diff --git a/hw/i386/xen/xen-hvm.c b/hw/i386/xen/xen-hvm.c
index e3d3d5cf89..482be95415 100644
--- a/hw/i386/xen/xen-hvm.c
+++ b/hw/i386/xen/xen-hvm.c
@@ -1613,8 +1613,8 @@ void xen_hvm_modified_memory(ram_addr_t start, ram_addr_t length)
 void qmp_xen_set_global_dirty_log(bool enable, Error **errp)
 {
     if (enable) {
-        memory_global_dirty_log_start();
+        memory_global_dirty_log_start(GLOBAL_DIRTY_MIGRATION);
     } else {
-        memory_global_dirty_log_stop();
+        memory_global_dirty_log_stop(GLOBAL_DIRTY_MIGRATION);
     }
 }
diff --git a/include/exec/memory.h b/include/exec/memory.h
index a185b6dcb8..04280450c9 100644
--- a/include/exec/memory.h
+++ b/include/exec/memory.h
@@ -61,7 +61,17 @@ static inline void fuzz_dma_read_cb(size_t addr,
 }
 #endif
 
-extern bool global_dirty_log;
+/* Possible bits for global_dirty_log_{start|stop} */
+
+/* Dirty tracking enabled because migration is running */
+#define GLOBAL_DIRTY_MIGRATION  (1U << 0)
+
+/* Dirty tracking enabled because measuring dirty rate */
+#define GLOBAL_DIRTY_DIRTY_RATE (1U << 1)
+
+#define GLOBAL_DIRTY_MASK  (0x3)
+
+extern unsigned int global_dirty_tracking;
 
 typedef struct MemoryRegionOps MemoryRegionOps;
 
@@ -2388,13 +2398,17 @@ void memory_listener_unregister(MemoryListener *listener);
 
 /**
  * memory_global_dirty_log_start: begin dirty logging for all regions
+ *
+ * @flags: purpose of starting dirty log, migration or dirty rate
  */
-void memory_global_dirty_log_start(void);
+void memory_global_dirty_log_start(unsigned int flags);
 
 /**
  * memory_global_dirty_log_stop: end dirty logging for all regions
+ *
+ * @flags: purpose of stopping dirty log, migration or dirty rate
  */
-void memory_global_dirty_log_stop(void);
+void memory_global_dirty_log_stop(unsigned int flags);
 
 void mtree_info(bool flatview, bool dispatch_tree, bool owner, bool disabled);
 
diff --git a/include/exec/ram_addr.h b/include/exec/ram_addr.h
index 551876bed0..45c913264a 100644
--- a/include/exec/ram_addr.h
+++ b/include/exec/ram_addr.h
@@ -369,7 +369,7 @@ static inline void cpu_physical_memory_set_dirty_lebitmap(unsigned long *bitmap,
 
                     qatomic_or(&blocks[DIRTY_MEMORY_VGA][idx][offset], temp);
 
-                    if (global_dirty_log) {
+                    if (global_dirty_tracking) {
                         qatomic_or(
                                 &blocks[DIRTY_MEMORY_MIGRATION][idx][offset],
                                 temp);
@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@ static inline void cpu_physical_memory_set_dirty_lebitmap(unsigned long *bitmap,
     } else {
         uint8_t clients = tcg_enabled() ? DIRTY_CLIENTS_ALL : DIRTY_CLIENTS_NOCODE;
 
-        if (!global_dirty_log) {
+        if (!global_dirty_tracking) {
             clients &= ~(1 << DIRTY_MEMORY_MIGRATION);
         }
 
diff --git a/migration/ram.c b/migration/ram.c
index bb908822d5..ae2601bf3b 100644
--- a/migration/ram.c
+++ b/migration/ram.c
@@ -2216,7 +2216,14 @@ static void ram_save_cleanup(void *opaque)
         /* caller have hold iothread lock or is in a bh, so there is
          * no writing race against the migration bitmap
          */
-        memory_global_dirty_log_stop();
+        if (global_dirty_tracking & GLOBAL_DIRTY_MIGRATION) {
+            /*
+             * do not stop dirty log without starting it, since
+             * memory_global_dirty_log_stop will assert that
+             * memory_global_dirty_log_start/stop used in pairs
+             */
+            memory_global_dirty_log_stop(GLOBAL_DIRTY_MIGRATION);
+        }
     }
 
     RAMBLOCK_FOREACH_NOT_IGNORED(block) {
@@ -2678,7 +2685,7 @@ static void ram_init_bitmaps(RAMState *rs)
         ram_list_init_bitmaps();
         /* We don't use dirty log with background snapshots */
         if (!migrate_background_snapshot()) {
-            memory_global_dirty_log_start();
+            memory_global_dirty_log_start(GLOBAL_DIRTY_MIGRATION);
             migration_bitmap_sync_precopy(rs);
         }
     }
@@ -3434,7 +3441,7 @@ void colo_incoming_start_dirty_log(void)
             /* Discard this dirty bitmap record */
             bitmap_zero(block->bmap, block->max_length >> TARGET_PAGE_BITS);
         }
-        memory_global_dirty_log_start();
+        memory_global_dirty_log_start(GLOBAL_DIRTY_MIGRATION);
     }
     ram_state->migration_dirty_pages = 0;
     qemu_mutex_unlock_ramlist();
@@ -3446,7 +3453,7 @@ void colo_release_ram_cache(void)
 {
     RAMBlock *block;
 
-    memory_global_dirty_log_stop();
+    memory_global_dirty_log_stop(GLOBAL_DIRTY_MIGRATION);
     RAMBLOCK_FOREACH_NOT_IGNORED(block) {
         g_free(block->bmap);
         block->bmap = NULL;
diff --git a/softmmu/memory.c b/softmmu/memory.c
index e5826faa0c..f2ac0d2e89 100644
--- a/softmmu/memory.c
+++ b/softmmu/memory.c
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
 static unsigned memory_region_transaction_depth;
 static bool memory_region_update_pending;
 static bool ioeventfd_update_pending;
-bool global_dirty_log;
+unsigned int global_dirty_tracking;
 
 static QTAILQ_HEAD(, MemoryListener) memory_listeners
     = QTAILQ_HEAD_INITIALIZER(memory_listeners);
@@ -1821,7 +1821,7 @@ uint8_t memory_region_get_dirty_log_mask(MemoryRegion *mr)
     uint8_t mask = mr->dirty_log_mask;
     RAMBlock *rb = mr->ram_block;
 
-    if (global_dirty_log && ((rb && qemu_ram_is_migratable(rb)) ||
+    if (global_dirty_tracking && ((rb && qemu_ram_is_migratable(rb)) ||
                              memory_region_is_iommu(mr))) {
         mask |= (1 << DIRTY_MEMORY_MIGRATION);
     }
@@ -2760,14 +2760,18 @@ void memory_global_after_dirty_log_sync(void)
 
 static VMChangeStateEntry *vmstate_change;
 
-void memory_global_dirty_log_start(void)
+void memory_global_dirty_log_start(unsigned int flags)
 {
     if (vmstate_change) {
         qemu_del_vm_change_state_handler(vmstate_change);
         vmstate_change = NULL;
     }
 
-    global_dirty_log = true;
+    assert(flags && !(flags & (~GLOBAL_DIRTY_MASK)));
+    assert(!(global_dirty_tracking & flags));
+    global_dirty_tracking |= flags;
+
+    trace_global_dirty_changed(global_dirty_tracking);
 
     MEMORY_LISTENER_CALL_GLOBAL(log_global_start, Forward);
 
@@ -2777,9 +2781,13 @@ void memory_global_dirty_log_start(void)
     memory_region_transaction_commit();
 }
 
-static void memory_global_dirty_log_do_stop(void)
+static void memory_global_dirty_log_do_stop(unsigned int flags)
 {
-    global_dirty_log = false;
+    assert(flags && !(flags & (~GLOBAL_DIRTY_MASK)));
+    assert((global_dirty_tracking & flags) == flags);
+    global_dirty_tracking &= ~flags;
+
+    trace_global_dirty_changed(global_dirty_tracking);
 
     /* Refresh DIRTY_MEMORY_MIGRATION bit.  */
     memory_region_transaction_begin();
@@ -2792,8 +2800,9 @@ static void memory_global_dirty_log_do_stop(void)
 static void memory_vm_change_state_handler(void *opaque, bool running,
                                            RunState state)
 {
+    unsigned int flags = (unsigned int)(uintptr_t)opaque;
     if (running) {
-        memory_global_dirty_log_do_stop();
+        memory_global_dirty_log_do_stop(flags);
 
         if (vmstate_change) {
             qemu_del_vm_change_state_handler(vmstate_change);
@@ -2802,18 +2811,19 @@ static void memory_vm_change_state_handler(void *opaque, bool running,
     }
 }
 
-void memory_global_dirty_log_stop(void)
+void memory_global_dirty_log_stop(unsigned int flags)
 {
     if (!runstate_is_running()) {
         if (vmstate_change) {
             return;
         }
         vmstate_change = qemu_add_vm_change_state_handler(
-                                memory_vm_change_state_handler, NULL);
+                                memory_vm_change_state_handler,
+                                (void *)(uintptr_t)flags);
         return;
     }
 
-    memory_global_dirty_log_do_stop();
+    memory_global_dirty_log_do_stop(flags);
 }
 
 static void listener_add_address_space(MemoryListener *listener,
@@ -2825,7 +2835,7 @@ static void listener_add_address_space(MemoryListener *listener,
     if (listener->begin) {
         listener->begin(listener);
     }
-    if (global_dirty_log) {
+    if (global_dirty_tracking) {
         if (listener->log_global_start) {
             listener->log_global_start(listener);
         }
diff --git a/softmmu/trace-events b/softmmu/trace-events
index bf1469990e..9c88887b3c 100644
--- a/softmmu/trace-events
+++ b/softmmu/trace-events
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ memory_region_sync_dirty(const char *mr, const char *listener, int global) "mr '
 flatview_new(void *view, void *root) "%p (root %p)"
 flatview_destroy(void *view, void *root) "%p (root %p)"
 flatview_destroy_rcu(void *view, void *root) "%p (root %p)"
+global_dirty_changed(unsigned int bitmask) "bitmask 0x%"PRIx32
 
 # softmmu.c
 vm_stop_flush_all(int ret) "ret %d"