The data obtained suggests that this settlement may be a new "blue zone" — a region where people live for an unusually long time. Other "blue zones" include, for example, the Japanese island of Okinawa and the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica. vokrugsveta.ru.
Initially, scientists' attention to Bolotana was attracted by the unusually high concentration of centenarians in this settlement. So, in 2024, six people aged 100 years and older lived in a village with a population of about 2,300 people. The prevalence of centenarians per unit of population in Bolotan is about 11 times higher than in the United States.
In the course of the study, the researchers analyzed the demographic data of the villagers for a period of more than a hundred years. The uniqueness of Bolotana also lies in the presence of incredibly detailed historical records that allow us to accurately determine the dates of birth and death of people. Municipal and church records have been kept here for centuries, which allowed researchers to independently verify the age of the residents.
As a result, 38 centenarians were identified among 3,060 people born in Bolotan between 1900 and 1925.
In their analysis, the scientists assessed two key indicators:
life expectancy at age 70
and the probability that a person who has lived to the age of 70 will live to the age of 100.
Although the "blue zone" previously identified on the island is famous for the unusually high life expectancy of men, another group has come to the fore in Bolotan: women. According to researchers, 13.8% of women in Bolotana live to be 100 years old, while in the rest of Italy this figure is about 3.5%.
For comparison, in Russia, 1.8% of women and 0.5% of men live to be 100 years old, such data is provided by the "mortality tables" of the UN World Population Prospects 2026. The average life expectancy for women in Russia in 2026 is 79.5 years, for men - 67.9 years.
Local women who have reached the age of 70 have a life expectancy of almost 21 years. In the global ranking of longevity indicators, women from Bolotana are second only to Hong Kong residents in both life expectancy after 70 years and the likelihood of living to 100 years.
Why do women in Bolotan live so long?
Thus, Bolotan has one of the longest-lived female populations in the world, and factors such as nutrition, physical activity, social connections, family support, and genetics may play a role in this, the scientists suggested.
Thus, the locals live in conditions conducive to hiking in rough terrain, since the village is located in the mountains. People move mostly on foot, not by car. Most of the products are grown locally; in particular, olive oil is produced, which is rich in healthy fats. Families often live next to each other, and social isolation is rare. A close-knit community has developed in Bolotan, where people take care of each other, the researchers note.
