Hospice Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis, By Setting (Home Care, Hospice Care Centers, Hospitals, and Others), By Services (Nursing Services, Physician Services, Counseling Services, and Others), By Disease Type (Cancer, Stroke, Cardiovascular Disease, Respiratory, Renal Diseases, and Others), By Financing Source (Private Health Insurance, Public Health Insurance, and Out-of-Pocket) and Regional Forecast, 2025-2032

The global hospice market is witnessing significant growth due to the increasing number of people needing end-of-life care due to serious conditions. Hospice care, which focuses on improving the quality of life and providing care and comfort to seriously ill patients approaching the end-of-life, acts as a huge support for their family members.

• The Center to Advance Palliative Care estimates that around 90 million people in the U.S. are living with a serious illness at present.


• More than 20 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed and cancer causes around 10 million deaths globally each year, based on data published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer

Hospice Market Driver

Aging Population Drives Hospice Care to Become One of the Fastest Growing Healthcare Services

The world population is aging and with the changing patterns of death due to growing prevalence of chronic diseases and advancements in the healthcare services, there is a sizeable increase in the number of patients requiring end-of-life care.

• With more than 30% of the population aged 65 years and over, Japan has seen a huge increase in the need for hospice services.

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The United Nations has projected that the world population aged 65 years and over is projected to grow from around 760 million in 2021 to around 1.6 billion in 2050.

Hospice Market Restraint

Lack of Adequate Infrastructure and Skilled Staff May Hinder Market Growth

There is a huge variation in the availability or access to hospice facilities and skilled hospice healthcare professionals across numerous countries as well as the regions/states within a country.

• Around 2 out of 3 nurses, who participated in a survey conducted by the Nursing Standard and Marie Curie in the U.K., concluded that the shortages in the healthcare staff acts as a major hindrance in providing good end-of-life care to patients. 

Hospice Market Opportunity

Extent of Non-Communicable Diseases to Create Lucrative Growth Prospects

With non-communicable diseases accounting for around 75% of the annual number of deaths globally, there is a huge underserved population from the perspective of access to hospice care.

• The European Association for Palliative Care estimates that around 4.5 million people annually can benefit from access to palliative care.

Key Insights

The report covers the following key insights:

• Incidence and Prevalence of Selective Chronic Diseases, By Key Countries, 2023


• Aging Population Statistics, By Key Countries, 2023


• Key Industry Developments (Mergers, Acquisitions, Partnerships)


• Overview: Regulatory and Reimbursement Scenario, By Key Countries


• Overview: Number of Hospitals, Long Term Care Centers, By Key Countries, 2023


• Impact of COVID-19 on the Market 

Segmentation

Analysis by Setting

Based on setting, the market is segmented into hospice care centers, home care, hospitals, and others.

Hospice care has seen a significant shift from home care settings to hospitals in the recent years. Governments are putting efforts to reduce the burden of hospitals and shift end-of-life care to home care and hospice care centers. Initiatives include insurance support and growth in the number of hospice care centers.

• In 2006, Japan introduced the national long-term care insurance (LTCI) programme to gradually shift Hospice outside hospital settings. Hospital deaths reduced by almost 79% during the 2007-2013 period after the launch of this programme.

Analysis by Services

By service, the market is categorized into nursing services, physician services, counseling services, and others.

The nursing services segment accounts for the largest market share. Managing the pain symptoms is one of the most important components of end-of-life care as the patients are suffering from life-threatening conditions.

• The National Center for Health Statistics states that there are over 5,000 hospice agencies in the U.S. providing various services.

Analysis by Disease Type

On the basis of disease type, the market is divided into cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, respiratory, renal diseases, and others.

Majority of the patients requiring hospice care suffer from cancer. Cancer is followed by the cardiovascular diseases and pulmonary diseases as the primary diagnosis of patients requiring the end-of-life care.

• A survey conducted by the National Palliative Care Registry, found that one out of four patients requiring palliative care were diagnosed by some form of cancer.

Analysis by Financing Source

Based on financing source, the market is segmented into private health insurance, public health insurance, and out-of-pocket.

The public health insurance segment accounts for the largest share of the hospice market. There is an increasing focus among the public health insurers toward the expansion of hospice services, resulting in the growing adoption rate. 

• According to 2024 statistics published by the University of Pennsylvania, it was reported that there are 1.8 million hospice users in 2024 compared to 0.5 million in 2000. Additionally, the annual medicare spending for hospice services is USD 23.0 billion compared to USD 3.0 billion during the same period globally.

Regional Analysis

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On the basis of region, the market has been studied across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.

North America accounted for the largest share of the global market in 2023. The growth of the market in the region is attributed to the public and private health insurance coverage available for hospice care and the presence of a large number of hospice care providers.

• Around 6 million people in the U.S. need palliative care based on data published by the Center to Advance Palliative Care.

Europe is the second-largest market based on the product demand. Within Europe, there is varying access to Hospice among member countries.

• More than one-third of the population in Europe is suffering from one or more chronic diseases at present.

Various initiatives taken by the government such as Cancer Control Act and the national long-term care insurance (LTCI) programme has ensured the growth of hospice services in Japan.

Key Players Covered

The competitive landscape of the global hospice market is fragmented with the presence of a large number of group and standalone providers. In the U.S., the top 5 players account for only around 16% of the market.

The report includes the profiles of the following key players:

• Vitas Healthcare (U.S.)


• Kindred Healthcare (Knight Health Holdings, LLC) (U.S.)


• Amedisys Inc. (U.S.)


• Seasons Hospice (U.S.)


• Amvis Holdings (Japan)


• CUC Inc. (Japan)


• Marie Curie (U.K.)


• St David’s Hospice (U.K.)


• Portea Medical (India)

Key Industry Developments

• In June 2024, Amvis Holdings started a new initiative named Igokoro Nishi to provide nursing and care services for patients suffering from terminal illness in their own home in the city of Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture.


• In February 2022, UnitedHealth acquired LHC Group for USD 5.4 billion and Amedisys for USD 3.3 billion in June 2023 as the company continues to strengthen their presence in the market for healthcare services provided outside hospital settings.