World's oldest man shares 'secret to long life' after celebrating 113th birthday

The world’s oldest living man has shared the secret to living a long life after celebrating another birthday. Brazilian-born João Marinho Neto turned 113 years old on Sunday, October 5, with a big celebration planned for him by loved ones.

Neto is a Guinness World Record holder, with the organisation having named him the world’s oldest man in November 2024 after the death of previous record holder - British man John Tinniswood - at the age of 112. Guinness confirmed João Neto was “112 years 52 days old at the time” of Tinniswood’s passing.

Now though, the world’s oldest man has made it to 113 and rang in the milestone with “a big party his loved ones planned for him”, according to Guinness. He’s the 26th oldest man to ever live.

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When asked about the secret to a long life by the world record's experts, Neto said it all came down to having loved ones nearby and ensuring his life was spent surrounded by good people.

The supercentenarian was born in Maranguape - a municipality in Ceará, Brazil - on October 5, 1912, and is now the last surviving man born that year.

His family were farmers and by the age of four, João was “out working with his father in the fields, taking care of the cattle and harvesting fruit.”

He went on to have seven children, followed by 22 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.

In a post on Instagram, Guinness marked the milestone birthday with a carousel of images of Neto. In the caption accompanying the clip, Guinness penned: “Happy 113th birthday to João Marinho Neto, the world’s oldest man.

“The Brazilian is celebrating the massive milestone today with a big party his loved ones planned for him.

“João has been loving life ever since he was named the oldest man living in November last year, following the death of the UK’s John Tinniswood at age 112.”

Neto is the oldest man in the world, but he isn’t the oldest person - that title is held by the UK’s Ethel Caterham, who celebrated her 116th birthday in August.

Neto paid tribute to her on her birthday, posing for an image to be sent to her.

In it, he can be seen sporting sunglasses while holding a blue sign which reads “Ethel Feliz Aniversário” - Portuguese for “happy birthday, Ethel” - alongside a few images of Ethel.

According to LongeviQuest, which is “the global authority on maximum human longevity”, Neto’s well wishes marked another intriguing milestone.

The organisation stated: “This marks the first documented communication between the world’s oldest woman and the world’s oldest man, and the first recorded birthday greeting exchanged between supercentenarians in different countries.”

Experts at LongeviQuest told Guinness Neto is a fan of telling people: “There are no men older than me, just women!”