diff --git a/gdb/dwarf2/read.c b/gdb/dwarf2/read.c
index 3b3daf28965..088f01d807d 100644
--- a/gdb/dwarf2/read.c
+++ b/gdb/dwarf2/read.c
@@ -3936,8 +3936,7 @@ static struct dwo_unit *
 lookup_dwo_unit (dwarf2_cu *cu, die_info *comp_unit_die, const char *dwo_name)
 {
 #if CXX_STD_THREAD
-  /* We need a lock here both to handle the DWO hash table, and BFD,
-     which is not thread-safe.  */
+  /* We need a lock here both to handle the DWO hash table.  */
   static std::mutex dwo_lock;
 
   std::lock_guard<std::mutex> guard (dwo_lock);
diff --git a/gdb/gdb_bfd.c b/gdb/gdb_bfd.c
index 56a4c5ecc91..5f100a50fa5 100644
--- a/gdb/gdb_bfd.c
+++ b/gdb/gdb_bfd.c
@@ -35,6 +35,34 @@
 #include "cli/cli-style.h"
 #include <unordered_map>
 
+#if CXX_STD_THREAD
+
+#include <mutex>
+
+/* Lock held when doing BFD operations.  A recursive mutex is used
+   because we use this mutex internally and also for BFD, just to make
+   life a bit simpler, and we may sometimes hold it while calling into
+   BFD.  */
+static std::recursive_mutex gdb_bfd_mutex;
+
+/* BFD locking function.  */
+
+static void
+gdb_bfd_lock ()
+{
+  gdb_bfd_mutex.lock ();
+}
+
+/* BFD unlocking function.  */
+
+static void
+gdb_bfd_unlock ()
+{
+  gdb_bfd_mutex.unlock ();
+}
+
+#endif /* CXX_STD_THREAD */
+
 /* An object of this type is stored in the section's user data when
    mapping a section.  */
 
@@ -498,6 +526,10 @@ gdb_bfd_open (const char *name, const char *target, int fd,
       name += strlen (TARGET_SYSROOT_PREFIX);
     }
 
+#if CXX_STD_THREAD
+  std::lock_guard<std::recursive_mutex> guard (gdb_bfd_mutex);
+#endif
+
   if (gdb_bfd_cache == NULL)
     gdb_bfd_cache = htab_create_alloc (1, hash_bfd, eq_bfd, NULL,
 				       xcalloc, xfree);
@@ -625,6 +657,10 @@ gdb_bfd_ref (struct bfd *abfd)
   if (abfd == NULL)
     return;
 
+#if CXX_STD_THREAD
+  std::lock_guard<std::recursive_mutex> guard (gdb_bfd_mutex);
+#endif
+
   gdata = (struct gdb_bfd_data *) bfd_usrdata (abfd);
 
   bfd_cache_debug_printf ("Increase reference count on bfd %s (%s)",
@@ -654,6 +690,10 @@ gdb_bfd_unref (struct bfd *abfd)
   if (abfd == NULL)
     return;
 
+#if CXX_STD_THREAD
+  std::lock_guard<std::recursive_mutex> guard (gdb_bfd_mutex);
+#endif
+
   gdata = (struct gdb_bfd_data *) bfd_usrdata (abfd);
   gdb_assert (gdata->refc >= 1);
 
@@ -1171,6 +1211,19 @@ gdb_bfd_error_handler (const char *fmt, va_list ap)
   (*default_bfd_error_handler) (fmt, ap);
 }
 
+/* See gdb_bfd.h.  */
+
+void
+gdb_bfd_init ()
+{
+  if (bfd_init () != BFD_INIT_MAGIC)
+    error (_("fatal error: libbfd ABI mismatch"));
+
+#if CXX_STD_THREAD
+  bfd_thread_init (gdb_bfd_lock, gdb_bfd_unlock);
+#endif
+}
+
 void _initialize_gdb_bfd ();
 void
 _initialize_gdb_bfd ()
diff --git a/gdb/gdb_bfd.h b/gdb/gdb_bfd.h
index 604365b61b1..669c3a06c98 100644
--- a/gdb/gdb_bfd.h
+++ b/gdb/gdb_bfd.h
@@ -250,4 +250,9 @@ gdb_bfd_sections (const gdb_bfd_ref_ptr &abfd)
 
 extern std::string gdb_bfd_errmsg (bfd_error_type error_tag, char **matching);
 
+/* A wrapper for bfd_init that also handles setting up for
+   multi-threading.  */
+
+extern void gdb_bfd_init ();
+
 #endif /* GDB_BFD_H */
diff --git a/gdb/main.c b/gdb/main.c
index 2da39f89a90..39eacd2208b 100644
--- a/gdb/main.c
+++ b/gdb/main.c
@@ -688,8 +688,7 @@ captured_main_1 (struct captured_main_args *context)
   gdb_stdtargerr = gdb_stderr;
   gdb_stdtargin = gdb_stdin;
 
-  if (bfd_init () != BFD_INIT_MAGIC)
-    error (_("fatal error: libbfd ABI mismatch"));
+  gdb_bfd_init ();
 
 #ifdef __MINGW32__
   /* On Windows, argv[0] is not necessarily set to absolute form when