diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 0515866f..461fefe5 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -183,13 +183,23 @@ else
   dep_rt = []
 endif
 dep_m = cc.find_library('m', required : false)
-# From Niclas Zeising:
-# FreeBSD requires sys/types.h for sys/sysctl.h, add it as part of the
-# includes when checking for headers.
-foreach header : ['sys/sysctl.h', 'sys/select.h', 'alloca.h']
+
+# The header is not required on Linux, and is in fact deprecated in glibc 2.30+
+if ['linux'].contains(host_machine.system())
+  config.set10('HAVE_SYS_SYSCTL_H', false)
+else
+  # From Niclas Zeising:
+  # FreeBSD requires sys/types.h for sys/sysctl.h, so add it as part of
+  # the includes when checking for headers.
+  config.set10('HAVE_SYS_SYSCTL_H',
+    cc.compiles('#include <sys/types.h>\n#include <sys/sysctl.h>', name : 'sys/sysctl.h works'))
+endif
+
+foreach header : ['sys/select.h', 'alloca.h']
   config.set10('HAVE_' + header.underscorify().to_upper(),
-    cc.compiles('#include <sys/types.h>\n#include <@0@>'.format(header), name : '@0@ works'.format(header)))
+    cc.compiles('#include <@0@>'.format(header), name : '@0@ works'.format(header)))
 endforeach
+
 if (cc.has_header_symbol('sys/sysmacros.h', 'major') and
   cc.has_header_symbol('sys/sysmacros.h', 'minor') and
   cc.has_header_symbol('sys/sysmacros.h', 'makedev'))