diff --git a/kernel/cgroup.c b/kernel/cgroup.c
index 781845a013ab..e91963302c0d 100644
--- a/kernel/cgroup.c
+++ b/kernel/cgroup.c
@@ -4480,6 +4480,7 @@ static int cgroup_destroy_locked(struct cgroup *cgrp)
 	struct dentry *d = cgrp->dentry;
 	struct cgroup_event *event, *tmp;
 	struct cgroup_subsys *ss;
+	struct cgroup *child;
 	bool empty;
 
 	lockdep_assert_held(&d->d_inode->i_mutex);
@@ -4490,11 +4491,27 @@ static int cgroup_destroy_locked(struct cgroup *cgrp)
 	 * @cgrp from being removed while __put_css_set() is in progress.
 	 */
 	read_lock(&css_set_lock);
-	empty = list_empty(&cgrp->cset_links) && list_empty(&cgrp->children);
+	empty = list_empty(&cgrp->cset_links);
 	read_unlock(&css_set_lock);
 	if (!empty)
 		return -EBUSY;
 
+	/*
+	 * Make sure there's no live children.  We can't test ->children
+	 * emptiness as dead children linger on it while being destroyed;
+	 * otherwise, "rmdir parent/child parent" may fail with -EBUSY.
+	 */
+	empty = true;
+	rcu_read_lock();
+	list_for_each_entry_rcu(child, &cgrp->children, sibling) {
+		empty = cgroup_is_dead(child);
+		if (!empty)
+			break;
+	}
+	rcu_read_unlock();
+	if (!empty)
+		return -EBUSY;
+
 	/*
 	 * Block new css_tryget() by killing css refcnts.  cgroup core
 	 * guarantees that, by the time ->css_offline() is invoked, no new