Baden-Powell remained active in scouting throughout his life. B-P was knighted and created a baronet, Lord Baden-Powell of Gilwell, in recognition of his vision and tireless efforts on behalf of Scouting. During his later life, he was revered as Chief Scout of the World.

In 1938, heeding his doctor's advice, Baden-Powell and his family moved to Nyeri in Kenya. His health gradually lapsed, and on January 8, 1941, he died peacefully. Scouts of different races carried him to his final resting place in a small cemetery at Nyeri on the slopes of the Aberdares, facing Mount Kenya. Today, in Westminster Abbey, a tablet records his name, along with the names of the greatest Britons of all time, but his final resting place is marked with a simple headstone which bears his name and the Scout sign for "I have gone home."

After his death, a letter was found in Baden-Powell's desk: a letter he had written to all Scouts. In it he said: "Try and leave this world a little better than you found it." These words are a fitting epitaph, for as he won the respect of the great by his strength, he won the hearts of youth by his own example.

The Movement begun by Baden-Powell now exists in almost every country in the world. From 22 boys camping on Brownsea Island in 1907, it has grown to more than 25 million members.