# Catholic Population in Argentina and Latin America

> The newly-elected Pope Francis (Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio) hails from Argentina, and he is the first Latin American pontiff.

14 March 2013 · News

Canonical: https://insights1.uca.org.au/articles/catholic-population-in-argentina-and-latin-america/

The newly-elected Pope Francis (Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio) hails from Argentina, and he is the first Latin American pontiff.

According to Pew Research Center data on the distribution of the world’s Catholic population, the largest share of the global Catholic population (39%) lives in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Argentina has the 11th largest Roman Catholic population in the world. See our new [graphic](https://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Catholic/Conclave-Elects-Pope-Francis.aspx) for the details.