Pancreatitis affected an estimated 6,115,833 people worldwide in 2017, while 1,644,222 new cases were estimated that year. The burden differs substantially by disease type, age, country, and whether a statistic measures a diagnosis, a hospital admission, or a modeled estimate. The figures below separate those measures and identify their geography and time period.
Contents
- Global burden and long-term trends
- Acute pancreatitis in U.S. hospitals
- Chronic pancreatitis
- Children and adolescents
- Causes of acute pancreatitis
- Recurrence and progression
Global burden and long-term trends
The Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 estimated 3,038,787 prevalent pancreatitis cases worldwide in 1990 and 6,115,833 in 2017. Over the same period, the global age-standardized prevalence rate rose from 67.2 to 76.2 per 100,000 people, an increase of 13.3%. These are modeled global estimates, not a count from one worldwide registry. The global, regional, and national burden of pancreatitis in 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017 (Global Burden of Disease Study 2017).
Incident disease followed a different rate pattern. Estimated new cases increased from 1,010,993 in 1990 to 1,644,222 in 2017, but the age-standardized incidence rate decreased from 21.9 to 20.6 per 100,000, a 6.0% decline. In other words, the estimated number of cases grew while the age-standardized rate fell over this period. The global, regional, and national burden of pancreatitis in 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017 (Global Burden of Disease Study 2017).
National variation was wide. Slovakia had the highest national age-standardized pancreatitis prevalence rate in 2017, at 297.7 per 100,000 people. The United States had the highest national age-standardized incidence rate in 2017, at 60.34 per 100,000 people. Those two figures describe different measures—prevalence and incidence—so they should not be treated as a direct country ranking on the same scale. The global, regional, and national burden of pancreatitis in 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017 (Global Burden of Disease Study 2017).
Acute pancreatitis estimates provide another view of the global burden. The estimated number of acute-pancreatitis cases increased from 1,727,789 in 1990 to 2,814,972 in 2019. Yet the global age-standardized incidence rate decreased from 37.9 to 34.8 per 100,000 during those years. An estimated 115,053 people died from acute pancreatitis globally in 2019, equal to 4.1% of estimated incident cases. The global, regional, and national burden of acute pancreatitis in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019 (1990–2019 estimates).
Acute pancreatitis in U.S. hospitals
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases estimates that about 275,000 hospital stays for acute pancreatitis occur each year in the United States. This annual estimate is presented on the institute’s pancreatitis facts page, accessed in 2026. The same page estimates about 86,000 hospital stays for chronic pancreatitis each year. Definition & Facts for Pancreatitis (NIDDK; annual estimates).
A U.S. analysis of adult hospitalizations from 2001 through 2014 found that the rate of primary acute-pancreatitis discharge diagnoses rose from 65.38 per 100,000 adults in 2001 to 81.88 per 100,000 adults in 2014. In-hospital case fatality moved in the opposite direction, declining from 1.68% to 0.69% over the same study period. Trends and Outcomes of Hospitalizations Related to Acute Pancreatitis: Epidemiology from 2001 to 2014 in the United States (U.S. adults, 2001–2014).
The study reported a 3.4% in-hospital mortality rate for acute-pancreatitis patients older than 65 years. The median hospital length of stay was 3.8 days. Inflation-adjusted cost per acute-pancreatitis hospitalization decreased from $7,602 in 2007 to $6,766 in 2014. These outcomes and cost figures come from the study population and period; they are not current national forecasts. Trends and Outcomes of Hospitalizations Related to Acute Pancreatitis: Epidemiology from 2001 to 2014 in the United States.
Older NIDDK statistics provide additional U.S. reference points. The institute’s digestive-disease statistics table recorded 553,000 pancreatitis hospitalizations and 3,413 pancreatitis deaths in 2010. It also recorded 881,000 ambulatory pancreatitis visits in 2004. Because these measurements come from different years and a general statistics table, they should not be combined into a single annual rate. Digestive Diseases Statistics for the United States (NIDDK).
| U.S. measure | Figure | Period or reference |
|---|---|---|
| Acute-pancreatitis hospital stays | About 275,000 annually | Annual estimate; page accessed 2026 |
| Pancreatitis hospitalizations | 553,000 | 2010 |
| Pancreatitis deaths | 3,413 | 2010 |
| Ambulatory pancreatitis visits | 881,000 | 2004 |
Chronic pancreatitis
Chronic pancreatitis statistics vary with the population covered and the definition used. Among privately insured U.S. children, incidence decreased from 2.2 per 100,000 people in 2007 to 1.9 per 100,000 in 2014. Among privately insured U.S. adults aged 19–64, incidence decreased from 31.7 to 24.7 per 100,000 over the same period. Nationwide Trends in Acute and Chronic Pancreatitis Among Privately Insured Children and Non-Elderly Adults in the United States, 2007–2014 (privately insured U.S. population).
In that privately insured population, 2014 chronic-pancreatitis prevalence was 5.8 per 100,000 among children and 91.9 per 100,000 among adults aged 19–64. These figures describe an insured population, so they should not be interpreted as prevalence for every U.S. resident. Nationwide Trends in Acute and Chronic Pancreatitis Among Privately Insured Children and Non-Elderly Adults in the United States, 2007–2014.
A separate commercially insured U.S. study covering 2001–2013 reported an age- and sex-adjusted period prevalence of chronic-pancreatitis diagnosis of 73.4 per 100,000. Within that study, adjusted period prevalence was 98.7 per 100,000 among adults and 8.3 per 100,000 among children. Period prevalence captures diagnoses recorded during the study interval and is not the same measure as a single-day point prevalence. Period Prevalence of Chronic Pancreatitis Diagnosis From 2001-2013 in the Commercially Insured Population of the United States.
Denmark’s nationwide population-based study found a mean chronic-pancreatitis incidence rate of 12.6 per 100,000 person-years from 1994 through 2018. The mean rate was 8.6 per 100,000 person-years for women and 16.7 per 100,000 person-years for men. Point prevalence reached 153.9 per 100,000 people in 2016, including 112.5 per 100,000 women and 195.7 per 100,000 men. Time trends in incidence and prevalence of chronic pancreatitis: A 25-year population-based nationwide study (Denmark).
Standardized chronic-pancreatitis prevalence in Denmark increased from 126.6 per 100,000 people in 1996 to 153.9 per 100,000 in 2016. The mean incidence of alcoholic chronic pancreatitis was 5.0 per 100,000 person-years, compared with 7.6 per 100,000 person-years for nonalcoholic chronic pancreatitis, during 1994–2018. Mean age at diagnosis increased from 52.1 years in 1994–1999 to 60.0 years in 2014–2018. Time trends in incidence and prevalence of chronic pancreatitis: A 25-year population-based nationwide study.
Children and adolescents
A U.S. study of hospitalized children aged 1–20 identified 55,012 acute-pancreatitis cases from 2000 through 2009. Among these hospitalized children, primary acute-pancreatitis incidence increased from 23.1 to 34.9 cases per 10,000 hospitalizations. All-diagnosis incidence increased from 38.7 to 61.1 cases per 10,000 hospitalizations. Epidemiology of Acute Pancreatitis in Hospitalized Children in the United States from 2000–2009.
In the same study, in-hospital mortality among hospitalized children with acute pancreatitis decreased from 13.1 to 7.6 per 1,000 cases, while median length of stay decreased from 5 to 4 days. Median hospital charges increased from $14,956 to $22,663. The figures describe hospitalized children and hospital charges in that historical study, not all children with pancreatitis today. Epidemiology of Acute Pancreatitis in Hospitalized Children in the United States from 2000–2009.
Other pediatric evidence summarized in a U.S. pediatric health-system analysis estimated that approximately 25% of children with acute pancreatitis develop a severe disease course. Across the studies summarized in that analysis, 10% to 34% of children had recurrent episodes. These are evidence ranges from the cited review context, not a single universal rate for every pediatric population. Increased Burden of Pediatric Acute Pancreatitis on the Health Care System (evidence summarized from 2004–2014).
For children and adolescents aged 0–19 worldwide, 2019 estimates included 103,953 prevalent pancreatitis cases, 203,293 incident cases, 1,239 deaths, and 104,304 disability-adjusted life years. The estimated age-standardized rates were 3.95 per 100,000 for prevalence, 7.72 per 100,000 for incidence, 0.05 per 100,000 for mortality, and 3.96 per 100,000 for disability-adjusted life years. Global, regional, and national burden of pancreatitis in children and adolescents (global estimates for 2019).
Causes of acute pancreatitis
A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published from January 2006 through October 2017 estimated that gallstones accounted for 42% of acute-pancreatitis etiologies worldwide, with a 95% confidence interval of 39%–44%. Alcohol accounted for 21%, with a 95% confidence interval of 17%–25%, while idiopathic disease accounted for 18%, with a 95% confidence interval of 15%–22%. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the aetiology of acute pancreatitis.
These percentages are pooled etiologic estimates from the review’s study set. They do not mean that every country, hospital, age group, or individual has the same distribution of causes, and the categories should not be treated as a complete personalized explanation for a patient’s illness.
Recurrence and progression
A Swedish population-based cohort followed patients after first attacks occurring from 2003–2012, with follow-up through 2013. In that cohort, smoking was associated with recurrence at a hazard ratio of 1.42, alcohol-associated acute pancreatitis at a hazard ratio of 1.58, and prior organ failure at a hazard ratio of 1.46. These hazard ratios describe associations in the study cohort, not guaranteed outcomes for an individual. Factors That Affect Disease Progression After First Attack of Acute Pancreatitis.
The same Swedish study reported a hazard ratio of 6.74 for progression to chronic pancreatitis among patients with recurrent acute pancreatitis. In-hospital mortality was 2.8% among first-time acute-pancreatitis patients in the cohort. Because the study follows a defined population and historical period, its results should be read alongside, rather than substituted for, a clinician’s assessment of current risk. Factors That Affect Disease Progression After First Attack of Acute Pancreatitis.