contacted international organizations to support the application. However, the process has stalled due to skepticism surrounding Soviet-era documentation, which Guinness authorities have not accepted as reliable.