This page is alist of popes by country of origin and nationality. There have been 265[a] popes, from thecontinents ofAsia,Europe,Africa,South America, andNorth America. Since the office ofpope has existed for almost two millennia, many of the countries of origin of popes no longer exist, and so they are grouped under three periods: theRoman Empire period, theMiddle Ages tomodernity, and since the creation ofVatican City with the 1929Lateran Treaty. Countries are listed in chronological order within each section.
As of 2025, 265[a] men have been pope, with at least one pope hailing (in chronological order) from Asia (9), Europe (251), Africa (3), orthe Americas (2). Every pope sincePope Pius XI has been a citizen ofVatican City (established in the 1929Lateran Treaty).[b]
| Country | Number of popes | Year of last papacy |
|---|---|---|
| Africa Province (Roman Empire) | 3 | 496 |
| Croatia (Kingdom of the Lombards) Dalmatia | 2 | 642 |
| Judaea Province (Roman Empire) Byzantine Palestine | 3 | 649 |
| Asia Minor | 2 | 705 |
| Roman Greece andByzantine Greece | 5 | 687 |
| Roman/Byzantine Syria, andBilad al-Sham | 7 | 741 |
| Austrian part ofHoly Roman Empire | 1 | 999 |
| England | 1 | 1159 |
| Lusitania (Roman Empire) andPortugal | 2 | 1277 |
| Kingdom of France (medieval) French part ofHoly Roman Empire | 17 | 1378 |
| Spain (Valencia in theCrown of Aragon) | 2 | 1503 |
| Dutch part ofHoly Roman Empire | 1 | 1523 |
| Italian Peninsula(see below) | 217 | 1978 |
| Vatican City | 9 | current[d] |
| Poland | 1 | 2005 |
| German part ofHoly Roman Empire Contemporary Germany | 4 | 2013 |
| Argentina | 1 | 2025 |
| United States &Peru | 1 | current[e] |
| Total | 265 |
These subsections of popes from the Western and Eastern Roman Empires are listed in chronological order.
These popes are from the Roman and Byzantine province ofSyria, or theUmayyad Caliphate province ofBilad al-Sham, corresponding to the contemporary country ofSyria. Pope Peter (c. 30 – c. 67) was a native ofBethsaida, in the contemporaryGolan Heights, and became the first pope.Pope Sergius I (687–701) was born to a Syrian family inSicily, and is also listed under Byzantine Italy.Pope Constantine (708–715) was fromTyre,Jund al-Urdunn,Bilad al-Sham,Umayyad Caliphate, in contemporaryLebanon.Pope Gregory III (731–741) was the last pope from outside Europe untilPope Francis (2013–2025).[2]
Pope Linus (64/67(?)–76/79 (?)) succeeded Peter as the second pope, becoming the first European pope.
Pope Sergius I (687–701) was born to a Syrian family inSicily, and is also listed under Syria.
These popes were consideredethnic Greeks, though some came from Italy.
Pope Peter (c. 30 – c. 67) was born inBethsaida, Roman Syria before the creation ofJudaea Province, in the contemporaryGolan Heights.Pope Evaristus (c. 99 – c. 107) was born inBethlehem, in the contemporaryWest Bank.Pope Theodore I (642–649) was born inJerusalem.
These popes are from the Roman province ofAfrica, which corresponds to the coastal parts ofTunisia,Libya andAlgeria.Pope Victor I (189–199) was the first African pope and was ofBerber origin.[3]
Dalmatia was at the time part of theRoman andByzantine Empires. It is now part of the contemporaryRepublic of Croatia.
Lusitania corresponds to present-dayPortugal and the southwest part ofSpain.
Anatolia, or Asia Minor, was at the time part of theRoman andByzantine Empires. All popes from here were born during the Byzantine period, in areas now part of the contemporaryRepublic of Turkey.
Thecurrent concept ofsovereignty emerged after the 1648Peace of Westphalia,[4] collectively known asWestphalian sovereignty. However, some historians have argued against this, suggesting that such views emerged during the nineteenth and twentieth century in relation to concerns about sovereignty during that time.[5] These Westphalian states are listed below in chronological order.
Italy, from the beginning of the Middle Ages until the proclamation of theKingdom of Italy, was divided into numerous city-states and other political entities. Among these, thePapal States were the birthplace of most of the popes. Other Italian states where more popes were born were theRepublic of Venice, theKingdom of Naples, theRepublic of Genoa, theDuchy of Milan and theFlorentine Republic and its successor theGrand Duchy of Tuscany.
The medievalDuchy of Carinthia was part of theHoly Roman Empire. It is now largely part of contemporaryAustria. TheSalian,Pope Gregory V is sometimes referred to as "the first German pope" or as "the only Austrian pope".[6][7] However,German orAustrian national identities did not exist yet during theHigh Middle Ages.
France is the most common non-Italian papal country of origin. Seventeenpopes were born in present-dayFrance, all in the second half of themedieval era. The indicated seven popes of theAvignon Papacy were all from France. Since the end of the Avignon Papacy, no French person has been elected pope.
Pope Nicholas II andPope Innocent V were fromSavoy before it was annexed to France.
Pope Leo XIII was born inRome while it was underNapoleonic French occupation and is also listed under Italy.
There are up to nine popes who, for various reasons, have been historically referred to as "German" – including theOstrogothic Boniface II, the Austrian Gregory V and the Dutch Adrian VI.[8] However, only three of those were born within present-day Germany; the exact place of birth of Victor II is unknown.
England is part of the contemporaryUnited Kingdom.
TheKingdom of Valencia was then part of the possessions of theCrown of Aragon; it is now part of contemporarySpain.
Pope Adrian VI was from theBurgundian Netherlands within the Holy Roman Empire and was the last non-Italian elected pope untilPope John Paul II in 1978.
TheLateran Pacts of 1929 between theKingdom of Italy under KingVictor Emmanuel III andBenito Mussolini and theHoly See underPope Pius XI settled the long-standingRoman question brought about by theunification of Italy. Italy agreed to recognizeVatican City as anindependent state under the sovereignty of theHoly See. Italy also agreed to give theCatholic Church financial compensation for the loss of thePapal States.[9][10] There have been nine popes since the legal creation ofVatican City in the 1929Lateran Treaty:Pope Pius XI,Pope Pius XII,Pope John XXIII,Pope Paul VI,Pope John Paul I,Pope John Paul II,Pope Benedict XVI,Pope Francis, and the currentPope Leo XIV. All are naturalized citizens ofVatican City and are listed below in chronological order.
SincePope Pius XI's 1929 Lateran Pacts, all his Italian papal successors were born citizens of theKingdom of Italy; no Italian born sinceItaly became a republic in 1946 has been elected pope.
Pope John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope sinceAdrian VI in the 16th century and was born in theSecond Polish Republic.
Pope Benedict XVI was the second non-Italian pope sinceAdrian VI in the 16th century and was born inWeimar Germany.
Pope Francis was the first pope from theAmericas,Latin America,South America, and theSouthern Hemisphere, and the first born or raised outside Europe since the SyrianPope Gregory III (731–741).[2]
Pope Leo XIV is the first pope fromNorth America. He was born in theUnited States and became a citizen ofPeru in 2015.
The world's smallest sovereign state was born on February 11, 1929, with the signing of the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy
San Pedro (32 AD-67). Judío, Pescador. Nació en 4 A.C. Casado, con una hija: Petronila. Nombre arameo: Simón Bar- Jona.* The list of popes is based on the following bibliography:
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