diff --git a/contrib/test_decoding/t/001_repl_stats.pl b/contrib/test_decoding/t/001_repl_stats.pl
index daf03ff1479..76fd6a11a2f 100644
--- a/contrib/test_decoding/t/001_repl_stats.pl
+++ b/contrib/test_decoding/t/001_repl_stats.pl
@@ -118,4 +118,64 @@ $node->safe_psql('postgres',
 # shutdown
 $node->stop;
 
+# Test replication slot stats persistence in a single session.  The slot
+# is dropped and created concurrently of a session peeking at its data
+# repeatedly, hence holding in its local cache a reference to the stats.
+$node->start;
+
+my $slot_name_restart = 'regression_slot5';
+$node->safe_psql('postgres',
+	"SELECT pg_create_logical_replication_slot('$slot_name_restart', 'test_decoding');"
+);
+
+# Look at slot data, with a persistent connection.
+my $bpgsql = $node->background_psql('postgres', on_error_stop => 1);
+
+# Launch query and look at slot data, incrementing the refcount of the
+# stats entry.
+$bpgsql->query_safe(
+	"SELECT pg_logical_slot_peek_binary_changes('$slot_name_restart', NULL, NULL)"
+);
+
+# Drop the slot entry.  The stats entry is not dropped yet as the previous
+# session still holds a reference to it.
+$node->safe_psql('postgres',
+	"SELECT pg_drop_replication_slot('$slot_name_restart')");
+
+# Create again the same slot.  The stats entry is reinitialized, not marked
+# as dropped anymore.
+$node->safe_psql('postgres',
+	"SELECT pg_create_logical_replication_slot('$slot_name_restart', 'test_decoding');"
+);
+
+# Look again at the slot data.  The local stats reference should be refreshed
+# to the reinitialized entry.
+$bpgsql->query_safe(
+	"SELECT pg_logical_slot_peek_binary_changes('$slot_name_restart', NULL, NULL)"
+);
+# Drop again the slot, the entry is not dropped yet as the previous session
+# still has a refcount on it.
+$node->safe_psql('postgres',
+	"SELECT pg_drop_replication_slot('$slot_name_restart')");
+
+# Shutdown the node, which should happen cleanly with the stats file written
+# to disk.  Note that the background session created previously needs to be
+# hold *while* the node is shutting down to check that it drops the stats
+# entry of the slot before writing the stats file.
+$node->stop;
+
+# Make sure that the node is correctly shut down.  Checking the control file
+# is not enough, as the node may detect that something is incorrect after the
+# control file has been updated and the shutdown checkpoint is finished, so
+# also check that the stats file has been written out.
+command_like(
+	[ 'pg_controldata', $node->data_dir ],
+	qr/Database cluster state:\s+shut down\n/,
+	'node shut down ok');
+
+my $stats_file = "$datadir/pg_stat/pgstat.stat";
+ok(-f "$stats_file", "stats file must exist after shutdown");
+
+$bpgsql->quit;
+
 done_testing();
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/activity/pgstat_shmem.c b/src/backend/utils/activity/pgstat_shmem.c
index cec48c050ba..dca1a28f486 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/activity/pgstat_shmem.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/activity/pgstat_shmem.c
@@ -698,7 +698,8 @@ pgstat_gc_entry_refs(void)
 	Assert(curage != 0);
 
 	/*
-	 * Some entries have been dropped. Invalidate cache pointer to them.
+	 * Some entries have been dropped or reinitialized.  Invalidate cache
+	 * pointer to them.
 	 */
 	pgstat_entry_ref_hash_start_iterate(pgStatEntryRefHash, &i);
 	while ((ent = pgstat_entry_ref_hash_iterate(pgStatEntryRefHash, &i)) != NULL)
@@ -708,7 +709,13 @@ pgstat_gc_entry_refs(void)
 		Assert(!entry_ref->shared_stats ||
 			   entry_ref->shared_stats->magic == 0xdeadbeef);
 
-		if (!entry_ref->shared_entry->dropped)
+		/*
+		 * "generation" checks for the case of entries being reinitialized,
+		 * and "dropped" for the case where these are..  dropped.
+		 */
+		if (!entry_ref->shared_entry->dropped &&
+			pg_atomic_read_u32(&entry_ref->shared_entry->generation) ==
+			entry_ref->generation)
 			continue;
 
 		/* cannot gc shared ref that has pending data */