An elderly man who just celebrated his 116th birthday is a little over a month away from becoming the world’s oldest living man with his stunned family saying he is as healthy and active as ever.

Birthday boy Joaquim Bispo da Conceicao is merely a year younger than the world’s oldest person alive, American-born Maria Branyas Morera.

And on 8th July, he is likely to surpass the oldest living man, Jiroemon Kimura, who holds the current record after passing away at the age of 116 years and 54 days.

Joaquim’s daughter, Maria Domingas dos Santos, says people are shocked when he reveals his ripe age.

According to her, Joaquim, who lives in the town of Barcelos do Sul, in Brazil’s state of Bahia, is still full of life and continues “partying”.

She told local media: “People look at him and don’t even think he’s that age.”

The old man, who was born in 1908, turned 116 on Wednesday, 15th May, and has four children and 52 other descendants.

Some of his 29 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren helped Joaquim mark another year under the sun with a festive bash at his home held on 19th May.

Friends and other family members also joined the joyous event held outside on Joaquim’s farm that they helped organise.

Images from the party show Joaquim up and smiling as he stands next to a birthday cake apparently after blowing off the candles.

His daughter says she currently takes care of him but maintains that he is an active elderly man.

According to Maria, her father only stopped cooking for himself because she would not let him.

She said: “Thank God, he lives well. He is not a sickly man.

“He doesn’t have diabetes, high cholesterol, anaemia, or anything. When he can, he still enjoys having fun.”

According to a 2022 Census, Bahia has the highest number of centenarians in all of Brazil, a country which is populated by more than 215 million people.

According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), up to that year, there were 5,336 people aged 100 or older living in Bahia. These figures reflect the ageing population in some cities.

In five municipalities, there were more elderly people than children. This was the case in Abaira, Jussiape, Jacaraci, Guajeru, and Ibiassuce.