Saudi Arabia’s purported oldest man, Nasser bin Radan Al Rashid Al Wadaei, has reportedly passed away at the claimed age of 142, leaving behind a large family said to include 134 children and grandchildren.
Local reports say Al Wadaei died on January 8 in Riyadh. Funeral prayers were held in Dhahran Al Janoub, attracting more than 7,000 mourners, before he was laid to rest in his hometown of Al Rashid.
Saudi media reports indicate that Al Wadaei was born in 1884 and is believed to have lived through several eras of the kingdom, spanning from the reign of its founder, King Abdulaziz, to the current monarch, King Salman.
Family members said he performed the Hajj pilgrimage more than 40 times and was deeply committed to his religious life.
According to reports, Al Wadaei married for the last time at the age of 110 and later welcomed a daughter.
However, his reported age has sparked debate, given that Saudi Arabia’s average life expectancy is around 78 years. Some experts have questioned whether he could truly have been 142 years old.
Chair of the British Society for Research on Ageing (BSRA), Professor David Weinkove, told Metro that it is highly unlikely the claim is accurate.
“It seems very improbable that this person was actually 142,” he said, noting that reliable birth records were often unavailable in many parts of the world more than a century ago.
Professor Weinkove explained that ageing accelerates with time, adding that once someone reaches about 100 years old, the probability of surviving each additional year drops to around 50 percent.
“It’s not impossible,” he said, “but it would be like flipping a coin 40 times in a row and getting heads every time.”
He also acknowledged that Saudi Arabia is experiencing a rise in its ageing population as birth rates decline, making long life more common.
“Even so,” he added, “142 years is stretching credibility.”