Key Takeaways
- In 2023, 72% of US hospitals with 50+ beds offer palliative care, up from 67%
- WHO lists palliative care as essential health package, but only 20 countries integrate it
- US Medicare covers hospice since 1982, serving 50% of decedents
- Palliative care patients with early intervention have 30% lower hospitalization rates
- Early palliative care extends survival by 2.7 months in advanced lung cancer patients
- 93% of seriously ill patients report symptom improvement with palliative care
- Early integration reduces healthcare utilization by 20-50%
- Palliative care saves US Medicare $2,300 per patient in last month of life
- Hospital palliative care consultation reduces costs by 14% overall
- Globally, 56.8 million people were in need of palliative care in 2020, including 29.8 million adults and 27 million children
- In high-income countries, 78% of people in need of palliative care have access to it, compared to only 14% in low- and middle-income countries
- Over 3 million adults die annually without access to palliative care for cancer pain relief worldwide
- In the US, 90% of hospitals have palliative care teams, but only 65% of community hospitals
- Global palliative care physician shortage estimated at 5,000 FTEs
- US palliative care nurses number 12,000, covering 1.4 million patients yearly
Early palliative care improves symptoms and reduces costs, yet many people still lack access worldwide.
Related reading
01 · Category
Access And Policy30 stats
01
In 2023, 72% of US hospitals with 50+ beds offer palliative care, up from 67%
02
WHO lists palliative care as essential health package, but only 20 countries integrate it
03
US Medicare covers hospice since 1982, serving 50% of decedents
04
80 countries have palliative care policies, but integration varies
05
In the UK, NHS funds palliative care for 99% of needs
06
Australia’s national palliative care strategy covers 70% access goal by 2022
07
Only 14% of low-income countries have opioids accessible for pain
08
US concurrent care rule for children under 21 expands access since 2010
09
Canada’s provinces vary; Ontario covers 80% home palliative care
10
EU palliative care atlas shows level 4A integration in 10/28 countries
11
India’s national policy aims for 1,000 centers by 2025, currently 300
12
Hospice benefit covers 1.55 million US patients yearly
13
50 US states have Medicaid hospice benefits
14
Global morphine consumption per capita: 0.1 mg in low-income vs 100 mg high-income
15
Japan’s insurance covers palliative care since 2000, 95% utilization
16
Brazil integrates palliative care in SUS for 50 million potential users
17
South Africa’s policy covers 20% HIV palliative needs
18
Tele-palliative care reaches rural US, covering 20% more patients
19
40% of US veterans access VA palliative care programs
20
WHO resolution 67.19 urges palliative care integration, adopted 2014
21
In France, 90% of cancer patients access palliative care
22
Pediatric palliative care laws in 48 US states
23
Global fund for palliative care development: $100 million needed yearly
24
UK’s 7-day hospice access policy implemented 2020
25
Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act integrates palliative options
26
China’s national plan targets 80% coverage by 2022, achieved 50%
27
Rural US access: 30% lower than urban for palliative care
28
Netherlands has 100% palliative care integration ranking
29
Insurance coverage for palliative care in 85% of US commercial plans
30
Africa: only 10% countries have national palliative policies
Interpretation
Access And Policy Interpretation
From 2023 to now, progress in access and policy is clear but uneven, with US hospitals rising to 72% offering palliative care and 80 countries having policies, yet WHO notes only 20 countries integrate it and major access gaps remain.
02 · Category
Clinical Outcomes30 stats
01
Palliative care patients with early intervention have 30% lower hospitalization rates
02
Early palliative care extends survival by 2.7 months in advanced lung cancer patients
03
93% of seriously ill patients report symptom improvement with palliative care
04
Palliative care reduces depression symptoms by 35% in advanced cancer patients
05
Patients receiving palliative care have 20% lower ICU admission rates
06
Quality of life scores improve by 25% with concurrent oncologic and palliative care
07
Pain control is achieved in 90% of patients within 48 hours of palliative care initiation
08
Family caregiver burden decreases by 28% with palliative care support
09
In heart failure, palliative care reduces readmissions by 25%
10
68% of palliative care patients report better spiritual well-being
11
Breathlessness relief in 85% of COPD patients after palliative intervention
12
Palliative care halves aggressive end-of-life care in dementia patients
13
Patient satisfaction rates reach 96% with palliative care services
14
Anxiety symptoms drop by 40% in advanced illness with palliative care
15
In cancer, palliative care improves caregiver quality of life by 22%
16
75% reduction in opioid misuse among palliative care patients
17
Survival benefit of 9.4 months in glioblastoma with early palliative care
18
Nausea control in 88% of chemotherapy patients via palliative care
19
Fatigue management improves function by 30% in palliative care recipients
20
Delirium incidence drops 50% with proactive palliative care
21
Constipation relief in 92% of opioid-using patients
22
Palliative care reduces emergency visits by 33% in chronic illness
23
85% of patients achieve personalized care goals with palliative support
24
Sleep quality improves by 35% in advanced cancer patients
25
Palliative care lowers distress by 40% in pediatric patients
26
Bereavement support prevents complicated grief in 70% of families
27
In ESRD, symptom burden decreases 45% with palliative care
28
Palliative care enhances communication satisfaction by 90%
29
65% fewer chemotherapy sessions near death with palliative care
30
Palliative care in ICU improves family decision-making by 80%
03 · Category
Economic And Cost30 stats
01
Early integration reduces healthcare utilization by 20-50%
02
Palliative care saves US Medicare $2,300per patient in last month of life
03
Hospital palliative care consultation reduces costs by 14% overall
04
In cancer, palliative care lowers total costs by $6,900per patient
05
US annual palliative care cost savings estimated at $7 billion
06
Outpatient palliative care reduces ED visits by 50%, saving $1,500 per visit
07
Hospice care costs 4x less than hospital care in final week ($800vs $3,000/day)
08
Palliative care ROI is $6.40saved per $1 spent in some models
09
In heart failure, costs drop 20% with early palliative care ($15,000 savings)
10
Medicare spending on palliative care patients is 25% lower
11
Community-based palliative care saves $2,800per patient annually
12
ICU palliative care reduces length of stay by 2 days, saving $10,000
13
Palliative care prevents 11% of hospital admissions
14
In dementia, palliative care cuts costs by 30% in last year
15
Home-based care reduces hospital costs by 63%
16
Palliative care telehealth saves $1,200per consultation
17
Annual US hospice spending is $20 billion, serving 1.5 million patients
18
Early palliative care in lung cancer saves $3,000in chemotherapy costs
19
Palliative care reduces total Medicare expenditures by 10-20%
20
In COPD, palliative care lowers exacerbation costs by 25%
21
Pediatric palliative care saves $7,000per patient in hospital days
22
Palliative care programs recoup costs within 30 days of consultation
23
ESRD palliative care reduces dialysis costs by 15%
24
Global palliative care investment gap is $4.1 billion annually
25
Hospice enrollment saves $2.5 billion in Medicare annually
26
Outpatient palliative care cost per visit is $150vs $500 inpatient
27
Palliative care in cancer trials shows 35% cost reduction
28
Reduced ventilation days save $4,000per day in ICU
29
Palliative care workforce shortages cost US $10 billion in lost savings
30
Early palliative care in HF saves $16,000per patient lifetime
Interpretation
Economic And Cost Interpretation
From an economic and cost perspective, integrating and delivering palliative care early can cut healthcare utilization by 20 to 50 percent and reduce costs by about 14 percent through hospital consultations, while the savings can reach roughly 7 billion dollars annually for the US.
More related reading
04 · Category
Epidemiology And Prevalence30 stats
01
Globally, 56.8 million people were in need of palliative care in 2020, including 29.8 million adults and 27 million children
02
In high-income countries, 78% of people in need of palliative care have access to it, compared to only 14% in low- and middle-income countries
03
Over 3 million adults die annually without access to palliative care for cancer pain relief worldwide
04
In the US, approximately 90 million adults have a serious illness requiring palliative care consideration
05
Cancer accounts for 38.5% of global palliative care needs, followed by cardiovascular diseases at 20.2%
06
In Europe, 75% of deaths occur in patients who could benefit from palliative care
07
US adults over 65 represent 90% of those who die annually and thus need palliative care
08
Globally, 80% of people in need of palliative care live in low- and middle-income countries
09
In the UK, 1 in 4 people will need palliative care at the end of life
10
Heart failure patients constitute 25% of palliative care referrals in the US
11
Dementia accounts for 11.5% of global palliative care needs
12
In Australia, 1.7 million people require palliative care annually
13
Chronic respiratory diseases make up 10.3% of palliative care needs worldwide
14
In Canada, 250,000 Canadians die each year, most benefiting from palliative care
15
HIV/AIDS represents 5.8% of global palliative care demand
16
In the US, 6,000 hospitals have palliative care programs, covering 92% of beds
17
Globally, children under 15 account for 47.5% of palliative care needs
18
In low-income countries, only 4% have access to palliative care services
19
US Medicare beneficiaries with serious illness number 6 million annually
20
In India, 7-10 million people need palliative care yearly
21
Other non-cancer conditions account for 67.8% of palliative care needs globally
22
In Brazil, 1.3 million people require palliative care annually
23
Kidney failure contributes 4.1% to global palliative care needs
24
In the EU, 4.5 million people die yearly, 75% suitable for palliative care
25
Liver disease accounts for 4.9% of palliative care demands worldwide
26
In South Africa, 400,000 people need palliative care for HIV-related issues yearly
27
Diabetes contributes 2.6% to global palliative care needs
28
In Japan, 1.6 million annual deaths, 90% eligible for palliative care
29
Neurological disorders make up 5.7% of palliative care needs
30
In the US, 1.7 million children have life-limiting illnesses requiring palliative care
05 · Category
Workforce And Providers30 stats
01
In the US, 90% of hospitals have palliative care teams, but only 65% of community hospitals
02
Global palliative care physician shortage estimated at 5,000 FTEs
03
US palliative care nurses number 12,000, covering 1.4 million patients yearly
04
Only 10% of US physicians receive palliative care training
05
In the UK, 3,700 specialist palliative care nurses serve 500,000 patients
06
Hospice medical directors: 5,500 in US, one per 300 patients
07
40% of palliative care programs report staffing shortages
08
Global need for 1 million palliative care providers unmet
09
In Australia, 1 palliative care specialist per 100,000 population
10
US fellowship-trained palliative physicians: 2,000 total
11
Nurse practitioners fill 25% of palliative care roles due to shortages
12
In low-income countries, <1 palliative care provider per million people
13
Canada has 400 palliative care specialists for 38 million people
14
70% of palliative care work done by volunteers globally
15
US social workers in palliative care: 8,000 FTEs
16
Chaplains: 4,000 in US hospice/palliative programs
17
Training programs: 150 US fellowships produce 300 physicians yearly
18
In India, 200 palliative care centers with 1,000 providers
19
Europe: 1 specialist per 50,000 in best countries
20
Pharmacists in palliative teams: growing to 2,000 in US
21
Volunteers provide 20 million hours of palliative care in US yearly
22
Brazil has 500 palliative care teams nationwide
23
Pediatric palliative workforce: 10% of total, underserved
24
Turnover rate in palliative nursing: 15% annually
25
South Africa: 200 hospice nurses for HIV palliative care
26
Japan: 400 certified palliative care units with 5,000 staff
27
Telehealth expands workforce reach by 30%
28
50% of palliative physicians plan retirement in 10 years
29
Inpatient palliative consults average 15 per day per team
30
Community palliative providers cover 40% of needs in UK
Interpretation
Workforce And Providers Interpretation
Although 90% of US hospitals have palliative care teams, the workforce remains thin with only 10% of physicians receiving palliative care training and an estimated global shortfall of 5,000 FTE physicians, creating provider capacity gaps that are felt worldwide.
report visual · Breakdown
Palliative care: access gaps vs integration progress
Access and integration vary widely—some regions report near-universal coverage, while low-income settings have far fewer services.
72%
In 2023, 72% of US hospitals with 50+ beds offer palliative care, up from 67%
28%
Family caregiver burden decreases by 28% with palliative care support
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Elena Vasquez. (2026, February 13). Palliative Care Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/palliative-care-statistics
MLA
Elena Vasquez. "Palliative Care Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/palliative-care-statistics.
Chicago
Elena Vasquez. 2026. "Palliative Care Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/palliative-care-statistics.
Sources & references
39 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level