Pope Francis was elected in the 2013 conclave with an estimated 85 or so votes out of 115 electors , comfortably above the 77 votes (two‑thirds) required at the time.

Why the exact number is tricky

  • The conclave is legally bound to secrecy , so the Vatican never officially publishes ballot counts.
  • However, several later reconstructions and reports by Vatican journalists and Rome-based outlets say that on the final ballot Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Francis) reached around 85 votes , described as “more than two‑thirds of the total.”
  • With 115 cardinals voting, the required supermajority was 77 votes , so 85 would mean he exceeded the threshold by roughly eight votes.

What we know for sure

  • In the first ballot of the conclave, one detailed journalistic account reports Bergoglio got 26 votes , placing second behind Cardinal Angelo Scola with 30.
  • The same sources explain that support for Bergoglio then built rapidly over subsequent ballots, culminating in his election on 13 March 2013 when the white smoke appeared from the Sistine Chapel.

So, while there is no official published figure, the best‑supported accounts indicate Pope Francis received about 85 votes out of 115 on the decisive ballot, easily clearing the 77‑vote requirement. Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.