Country rankings

Popes by Country

Italy has the highest # of Popes from Country (217), followed by France (16) and Germany (6). Netherlands has the lowest (1).

Culture16 countries · 2 metricsUpdated May 9, 2025Original page
4 sources
# of Popes from CountryBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →
16 of 235 countries
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# of Popes from Country

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 16 ranked

Highest first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
2
Middle half 1 – 4.25
Average
16.69
16 countries
Highest
217
Italy
Lowest
1
Netherlands

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

16 countries · # = rank by # of Popes from Country
#
1Italy217Holy Roman Empire, Italian Republic, Kingdom of Italy, Ostrogothic Kingdom, Papal States, Republic of Genoa, Republic of Venice, Republic of Florence/Duchy of Florence/Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Roman Empire
2France16Holy Roman Empire, Kingdom of France
3Germany6German Reich, Holy Roman Empire
4Syria5Byzantine Empire, Roman Empire, Umayyad Caliphate
5Greece4Byzantine Empire, Roman Empire
6Tunisia3Roman Empire
6Israel3Roman Empire
8Turkey2Byzantine Empire
8Spain2The Kingdom of Valencia (Crown of Aragon)
8Portugal2Kingdom of Portugal, Western Roman Empire
8Croatia2Roman Empire
12United States1United States of America
12United Kingdom1Kingdom of England
12Argentina1—
12Poland1—
12Netherlands1Holy Roman Empire

What correlates with # of Popes from Country?

Pearson r against 2,148 other country metrics sharing at least 10 countries. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher # of Popes from Country tend to score higher on these

  1. Cardinals: All-Time TotalCatholic Cardinals by Country
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 12
    Plot
  2. Rape CasesRape Statistics by Country
    r = +0.95 · very strong · n = 11
    Plot
  3. Cardinals: TotalCatholic Cardinals by Country
    r = +0.94 · very strong · n = 11
    Plot
  4. Rapes per 100k PopRape Statistics by Country
    r = +0.93 · very strong · n = 10
    Plot
  5. Cardinals: ElectorsCatholic Cardinals by Country
    r = +0.88 · very strong · n = 11
    Plot
  6. Artichoke ProductionArtichoke Production by Country
    r = +0.87 · very strong · n = 11
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher # of Popes from Country tend to score lower on these

  1. Women's Hair LengthAverage Hair Length by Country
    r = −0.91 · very strong · n = 16
    Plot
  2. Avg Total Sleep Time on WorkdaysAverage Bedtime by Country
    r = −0.65 · strong · n = 10
    Plot
  3. Tertiary Education, Men Age 25-34Tertiary Education Attainment by Country
    r = −0.65 · strong · n = 12
    Plot
  4. Year Slavery AbolishedLast Country to Abolish Slavery
    r = −0.59 · strong · n = 11
    Plot
  5. % Rel. Change 2010-22 (Age < 5)Childhood Obesity Rates by Country
    r = −0.57 · strong · n = 11
    Plot
  6. Tertiary Education (age 25-34)Tertiary Education Attainment by Country
    r = −0.51 · strong · n = 12
    Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest # of Popes from Country?
Italy has the highest # of Popes from Country, at 217, followed by France (16) and Germany (6).
Which country has the lowest # of Popes from Country?
Netherlands has the lowest # of Popes from Country, at 1.
What is the median # of Popes from Country across countries?
The median is 2 across the 16 countries with data.
Where does this popes by country data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Popes by nationality - Wikipedia; List of Popes by Country - Pope History; List of popes by country - Wiki; Biography of Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost - Vatican News.