Acute, acute recurrent and chronic pancreatitis have been increasingly diagnosed in children within the last two decades. The risk factors in the pediatric age group are broad and they appear to be strikingly different compared to the adult cohort. However, the disease burden and impact on quality of life are surprisingly similar between children and adults. This review summarizes the definitions, epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis and management of pediatric pancreatitis, identifies the features that are unique to the childhood-onset disease, identifies gaps and proposes recommendations for future opportunities.