diff --git a/include/linux/compaction.h b/include/linux/compaction.h
index 01e3132820da..b2e4c92d0445 100644
--- a/include/linux/compaction.h
+++ b/include/linux/compaction.h
@@ -2,14 +2,16 @@
 #define _LINUX_COMPACTION_H
 
 /* Return values for compact_zone() and try_to_compact_pages() */
+/* compaction didn't start as it was deferred due to past failures */
+#define COMPACT_DEFERRED	0
 /* compaction didn't start as it was not possible or direct reclaim was more suitable */
-#define COMPACT_SKIPPED		0
+#define COMPACT_SKIPPED		1
 /* compaction should continue to another pageblock */
-#define COMPACT_CONTINUE	1
+#define COMPACT_CONTINUE	2
 /* direct compaction partially compacted a zone and there are suitable pages */
-#define COMPACT_PARTIAL		2
+#define COMPACT_PARTIAL		3
 /* The full zone was compacted */
-#define COMPACT_COMPLETE	3
+#define COMPACT_COMPLETE	4
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_COMPACTION
 extern int sysctl_compact_memory;
@@ -22,7 +24,8 @@ extern int sysctl_extfrag_handler(struct ctl_table *table, int write,
 extern int fragmentation_index(struct zone *zone, unsigned int order);
 extern unsigned long try_to_compact_pages(struct zonelist *zonelist,
 			int order, gfp_t gfp_mask, nodemask_t *mask,
-			enum migrate_mode mode, bool *contended);
+			enum migrate_mode mode, bool *contended,
+			struct zone **candidate_zone);
 extern void compact_pgdat(pg_data_t *pgdat, int order);
 extern void reset_isolation_suitable(pg_data_t *pgdat);
 extern unsigned long compaction_suitable(struct zone *zone, int order);
@@ -91,7 +94,8 @@ static inline bool compaction_restarting(struct zone *zone, int order)
 #else
 static inline unsigned long try_to_compact_pages(struct zonelist *zonelist,
 			int order, gfp_t gfp_mask, nodemask_t *nodemask,
-			enum migrate_mode mode, bool *contended)
+			enum migrate_mode mode, bool *contended,
+			struct zone **candidate_zone)
 {
 	return COMPACT_CONTINUE;
 }
diff --git a/mm/compaction.c b/mm/compaction.c
index 21bf292b642a..1c7195d42e83 100644
--- a/mm/compaction.c
+++ b/mm/compaction.c
@@ -1125,27 +1125,26 @@ int sysctl_extfrag_threshold = 500;
  * @nodemask: The allowed nodes to allocate from
  * @mode: The migration mode for async, sync light, or sync migration
  * @contended: Return value that is true if compaction was aborted due to lock contention
- * @page: Optionally capture a free page of the requested order during compaction
+ * @candidate_zone: Return the zone where we think allocation should succeed
  *
  * This is the main entry point for direct page compaction.
  */
 unsigned long try_to_compact_pages(struct zonelist *zonelist,
 			int order, gfp_t gfp_mask, nodemask_t *nodemask,
-			enum migrate_mode mode, bool *contended)
+			enum migrate_mode mode, bool *contended,
+			struct zone **candidate_zone)
 {
 	enum zone_type high_zoneidx = gfp_zone(gfp_mask);
 	int may_enter_fs = gfp_mask & __GFP_FS;
 	int may_perform_io = gfp_mask & __GFP_IO;
 	struct zoneref *z;
 	struct zone *zone;
-	int rc = COMPACT_SKIPPED;
+	int rc = COMPACT_DEFERRED;
 	int alloc_flags = 0;
 
 	/* Check if the GFP flags allow compaction */
 	if (!order || !may_enter_fs || !may_perform_io)
-		return rc;
-
-	count_compact_event(COMPACTSTALL);
+		return COMPACT_SKIPPED;
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_CMA
 	if (allocflags_to_migratetype(gfp_mask) == MIGRATE_MOVABLE)
@@ -1156,14 +1155,33 @@ unsigned long try_to_compact_pages(struct zonelist *zonelist,
 								nodemask) {
 		int status;
 
+		if (compaction_deferred(zone, order))
+			continue;
+
 		status = compact_zone_order(zone, order, gfp_mask, mode,
 						contended);
 		rc = max(status, rc);
 
 		/* If a normal allocation would succeed, stop compacting */
 		if (zone_watermark_ok(zone, order, low_wmark_pages(zone), 0,
-				      alloc_flags))
+				      alloc_flags)) {
+			*candidate_zone = zone;
+			/*
+			 * We think the allocation will succeed in this zone,
+			 * but it is not certain, hence the false. The caller
+			 * will repeat this with true if allocation indeed
+			 * succeeds in this zone.
+			 */
+			compaction_defer_reset(zone, order, false);
 			break;
+		} else if (mode != MIGRATE_ASYNC) {
+			/*
+			 * We think that allocation won't succeed in this zone
+			 * so we defer compaction there. If it ends up
+			 * succeeding after all, it will be reset.
+			 */
+			defer_compaction(zone, order);
+		}
 	}
 
 	return rc;
diff --git a/mm/page_alloc.c b/mm/page_alloc.c
index e63bf7744a0c..514fd8008114 100644
--- a/mm/page_alloc.c
+++ b/mm/page_alloc.c
@@ -2297,24 +2297,28 @@ __alloc_pages_direct_compact(gfp_t gfp_mask, unsigned int order,
 	struct zonelist *zonelist, enum zone_type high_zoneidx,
 	nodemask_t *nodemask, int alloc_flags, struct zone *preferred_zone,
 	int classzone_idx, int migratetype, enum migrate_mode mode,
-	bool *contended_compaction, bool *deferred_compaction,
-	unsigned long *did_some_progress)
+	bool *contended_compaction, bool *deferred_compaction)
 {
+	struct zone *last_compact_zone = NULL;
+	unsigned long compact_result;
+
+
 	if (!order)
 		return NULL;
 
-	if (compaction_deferred(preferred_zone, order)) {
-		*deferred_compaction = true;
-		return NULL;
-	}
-
 	current->flags |= PF_MEMALLOC;
-	*did_some_progress = try_to_compact_pages(zonelist, order, gfp_mask,
+	compact_result = try_to_compact_pages(zonelist, order, gfp_mask,
 						nodemask, mode,
-						contended_compaction);
+						contended_compaction,
+						&last_compact_zone);
 	current->flags &= ~PF_MEMALLOC;
 
-	if (*did_some_progress != COMPACT_SKIPPED) {
+	if (compact_result > COMPACT_DEFERRED)
+		count_vm_event(COMPACTSTALL);
+	else
+		*deferred_compaction = true;
+
+	if (compact_result > COMPACT_SKIPPED) {
 		struct page *page;
 
 		/* Page migration frees to the PCP lists but we want merging */
@@ -2325,13 +2329,24 @@ __alloc_pages_direct_compact(gfp_t gfp_mask, unsigned int order,
 				order, zonelist, high_zoneidx,
 				alloc_flags & ~ALLOC_NO_WATERMARKS,
 				preferred_zone, classzone_idx, migratetype);
+
 		if (page) {
-			preferred_zone->compact_blockskip_flush = false;
-			compaction_defer_reset(preferred_zone, order, true);
+			struct zone *zone = page_zone(page);
+
+			zone->compact_blockskip_flush = false;
+			compaction_defer_reset(zone, order, true);
 			count_vm_event(COMPACTSUCCESS);
 			return page;
 		}
 
+		/*
+		 * last_compact_zone is where try_to_compact_pages thought
+		 * allocation should succeed, so it did not defer compaction.
+		 * But now we know that it didn't succeed, so we do the defer.
+		 */
+		if (last_compact_zone && mode != MIGRATE_ASYNC)
+			defer_compaction(last_compact_zone, order);
+
 		/*
 		 * It's bad if compaction run occurs and fails.
 		 * The most likely reason is that pages exist,
@@ -2339,13 +2354,6 @@ __alloc_pages_direct_compact(gfp_t gfp_mask, unsigned int order,
 		 */
 		count_vm_event(COMPACTFAIL);
 
-		/*
-		 * As async compaction considers a subset of pageblocks, only
-		 * defer if the failure was a sync compaction failure.
-		 */
-		if (mode != MIGRATE_ASYNC)
-			defer_compaction(preferred_zone, order);
-
 		cond_resched();
 	}
 
@@ -2356,9 +2364,8 @@ static inline struct page *
 __alloc_pages_direct_compact(gfp_t gfp_mask, unsigned int order,
 	struct zonelist *zonelist, enum zone_type high_zoneidx,
 	nodemask_t *nodemask, int alloc_flags, struct zone *preferred_zone,
-	int classzone_idx, int migratetype,
-	enum migrate_mode mode, bool *contended_compaction,
-	bool *deferred_compaction, unsigned long *did_some_progress)
+	int classzone_idx, int migratetype, enum migrate_mode mode,
+	bool *contended_compaction, bool *deferred_compaction)
 {
 	return NULL;
 }
@@ -2634,8 +2641,7 @@ rebalance:
 					preferred_zone,
 					classzone_idx, migratetype,
 					migration_mode, &contended_compaction,
-					&deferred_compaction,
-					&did_some_progress);
+					&deferred_compaction);
 	if (page)
 		goto got_pg;
 
@@ -2727,8 +2733,7 @@ rebalance:
 					preferred_zone,
 					classzone_idx, migratetype,
 					migration_mode, &contended_compaction,
-					&deferred_compaction,
-					&did_some_progress);
+					&deferred_compaction);
 		if (page)
 			goto got_pg;
 	}
diff --git a/mm/vmscan.c b/mm/vmscan.c
index 2836b5373b2e..1a71b8b1ea34 100644
--- a/mm/vmscan.c
+++ b/mm/vmscan.c
@@ -2315,7 +2315,10 @@ static bool shrink_zone(struct zone *zone, struct scan_control *sc)
 	return reclaimable;
 }
 
-/* Returns true if compaction should go ahead for a high-order request */
+/*
+ * Returns true if compaction should go ahead for a high-order request, or
+ * the high-order allocation would succeed without compaction.
+ */
 static inline bool compaction_ready(struct zone *zone, int order)
 {
 	unsigned long balance_gap, watermark;
@@ -2339,8 +2342,11 @@ static inline bool compaction_ready(struct zone *zone, int order)
 	if (compaction_deferred(zone, order))
 		return watermark_ok;
 
-	/* If compaction is not ready to start, keep reclaiming */
-	if (!compaction_suitable(zone, order))
+	/*
+	 * If compaction is not ready to start and allocation is not likely
+	 * to succeed without it, then keep reclaiming.
+	 */
+	if (compaction_suitable(zone, order) == COMPACT_SKIPPED)
 		return false;
 
 	return watermark_ok;
@@ -2818,7 +2824,7 @@ static bool zone_balanced(struct zone *zone, int order,
 		return false;
 
 	if (IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_COMPACTION) && order &&
-	    !compaction_suitable(zone, order))
+	    compaction_suitable(zone, order) == COMPACT_SKIPPED)
 		return false;
 
 	return true;