diff --git a/fs/nfsd/nfssvc.c b/fs/nfsd/nfssvc.c
index 5f605e7e8091..fc5899502a83 100644
--- a/fs/nfsd/nfssvc.c
+++ b/fs/nfsd/nfssvc.c
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ static __be32			nfsd_init_request(struct svc_rqst *,
 /*
  * nfsd_mutex protects nn->nfsd_serv -- both the pointer itself and the members
  * of the svc_serv struct. In particular, ->sv_nrthreads but also to some
- * extent ->sv_temp_socks and ->sv_permsocks. It also protects nfsdstats.th_cnt
+ * extent ->sv_temp_socks and ->sv_permsocks.
  *
  * If (out side the lock) nn->nfsd_serv is non-NULL, then it must point to a
  * properly initialised 'struct svc_serv' with ->sv_nrthreads > 0 (unless
@@ -955,8 +955,8 @@ nfsd(void *vrqstp)
 	allow_signal(SIGINT);
 	allow_signal(SIGQUIT);
 
-	nfsdstats.th_cnt++;
 	mutex_unlock(&nfsd_mutex);
+	atomic_inc(&nfsdstats.th_cnt);
 
 	set_freezable();
 
@@ -983,8 +983,8 @@ nfsd(void *vrqstp)
 	/* Clear signals before calling svc_exit_thread() */
 	flush_signals(current);
 
+	atomic_dec(&nfsdstats.th_cnt);
 	mutex_lock(&nfsd_mutex);
-	nfsdstats.th_cnt --;
 
 out:
 	/* Take an extra ref so that the svc_put in svc_exit_thread()
diff --git a/fs/nfsd/stats.c b/fs/nfsd/stats.c
index 1d3b881e7382..a8c5a02a84f0 100644
--- a/fs/nfsd/stats.c
+++ b/fs/nfsd/stats.c
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ static int nfsd_proc_show(struct seq_file *seq, void *v)
 		   percpu_counter_sum_positive(&nfsdstats.counter[NFSD_STATS_IO_WRITE]));
 
 	/* thread usage: */
-	seq_printf(seq, "th %u 0", nfsdstats.th_cnt);
+	seq_printf(seq, "th %u 0", atomic_read(&nfsdstats.th_cnt));
 
 	/* deprecated thread usage histogram stats */
 	for (i = 0; i < 10; i++)
diff --git a/fs/nfsd/stats.h b/fs/nfsd/stats.h
index 51ecda852e23..9b43dc3d9991 100644
--- a/fs/nfsd/stats.h
+++ b/fs/nfsd/stats.h
@@ -29,11 +29,9 @@ enum {
 struct nfsd_stats {
 	struct percpu_counter	counter[NFSD_STATS_COUNTERS_NUM];
 
-	/* Protected by nfsd_mutex */
-	unsigned int	th_cnt;		/* number of available threads */
+	atomic_t	th_cnt;		/* number of available threads */
 };
 
-
 extern struct nfsd_stats	nfsdstats;
 
 extern struct svc_stat		nfsd_svcstats;