List of popes by country


This page is a list of popes by country of origin and nationality. There have been 265 popes, from the continents of Asia, Europe, Africa, South America, and North America. Since the office of pope 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: the Roman Empire period, the Middle Ages to modernity, and since the creation of Vatican City with the 1929 Lateran Treaty. Countries are listed in chronological order within each section.

Statistical overview

As of 2025, 265 men have been pope, with at least one pope hailing from Asia, Europe, Africa, or the Americas. Every pope since Pope Pius XI has been a citizen of Vatican City.

Popes from the Roman Empire

These subsections of popes from the Western and Eastern Roman Empires are listed in chronological order.

Syria

These popes are from the Roman and Byzantine province of Syria, or the Umayyad Caliphate province of Bilad al-Sham, corresponding to the contemporary country of Syria. Pope Peter was a native of Bethsaida, in the contemporary Golan Heights, and became the first pope. Pope Sergius I was born to a Syrian family in Sicily, and is also listed under Byzantine Italy. Pope Constantine was from Tyre, Jund al-Urdunn, Bilad al-Sham, Umayyad Caliphate, in contemporary Lebanon. Pope Gregory III was the last pope from outside Europe until Pope Francis.
  • Pope Peter
  • Pope Anicetus
  • Pope John V
  • Pope Sergius I
  • Pope Sisinnius
  • Pope Constantine
  • Pope Gregory III

    Italy

Roman Italy

–76/79 ) succeeded Peter as the second pope, becoming the first European pope.

Byzantine Italy

Byzantine Sicily

was born to a Syrian family in Sicily, and is also listed under Syria.
  • Pope Conon
  • Pope Sergius I

    Greece

These popes were considered ethnic Greeks, though some came from Italy.
  • Pope Anacletus, a native of Rome
  • Pope Telesphorus, from Calabria, Italy
  • Pope Hyginus, from Athens
  • Pope Eleuterus, from Epirus
  • Pope Anterus, from Calabria
  • Pope Sixtus II, from Greece
  • Pope Zosimus, from Calabria
  • Pope John VI, from Ephesus
  • Pope John VII, from Calabria

    Roman Judaea

Pope Peter was born in Bethsaida, Roman Syria before the creation of Judaea Province, in the contemporary Golan Heights. Pope Evaristus was born in Bethlehem, in the contemporary West Bank. Pope Theodore I was born in Jerusalem.
  • Pope Peter
  • Pope Evaristus
  • Pope Theodore I

    Roman Africa

These popes are from the Roman province of Africa, which corresponds to the coastal parts of Tunisia, Libya and Algeria. Pope Victor I was the first African pope and was of Berber origin.
  • Pope Victor I
  • Pope Miltiades
  • Pope Gelasius I

    Roman Dalmatia

Dalmatia was at the time part of the Roman and Byzantine Empires. It is now part of the contemporary Republic of Croatia.
  • Pope Caius
  • Pope John IV

    Roman Lusitania

corresponds to present-day Portugal and the southwest part of Spain.
  • Pope Damasus I

    Byzantine Anatolia

, or Asia Minor, was at the time part of the Roman and Byzantine Empires. All popes from here were born during the Byzantine period, in areas now part of the contemporary Republic of Turkey.
  • Pope Conon
  • Pope John VI

    Popes from the Middle Ages to modernity

The current concept of sovereignty emerged after the 1648 Peace of Westphalia, collectively known as Westphalian 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. These Westphalian states are listed below in chronological order.

Italy

, from the beginning of the Middle Ages until the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, was divided into numerous city-states and other political entities. Among these, the Papal States were the birthplace of most of the popes. Other Italian states where more popes were born were the Republic of Venice, the Kingdom of Naples, the Republic of Genoa, the Duchy of Milan and the Florentine Republic and its successor the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.

Ostrogothic Kingdom

  • Pope Hormisdas
  • Pope John I
  • Pope Felix IV
  • Pope Boniface II
  • Pope John II
  • Pope Agapetus I
  • Pope Vigilius

    Papal States

Italy, Holy Roman Empire

  • Pope John XIV
  • Pope Alexander II
  • Pope Gregory VII
  • Pope Eugene III
  • Pope Alexander III
  • Pope Lucius III
  • Pope Urban III
  • Pope Celestine IV
  • Pope Gregory X
  • Pope Benedict XI

    Former Italian states with one pope

  • Pope Victor III '
  • Pope Gelasius II '
  • Pope Celestine V
  • Pope Benedict XV ''''

    Republic of Genoa

  • Pope Innocent IV
  • Pope Adrian V
  • Pope Nicholas V
  • Pope Sixtus IV
  • Pope Innocent VIII
  • Pope Julius II

    Kingdom of Naples

  • Pope Urban VI
  • Pope Boniface IX
  • Pope Innocent VII
  • Pope Paul IV
  • Pope Innocent XII
  • Pope Benedict XIII

    Republic of Venice

  • Pope Gregory XII
  • Pope Eugene IV
  • Pope Paul II
  • Pope Alexander VIII
  • Pope Clement XIII
  • Pope Gregory XVI

    [Republic of Siena]

  • Pope Pius II
  • Pope Pius III

    Republic of Florence, Duchy of Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany

  • Pope Leo X
  • Pope Clement VII
  • Pope Leo XI
  • Pope Urban VIII
  • Pope Alexander VII
  • Pope Clement IX
  • Pope Clement XII

    Duchy of Milan

  • Pope Pius IV
  • Pope Pius V
  • Pope Gregory XIV
  • Pope Innocent XI

    Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia

  • Pope Pius X
  • Pope Pius XI

    Austria

The medieval Duchy of Carinthia was part of the Holy Roman Empire. It is now largely part of contemporary Austria. The Salian, Pope Gregory V is sometimes referred to as "the first German pope" or as "the only Austrian pope". However, German or Austrian national identities did not exist yet during the High Middle Ages.
  • Pope Gregory V ''''

    France

France is the most common non-Italian papal country of origin. Seventeen popes were born in present-day France, all in the second half of the medieval era. The indicated seven popes of the Avignon Papacy were all from France. Since the end of the Avignon Papacy, no French person has been elected pope.

Kingdom of France (medieval)

and Pope Innocent V were from Savoy before it was annexed to France.
was born in Rome while it was under Napoleonic French occupation and is also listed under Italy.
  • Pope Leo XIII

    Germany

There are up to nine popes who, for various reasons, have been historically referred to as "German" – including the Ostrogothic Boniface II, the Austrian Gregory V and the Dutch Adrian VI. However, only three of those were born within present-day Germany; the exact place of birth of Victor II is unknown.
  • Pope Clement II '
  • Pope Damasus II '
  • Pope Victor II ''''