are there any holocaust survivors still alive
Yes. As of 2025–2026, there are still many Holocaust survivors alive, though they are a rapidly shrinking and very elderly population.
How many survivors are still alive?
- Recent estimates from organizations that support survivors put the global number at a little over 200,000 people.
- A 2025 analysis linked to the Claims Conference reported “more than 200,000” Jewish Holocaust survivors worldwide, living in about 90 countries.
- Another recent tally found roughly 240,000 survivors still alive just a couple of years earlier, showing how quickly the number is declining.
Most of these survivors were children during the war, which is why they are sometimes called child survivors.
Age and how long they may be with us
- The median age of Holocaust survivors today is around 87.
- Over 1,400 survivors are estimated to be older than 100 years.
- Projections suggest that the vast majority will die within the next 10–15 years simply due to age.
This means we are in the last years in which people who personally lived through ghettos, camps, hiding, or flight from Nazi persecution can still give first‑hand testimony.
Where do most survivors live?
Among the more than 200,000 remaining survivors:
- A large share live in Israel, with estimates in the last few years placing that number at roughly 140,000–150,000.
- Significant communities also live in the United States and across Europe, as well as smaller communities in Latin America, the former Soviet Union, Australia, and elsewhere.
These numbers include people who survived in camps and ghettos, those who hid or fled, and those who endured persecution under Nazi‑allied regimes.
Why this is in the news and forums now
The question “are there any Holocaust survivors still alive” has become a trending topic around recent Holocaust Remembrance Days (January 27 each year) and in online discussions about rising antisemitism and historical denial.
- News articles emphasize that time is “running out” to hear survivors directly, and call for renewed efforts to record their stories.
- Advocacy groups stress that as survivors pass away, education will rely more on archived testimony, museums, and digital projects rather than living witnesses.
Many survivors and educators warn that when there are no living witnesses left, it may become easier for denial and distortion to spread if societies are not actively educating the next generations.
How people are preserving their stories
To prepare for a world without living survivors, institutions are investing heavily in documentation and education.
Key efforts include:
- Large video and audio testimony archives (for example, those associated with the USC Shoah Foundation and national museums).
- Digital and interactive exhibits that let visitors “converse” with recorded survivor testimonies using modern technology.
- School curricula, memorial days, and public campaigns that highlight individual survivor stories so they remain part of public memory even after the survivors themselves are gone.
Short TL;DR
- Yes, there are still Holocaust survivors alive today—over 200,000 worldwide—but almost all are in their late eighties, nineties, or older.
- Experts expect that within about 10–15 years, very few, if any, direct survivors will remain, making recorded testimonies and education efforts more crucial than ever.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.