Age validation of persons aged 105 and above in Germany

Abstract

As part of the International Database on Longevity (IDL), this study aimed to gather a list of age-validated persons aged 105+ in Germany, as complete as possible. We proceeded in three steps. In a first step, we asked the Office of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesprasidialamt, or OGP) for a list of all persons aged 105 and older who received a congratulatory letter on the occasion of their birthday from the Federal President in the period from 1989 to 2002 (N=1,487). Second, the local Residence Registry Office (MeldebehOrde, or RRO) was asked for the vital status of the person and the person’s place of birth. Third, the Office of Vital Records (Standesamt, or OVR) at the person’s place of birth was asked to confirm the date and place of birth. An individual was considered age-validated if (1) a late-life document was available from the RRO showing that the person had reached age 105 and (2) an early-life document was available from the OVR confirming the person’s place and date of birth. 970 cases fulfilled both criteria. We monitored the vital status of this group until the end of the year 2004. Demographic data of these persons were then submitted to the IDL.