Pain is one of the most frequent symptoms in patients with advanced chronic illnesses. However, knowledge of prevalence and intensity of pain in the last days of life is poor. This review shows that more than half of patients who are dying from either cancer or non-malignant diseases experience pain, but only very few patients have unbearable pain. More knowledge of pain in the last days of life is needed, and teaching symptom management in the dying patient ought to be compulsory at the medical schools in Denmark.