Popes across continents: A breakdown of 277 Papacies by country nearly nearly 2,000-year history

The papacy, one of the oldest continuing institutions in the world, has seen leaders from across multiple continents over its nearly 2,000-year history. A comprehensive breakdown of the origins of all 277 popes to date reveals a strong European presence, with Italy contributing the overwhelming majority—but with notable representation from Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

Popes by Country:

Italy (217 Popes)

• Includes Pope Linus, all popes with the names Paul, Boniface, and Pius, and Pope John Paul I.

France (16 Popes)

• Pope Sylvester II

• Pope Stephen IX

• Pope Nicholas II

• Pope Urban II

• Pope Callistus II

• Pope Urban IV

• Pope Clement IV

• Pope Innocent V

• Pope Martin IV

• Pope Clement V

• Pope John XXII

• Pope Benedict XII

• Pope Clement VI

• Pope Innocent VI

• Pope Urban V

• Pope Gregory XI

Greece (9 Popes)

• Pope Anacletus

• Pope Hyginus

• Pope Eleutherius

• Pope Sixtus II

• Pope Telesphorus

• Pope Anterus

• Pope Zosimus

• Pope John VI

• Pope John VII

Provincia Syria (6 Popes) [Modern-day Syria]

• Pope Peter

• Pope Anicetus

• Pope John V

• Pope Sisinnius

• Pope Constantine

• Pope Gregory III

Germany (6 Popes)

• Pope Gregory V

• Pope Clement II

• Pope Damasus II

• Pope Leo IX

• Pope Victor II

• Pope Benedict XVI

Africa Proconsularis (3 Popes) [Modern-day Tunisia]

• Pope Victor I

• Pope Miltiades

• Pope Gelasius I

Holy Land (3 Popes) [Modern-day Israel and Palestine]

• Pope Peter

• Pope Evaristus

• Pope Theodore I

Dalmatia (2 Popes) [Modern-day Croatia]

• Pope Caius

• Pope John IV

Spain (2 Popes)

• Pope Callixtus III

• Pope Alexander VI

Portugal (2 Popes)

• Pope Damasus I

• Pope John XXI

Anatolia (2 Popes) [Modern-day Turkey]

• Pope Conon

• Pope John VI

England (1 Pope)

• Pope Adrian IV

Netherlands (1 Pope)

• Pope Adrian VI

Poland (1 Pope)

• Pope John Paul II

Argentina (1 Pope)

• Pope Francis

United States (1 Pope, Dual Citizenship with Peru)

• Pope Leo XIV

Peru (1 Pope, Born in the United States and Became a Peruvian Citizen)

• Pope Leo XIV