Who is José Flores Flores? The 119-year-old Costa Rican from a 'Blue Zone' who could become the world's oldest living person

A Costa Rican farmer whose reported age is supported by civil and church records has celebrated his 119th birthday, with his family now working to secure international recognition that could make him the world's oldest living person.

José Flores Flores, who was born on July 11, 1907, in Las Lajas de Cañas, Guanacaste, marked his birthday on Saturday. While he is officially recognized as Costa Rica's oldest living citizen, his age has yet to be independently verified by Guinness World Records or an international organization specializing in validating claims of exceptional longevity.

As per multiple outlets, including Ticotimes, Costa Rican civil records list Flores' birth date as July 11, 1907, while a baptismal record reportedly shows he was baptized five months later. However, record-verification organizations require sufficient documentation linking records from different stages of a person's life before recognizing longevity claims.


If his age is officially validated, Flores would surpass the current Guinness World Records titleholder by more than two years.

Could José Flores Flores become the world's oldest living person?

Guinness World Records currently recognizes British woman Ethel Caterham as the world's oldest living person. Caterham was born on August 21, 1909, and was 116 years and 223 days old when her record was verified on April 1, 2026. She is now 116 years and nearly 11 months old.

As per the outlet, Flores' family is gathering historical documents needed to submit his case for international review. If accepted, his reported age of 119 would make him the oldest verified living person in the world.

Life in one of the world's Blue Zones

Flores lives near Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula in Guanacaste, one of the world's five recognized "Blue Zones," regions known for having unusually high numbers of people who live beyond 90 or even 100 years. According to Healthline, other than this, there are 4 more blue zones in the world located in Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California. These regions are known for having unusually high numbers of people who live to 100 or beyond, a longevity often linked to healthy diets, regular physical activity, strong social connections, and a clear sense of purpose in life.

Scientists often attribute the region's longevity to several interconnected lifestyle factors, including diets rich in beans, corn, squash and fresh produce, lifelong physical activity through farming and manual labor, strong family relationships, close-knit communities, a clear sense of purpose later in life, known as "plan de vida."

A simple lifestyle at 119

As per ticotimes, Flores continues to walk, speak, and eat without assistance. He spends time with family members and neighbors, enjoys watching boxing and movies, and regularly plays dominoes, a game his relatives say he often wins. He reportedly takes just one daily medication to control his blood pressure.

His eating habits have remained remarkably consistent over the years. Rice and beans have long been staples of his diet, alongside cheese, tortillas, milk, and vegetables. He eats little meat and has previously said he smoked and drank alcohol when he was younger before eventually giving up both habits. According to the outlet, he usually goes to bed around 7 p.m.

A lifetime shaped by farming and history

Flores spent much of his life working in agriculture. As a young man, he traveled across different parts of Costa Rica seeking farm and plantation work before settling in Santa Rosa de Pocosol, San Carlos, in 1968. He remained there for more than 50 years before moving to the Sardinal area of Carrillo, where he now lives with family members.

He married Ofelia Arias Badilla, who died at the age of 71. Together they had 16 children, eight of whom are still alive. Family accounts also identify Flores as having participated in Costa Rica's 1948 civil war.

Surviving COVID-19 and making history at the ballot box

Flores has also found himself at the center of several remarkable moments in recent Costa Rican history. In 2021, he became the country's oldest known person to recover from COVID-19. According to his relatives, he experienced no serious symptoms and was initially not told about his diagnosis because family members feared it would worry him. He later recovered from another infection in 2022.

During severe flooding in Guanacaste in 2023, Flores was evacuated by helicopter after rising waters threatened his safety. Relatives said he remained calm despite having little previous experience flying.

He also became Costa Rica's oldest voter during the country's 2026 presidential election. At 118, Flores cast his ballot in the February 1 vote from Sardinal. Before the election, his family said it would be the 25th time he had voted during his lifetime.