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A study in Frontiers in Aging estimates that 13.8% of women in Bolotana, Sardinia, who reach age 70 live to 100, compared with about 3.5% in Italy and 3.6% in the United States. Researchers validated ages using municipal and church records, but the study does not establish what drives the survival pattern or whether it applies beyond this village.
A study published in Frontiers in Aging reports that women in Bolotana, Sardinia, who reach age 70 have an estimated 13.8% chance of living to 100—higher than the estimates for women in Italy and the United States. The findings suggest the village may qualify as another longevity hotspot, but the research identifies a survival pattern rather than explaining its causes.
The researchers examined demographic records from Bolotana, a village of about 2,300 residents, and reconstructed life histories using civil documents and church archives. They reported 38 centenarians among 3,060 people born between 1900 and 1925. The team says it matched birth, death and baptismal records to check ages, an approach intended to address concerns that claims of exceptional longevity can rest on inaccurate records.
For women who had reached 70, the researchers estimated a 13.8% likelihood of surviving to 100. Their comparison figures were approximately 3.5% for women in Italy and 3.6% for women in the United States. The study also estimated nearly 21 additional years of life expectancy for Bolotana women at age 70. These are population-level estimates from historical records, not predictions about any individual resident.
Bolotana drew attention after researchers estimated that six residents aged 100 or older were living there in 2024, a prevalence they calculated to be roughly 11 times the U.S. level. The study’s authors say the subsequent archival analysis offers a stronger basis for examining the village’s age profile. They describe Bolotana as a possible new “blue zone,” a term used for places where people appear to live unusually long lives.
Why Bolotana Draws Research Interest
The findings offer researchers a comparatively well-documented community in which to study survival into very old age. Historical records that can be checked across multiple sources matter because age verification is central to assessing claims about centenarians. If further research confirms the pattern, Bolotana could help investigators compare longevity across populations and formulate questions about the conditions linked with long life.
The village’s profile is also notable within Sardinia’s longevity research. The island’s previously identified blue-zone area became known for unusually high male longevity; in this study, women in Bolotana were the standout group. The authors’ estimates place them second only to Hong Kong on the international measures they assessed. That ranking is based on the study’s chosen comparisons and does not establish that Bolotana is the world’s longest-lived female population.
The work does not show that any particular diet, exercise pattern or social arrangement causes people to live longer. Its immediate value is to document an apparent demographic pattern and provide a starting point for studying possible influences, not to offer a proven formula for extending life.
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Sardinia’s Longevity Research Record
Sardinia has featured in research on exceptional longevity for more than two decades. The island’s earlier blue-zone designation focused on a different population pattern, including unusually high longevity among men. Bolotana’s results add a village-level case in which the reported late-life survival advantage is especially apparent among women.
In the new study, Giovanni Mario Pes and co-authors assessed two measures: life expectancy at age 70 and the probability of reaching 100 after reaching 70. They used records spanning more than a century, including municipal and church archives. The paper appeared in Frontiers in Aging in 2026. Its authors point to walkable, hilly streets, locally produced food, nearby family networks and social connection as possible subjects for further investigation, while also identifying genetics as a potential factor.
“The municipal and baptismal records date back centuries and allowed us to independently verify ages.”
— S. Jay Olshansky, study co-author and professor emeritus at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health
What the Records Cannot Explain
The study establishes an estimated survival pattern, but it does not determine why Bolotana women live so long. The suggested influences—diet, physical activity, family support, social ties and genetics—remain hypotheses or potential research areas. The reported figures do not show the separate contribution of any one factor, or whether combinations of them account for the results.
The estimates also depend on the historical population and records analyzed. The study material does not establish whether the pattern continues among current residents, how it varies across generations, or how directly Bolotana compares with every other population worldwide. Its international ranking should be understood in light of the measures and comparison groups used, rather than as proof of an absolute global title.
Further Study of Village Longevity
Researchers can build on the archival work by testing possible explanations against more detailed evidence on residents’ health, family histories, diets, activity and social circumstances. Comparisons with other Sardinian communities and populations would help establish whether Bolotana’s results are distinctive and which features, if any, track with long life.
No specific follow-up study or timetable is stated in the source material. For now, the published research presents Bolotana as a promising place for further investigation, while the causes and wider relevance of its reported survival pattern remain open questions.
Key Questions
What did the Bolotana study find?
It estimated that 13.8% of women who reach age 70 in Bolotana survive to 100, compared with about 3.5% in Italy and 3.6% in the United States.
Does the study prove that Bolotana is a blue zone?
No. The researchers say Bolotana may be a new blue zone. The study reports an unusual survival pattern, but further research is needed to assess its causes and broader significance.
How did researchers check residents’ ages?
The team matched municipal birth and death records with church baptismal records to validate ages, including those of residents who reached 100.
What might explain the longevity pattern?
The study does not establish a cause. Its co-author pointed to possible lines of investigation including walking, locally produced food, family support, social connection and genetics.
Does the result mean an individual woman has a 13.8% chance of living to 100?
No. The figure is a population-level estimate for women in the study who reached age 70. It is not an individual prediction and should not be treated as one.
Source: rss
