Hereditary pancreatitis (HP) is an autosomal dominant disease with 80% penetrance. HP is characterised by the debut of recurrent acute pancreatitis episodes during childhood with gradual progression to chronic pancreatitis. Patients with phenotypic HP have a significantly increased lifetime risk of developing pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Patients with HP represent a rare but important group of high-risk individuals in need of early diagnosis and screening for potential PDAC. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the epidemiology, genetics and clinical aspects of HP.