diff --git a/package/systemd/Config.in b/package/systemd/Config.in
index 6f5f5c3346..bd638477a0 100644
--- a/package/systemd/Config.in
+++ b/package/systemd/Config.in
@@ -403,6 +403,18 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_SYSTEMD_TMPFILES
 
 	  http://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/systemd-tmpfiles.html
 
+config BR2_PACKAGE_SYSTEMD_USERDB
+	bool "enable userdb daemon"
+	help
+	  systemd-userdbd is a system service that multiplexes
+	  user/group lookups to all local services that provide JSON
+	  user/group record definitions to the system. In addition it
+	  synthesizes JSON user/group records from classic UNIX/glibc
+	  NSS user/group records in order to provide full backwards
+	  compatibility.
+
+	  https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/systemd-userdbd.service.html
+
 config BR2_PACKAGE_SYSTEMD_VCONSOLE
 	bool "enable vconsole tool"
 	default y
diff --git a/package/systemd/systemd.mk b/package/systemd/systemd.mk
index c7a253bbe4..22165de2c1 100644
--- a/package/systemd/systemd.mk
+++ b/package/systemd/systemd.mk
@@ -41,7 +41,6 @@ SYSTEMD_CONF_OPTS += \
 	-Dumount-path=/usr/bin/umount \
 	-Dnobody-group=nogroup \
 	-Didn=true \
-	-Duserdb=false \
 	-Dhomed=false \
 	-Dnss-systemd=true
 
@@ -311,6 +310,12 @@ else
 SYSTEMD_CONF_OPTS += -Drepart=false
 endif
 
+ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_SYSTEMD_USERDB),y)
+SYSTEMD_CONF_OPTS += -Duserdb=true
+else
+SYSTEMD_CONF_OPTS += -Duserdb=false
+endif
+
 ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_SYSTEMD_COREDUMP),y)
 SYSTEMD_CONF_OPTS += -Dcoredump=true
 SYSTEMD_COREDUMP_USER = systemd-coredump -1 systemd-coredump -1 * /var/lib/systemd/coredump - - Core Dumper