The true number of centenarians in Brazil

What is it about?

Since the nineteenth century, the census has provided the number of 100-year-olds in Brazil, one of the most populous countries worldwide. In 1900, 4,438 individuals reported themselves to be centenarians, a figure that increased about fivefold by the 2000 census. Are these numbers correct? Due to data quality issues, we believe that they are not. In this study we offer alternative estimates of the most likely number of centenarians during the twentieth century. Our results suggest that has been an extensive, although diminishing, overenumeration of centenarians in the census records.

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Photo by Danie Franco on Unsplash

Photo by Danie Franco on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The enumeration of centenarians is central to the study on the limits of the human life span. Not knowing the correct number of the longest-lived people hampers the debate about human longevity.