diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 10f2d0fcc8..f8df942d7d 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+5466.	[bug]		Addressed an error in recursive clients stats reporting.
+			[GL #1719]
+
 5465.	[func]		Fallback to built in trust-anchors, managed-keys, or
 			trusted-keys if the bindkeys-file (bind.keys) cannot
 			be parsed. [GL #1235]
diff --git a/doc/notes/notes-current.rst b/doc/notes/notes-current.rst
index b5bf70b039..8aab454039 100644
--- a/doc/notes/notes-current.rst
+++ b/doc/notes/notes-current.rst
@@ -49,6 +49,14 @@ Feature Changes
 Bug Fixes
 ~~~~~~~~~
 
+- Addressed an error in recursive clients stats reporting.
+  There were occasions when an incoming query could trigger a prefetch for
+  some eligible rrset, and if the prefetch code were executed before recursion,
+  no increment in recursive clients stats would take place. Conversely,
+  when processing the answers, if the recursion code were executed before the
+  prefetch, the same counter would be decremented without a matching increment.
+  [GL #1719]
+
 - The DS set returned by ``dns_keynode_dsset()`` was not thread-safe.
   This could result in an INSIST being triggered. [GL #1926]
 
diff --git a/lib/ns/include/ns/client.h b/lib/ns/include/ns/client.h
index ee5dcef8bc..bf386e869e 100644
--- a/lib/ns/include/ns/client.h
+++ b/lib/ns/include/ns/client.h
@@ -263,7 +263,8 @@ struct ns_client {
 #define NS_CLIENTATTR_WANTPAD	   0x08000 /*%< pad reply */
 #define NS_CLIENTATTR_USEKEEPALIVE 0x10000 /*%< use TCP keepalive */
 
-#define NS_CLIENTATTR_NOSETFC 0x20000 /*%< don't set servfail cache */
+#define NS_CLIENTATTR_NOSETFC	0x20000 /*%< don't set servfail cache */
+#define NS_CLIENTATTR_RECURSING 0x40000 /*%< client is recursing */
 
 /*
  * Flag to use with the SERVFAIL cache to indicate
diff --git a/lib/ns/query.c b/lib/ns/query.c
index d1fe194707..6147ff3705 100644
--- a/lib/ns/query.c
+++ b/lib/ns/query.c
@@ -5686,6 +5686,15 @@ fetch_callback(isc_task_t *task, isc_event_t *event) {
 		isc_quota_detach(&client->recursionquota);
 		ns_stats_decrement(client->sctx->nsstats,
 				   ns_statscounter_recursclients);
+	} else if (client->attributes & NS_CLIENTATTR_RECURSING) {
+		client->attributes &= ~NS_CLIENTATTR_RECURSING;
+		/*
+		 * Detached from recursionquota via prefetch_done(),
+		 * but need to decrement recursive client stats here anyway,
+		 * since it was incremented in ns_query_recurse().
+		 */
+		ns_stats_decrement(client->sctx->nsstats,
+				   ns_statscounter_recursclients);
 	}
 
 	LOCK(&client->manager->reclock);
@@ -5834,6 +5843,7 @@ ns_query_recurse(ns_client_t *client, dns_rdatatype_t qtype, dns_name_t *qname,
 		if (result == ISC_R_SUCCESS || result == ISC_R_SOFTQUOTA) {
 			ns_stats_increment(client->sctx->nsstats,
 					   ns_statscounter_recursclients);
+			client->attributes |= NS_CLIENTATTR_RECURSING;
 		}
 
 		if (result == ISC_R_SOFTQUOTA) {
@@ -5887,6 +5897,18 @@ ns_query_recurse(ns_client_t *client, dns_rdatatype_t qtype, dns_name_t *qname,
 		}
 
 		ns_client_recursing(client);
+	} else if ((client->attributes & NS_CLIENTATTR_RECURSING) == 0) {
+		client->attributes |= NS_CLIENTATTR_RECURSING;
+		/*
+		 * query_prefetch() attached first to client->recursionquota,
+		 * but we must check if NS_CLIENTATTR_RECURSING attribute is
+		 * on, if not then turn it on and increment recursing clients
+		 * stats counter only once. The attribute is also checked in
+		 * fetch_callback() to know if a matching decrement to this
+		 * counter should be applied.
+		 */
+		ns_stats_increment(client->sctx->nsstats,
+				   ns_statscounter_recursclients);
 	}
 
 	/*