Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is the end-stage of continuous inflammation and fibrosis in the pancreas evolving from acute- to recurrent acute-, early, and, finally, end-stage CP. Currently, prevention is the only way to reduce disease burden. In this setting, early detection is of great importance. Due to the anatomy and risks associated with direct sampling from pancreatic tissue, most of our information on the human pancreas arises from circulating biomarkers thought to be involved in pancreatic pathophysiology or injury. The present review provides the status of circulating biomarkers involved in the development of and progression to CP.