diff --git a/src/backend/statistics/extended_stats.c b/src/backend/statistics/extended_stats.c
index 0c80e55d107..4c19336b293 100644
--- a/src/backend/statistics/extended_stats.c
+++ b/src/backend/statistics/extended_stats.c
@@ -97,14 +97,15 @@ BuildRelationExtStatistics(Relation onerel, double totalrows,
 	MemoryContext oldcxt;
 	int64		ext_cnt;
 
+	pg_stext = table_open(StatisticExtRelationId, RowExclusiveLock);
+	stats = fetch_statentries_for_relation(pg_stext, RelationGetRelid(onerel));
+
+	/* memory context for building each statistics object */
 	cxt = AllocSetContextCreate(CurrentMemoryContext,
 								"BuildRelationExtStatistics",
 								ALLOCSET_DEFAULT_SIZES);
 	oldcxt = MemoryContextSwitchTo(cxt);
 
-	pg_stext = table_open(StatisticExtRelationId, RowExclusiveLock);
-	stats = fetch_statentries_for_relation(pg_stext, RelationGetRelid(onerel));
-
 	/* report this phase */
 	if (stats != NIL)
 	{
@@ -189,12 +190,17 @@ BuildRelationExtStatistics(Relation onerel, double totalrows,
 		/* for reporting progress */
 		pgstat_progress_update_param(PROGRESS_ANALYZE_EXT_STATS_COMPUTED,
 									 ++ext_cnt);
-	}
 
-	table_close(pg_stext, RowExclusiveLock);
+		/* free the data used for building this statistics object */
+		MemoryContextReset(cxt);
+	}
 
 	MemoryContextSwitchTo(oldcxt);
 	MemoryContextDelete(cxt);
+
+	list_free(stats);
+
+	table_close(pg_stext, RowExclusiveLock);
 }
 
 /*