Share of European Cardinals Declines Ahead of New Pope Vote

During the pontificate of the late Francis, the number of cardinals worldwide shifted somewhat away from a heavy focus on Europe. However, European cardinals continue to be overrepresented when considering the share of the world's Catholics that live on the continent. The change could have implications in the vote for the next pope, which could start in a few weeks' time.

According to various sources collected by Pew Research Center, 41 percent of cardinals eligible to vote for a new pope upon Francis' death Monday are from Europe. This is down from 50 percent in 2013, the time of the last vote.

The pope appoints cardinals and under Francis, the number of cardinals from the Asia-Pacific region grew from 10 percent to 18 percent. The relative share of cardinals from Sub-Saharan Africa also grew from 8 percent to 12 percent.

While the share of the world's Catholics that lives in Africa is even higher, at 19 percent, it is Latin America and the Caribbean which is the most underrepresented in terms of cardinals. According to Vatican records, 41 percent of the world's Catholics live in the region. Under Francis, the share of Latin American and Caribbean cardinals only rose slightly, from 17 percent to 18 percent.