Hospices were originally places of rest for travellers in the 4th century CE. In the 19th century a religious order established hospices for the dying in Ireland and London. The modern hospice is a relatively recent concept that originated and gained momentum in the United Kingdom after the founding of St. Christopher's Hospice in 1967. Dr. Cicely Saunders is regarded as the founder of the hospice movement. Since its beginning, the hospice movement has grown dramatically.

In the UK in 2005 there were 200 hospices for adults and 33 for children, offering 3,411 beds. There were also 361 community palliative care teams, one third based in hospices, as well as 361 day centres and palliative care teams in nearly all larger hospitals. Funding varies from 100% funding by the National Health Service to almost 100% funding by charities, but the service is always free to patients. The first hospice in the United States was established in 1974. Relatively generous Medicare reimbursement for hospice treatement has greatly increased hospice usage in the United States. There are now roughly 3300 Hospice in operation in the United States.

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