The country that's had 217 popes and the biggest Catholic nations to have never even had 1

The vast majority of popes in history came from a single nation - Italy. Since the foundation of the Catholic Church, there have been 266 popes - from St Peter to . Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, has been the only pope from to date.

On the other hand, a whopping 217 popes were Italian, or born in territories today considered part of modern-day . While the Mediterranean country is a secular state by law, with its post- constitution sanctioning its secularism, around 78% of Italians profess themselves to be Catholic, according to a Pew Research Center survey - although many don't describe themselves as practising members of their church. The World Population Review states that an even higher number of Catholics live in Italy, 81.7%.

The large number of Catholics in a country, however, hasn't been a key factor in appointing popes from other nations.

Indeed, there are several countries around the world with big Catholic populations that have never seen one of their cardinals rise to the rank of pope.

Pope Francis, who , has not only been the only pope to ever come from Argentina, but also the only head of the Catholic world.

This is despite South America having a huge population of Catholic faithful. According to the World Population Review, Mexico counts 78% of Catholics, while Colombia is home to 79% of followers of this faith.

Similar percentages of Catholics are also seen in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Costa Rica and Brazil.

Ecuador, the World Population Review states, counts a whopping 89% of Catholics among its population - yet no cardinal from the country has ever been appointed pope to date.

In history, there have been a Africa Proconsularis - Victor I, whose office lasted between 189 and 199, Miltiades (311-314), and Gelasius I (492-496).

It is difficult to name the exact nationality of these popes, who have all been recognised as saints in the centuries that followed their deaths.

Victor I is believed to have been born in what is now Libya or Tunisia, while Gelasius I was born in Rome but was of Algerian descent. When it comes to Miltiades, it is only known that he was born in the African continent.

Yet, Africa counts over 150 million Catholics - many located in nations in central Africa including Gabon, the DRC and Angola.

Elsewhere in Europe, Lithuania counts among its population 77% Catholics - but has never seen a pope coming from its territory.

Another nation to be largely Catholic is the Philippines. According to the World Population Review, over 77% of people follow this faith in the nation. While the world hasn't seen a Filipino pope yet, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, born in Manila, is one of the people tipped to be Francis's successor.

There are also two African cardinals tipped to be in the running to succeed Francis I - Cardinal Peter Turkson from Ghana and Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah.

Pope Francis died in the morning of April 21, weeks after he to be treated for pneumonia.