diff --git a/tools/bpf/bpftool/gen.c b/tools/bpf/bpftool/gen.c
index a3d72be347b0..4fa4ade1ce74 100644
--- a/tools/bpf/bpftool/gen.c
+++ b/tools/bpf/bpftool/gen.c
@@ -120,6 +120,12 @@ static bool get_datasec_ident(const char *sec_name, char *buf, size_t buf_sz)
 	static const char *pfxs[] = { ".data", ".rodata", ".bss", ".kconfig" };
 	int i, n;
 
+	/* recognize hard coded LLVM section name */
+	if (strcmp(sec_name, ".arena.1") == 0) {
+		/* this is the name to use in skeleton */
+		snprintf(buf, buf_sz, "arena");
+		return true;
+	}
 	for  (i = 0, n = ARRAY_SIZE(pfxs); i < n; i++) {
 		const char *pfx = pfxs[i];
 
@@ -250,6 +256,13 @@ static const struct btf_type *find_type_for_map(struct btf *btf, const char *map
 
 static bool is_mmapable_map(const struct bpf_map *map, char *buf, size_t sz)
 {
+	size_t tmp_sz;
+
+	if (bpf_map__type(map) == BPF_MAP_TYPE_ARENA && bpf_map__initial_value(map, &tmp_sz)) {
+		snprintf(buf, sz, "arena");
+		return true;
+	}
+
 	if (!bpf_map__is_internal(map) || !(bpf_map__map_flags(map) & BPF_F_MMAPABLE))
 		return false;
 
diff --git a/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.c b/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.c
index 34b722071874..efab29b8935b 100644
--- a/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.c
+++ b/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.c
@@ -498,6 +498,7 @@ struct bpf_struct_ops {
 #define KSYMS_SEC ".ksyms"
 #define STRUCT_OPS_SEC ".struct_ops"
 #define STRUCT_OPS_LINK_SEC ".struct_ops.link"
+#define ARENA_SEC ".arena.1"
 
 enum libbpf_map_type {
 	LIBBPF_MAP_UNSPEC,
@@ -629,6 +630,7 @@ struct elf_state {
 	Elf *elf;
 	Elf64_Ehdr *ehdr;
 	Elf_Data *symbols;
+	Elf_Data *arena_data;
 	size_t shstrndx; /* section index for section name strings */
 	size_t strtabidx;
 	struct elf_sec_desc *secs;
@@ -638,6 +640,7 @@ struct elf_state {
 	int text_shndx;
 	int symbols_shndx;
 	bool has_st_ops;
+	int arena_data_shndx;
 };
 
 struct usdt_manager;
@@ -697,6 +700,10 @@ struct bpf_object {
 
 	struct usdt_manager *usdt_man;
 
+	struct bpf_map *arena_map;
+	void *arena_data;
+	size_t arena_data_sz;
+
 	struct kern_feature_cache *feat_cache;
 	char *token_path;
 	int token_fd;
@@ -1443,6 +1450,7 @@ static void bpf_object__elf_finish(struct bpf_object *obj)
 	elf_end(obj->efile.elf);
 	obj->efile.elf = NULL;
 	obj->efile.symbols = NULL;
+	obj->efile.arena_data = NULL;
 
 	zfree(&obj->efile.secs);
 	obj->efile.sec_cnt = 0;
@@ -1851,7 +1859,7 @@ bpf_object__init_internal_map(struct bpf_object *obj, enum libbpf_map_type type,
 	def->value_size = data_sz;
 	def->max_entries = 1;
 	def->map_flags = type == LIBBPF_MAP_RODATA || type == LIBBPF_MAP_KCONFIG
-			 ? BPF_F_RDONLY_PROG : 0;
+		? BPF_F_RDONLY_PROG : 0;
 
 	/* failures are fine because of maps like .rodata.str1.1 */
 	(void) map_fill_btf_type_info(obj, map);
@@ -2843,6 +2851,32 @@ static int bpf_object__init_user_btf_map(struct bpf_object *obj,
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static int init_arena_map_data(struct bpf_object *obj, struct bpf_map *map,
+			       const char *sec_name, int sec_idx,
+			       void *data, size_t data_sz)
+{
+	const long page_sz = sysconf(_SC_PAGE_SIZE);
+	size_t mmap_sz;
+
+	mmap_sz = bpf_map_mmap_sz(obj->arena_map);
+	if (roundup(data_sz, page_sz) > mmap_sz) {
+		pr_warn("elf: sec '%s': declared ARENA map size (%zu) is too small to hold global __arena variables of size %zu\n",
+			sec_name, mmap_sz, data_sz);
+		return -E2BIG;
+	}
+
+	obj->arena_data = malloc(data_sz);
+	if (!obj->arena_data)
+		return -ENOMEM;
+	memcpy(obj->arena_data, data, data_sz);
+	obj->arena_data_sz = data_sz;
+
+	/* make bpf_map__init_value() work for ARENA maps */
+	map->mmaped = obj->arena_data;
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
 static int bpf_object__init_user_btf_maps(struct bpf_object *obj, bool strict,
 					  const char *pin_root_path)
 {
@@ -2892,6 +2926,33 @@ static int bpf_object__init_user_btf_maps(struct bpf_object *obj, bool strict,
 			return err;
 	}
 
+	for (i = 0; i < obj->nr_maps; i++) {
+		struct bpf_map *map = &obj->maps[i];
+
+		if (map->def.type != BPF_MAP_TYPE_ARENA)
+			continue;
+
+		if (obj->arena_map) {
+			pr_warn("map '%s': only single ARENA map is supported (map '%s' is also ARENA)\n",
+				map->name, obj->arena_map->name);
+			return -EINVAL;
+		}
+		obj->arena_map = map;
+
+		if (obj->efile.arena_data) {
+			err = init_arena_map_data(obj, map, ARENA_SEC, obj->efile.arena_data_shndx,
+						  obj->efile.arena_data->d_buf,
+						  obj->efile.arena_data->d_size);
+			if (err)
+				return err;
+		}
+	}
+	if (obj->efile.arena_data && !obj->arena_map) {
+		pr_warn("elf: sec '%s': to use global __arena variables the ARENA map should be explicitly declared in SEC(\".maps\")\n",
+			ARENA_SEC);
+		return -ENOENT;
+	}
+
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -3771,6 +3832,9 @@ static int bpf_object__elf_collect(struct bpf_object *obj)
 				sec_desc->shdr = sh;
 				sec_desc->data = data;
 				obj->efile.has_st_ops = true;
+			} else if (strcmp(name, ARENA_SEC) == 0) {
+				obj->efile.arena_data = data;
+				obj->efile.arena_data_shndx = idx;
 			} else {
 				pr_info("elf: skipping unrecognized data section(%d) %s\n",
 					idx, name);
@@ -4400,6 +4464,15 @@ static int bpf_program__record_reloc(struct bpf_program *prog,
 	type = bpf_object__section_to_libbpf_map_type(obj, shdr_idx);
 	sym_sec_name = elf_sec_name(obj, elf_sec_by_idx(obj, shdr_idx));
 
+	/* arena data relocation */
+	if (shdr_idx == obj->efile.arena_data_shndx) {
+		reloc_desc->type = RELO_DATA;
+		reloc_desc->insn_idx = insn_idx;
+		reloc_desc->map_idx = obj->arena_map - obj->maps;
+		reloc_desc->sym_off = sym->st_value;
+		return 0;
+	}
+
 	/* generic map reference relocation */
 	if (type == LIBBPF_MAP_UNSPEC) {
 		if (!bpf_object__shndx_is_maps(obj, shdr_idx)) {
@@ -4940,6 +5013,7 @@ bpf_object__populate_internal_map(struct bpf_object *obj, struct bpf_map *map)
 			bpf_gen__map_freeze(obj->gen_loader, map - obj->maps);
 		return 0;
 	}
+
 	err = bpf_map_update_elem(map->fd, &zero, map->mmaped, 0);
 	if (err) {
 		err = -errno;
@@ -5289,6 +5363,10 @@ retry:
 						map->name, err);
 					return err;
 				}
+				if (obj->arena_data) {
+					memcpy(map->mmaped, obj->arena_data, obj->arena_data_sz);
+					zfree(&obj->arena_data);
+				}
 			}
 			if (map->init_slots_sz && map->def.type != BPF_MAP_TYPE_PROG_ARRAY) {
 				err = init_map_in_map_slots(obj, map);
@@ -8786,13 +8864,9 @@ static void bpf_map__destroy(struct bpf_map *map)
 	zfree(&map->init_slots);
 	map->init_slots_sz = 0;
 
-	if (map->mmaped) {
-		size_t mmap_sz;
-
-		mmap_sz = bpf_map_mmap_sz(map);
-		munmap(map->mmaped, mmap_sz);
-		map->mmaped = NULL;
-	}
+	if (map->mmaped && map->mmaped != map->obj->arena_data)
+		munmap(map->mmaped, bpf_map_mmap_sz(map));
+	map->mmaped = NULL;
 
 	if (map->st_ops) {
 		zfree(&map->st_ops->data);
@@ -8852,6 +8926,8 @@ void bpf_object__close(struct bpf_object *obj)
 	if (obj->token_fd > 0)
 		close(obj->token_fd);
 
+	zfree(&obj->arena_data);
+
 	free(obj);
 }
 
@@ -10063,18 +10139,26 @@ __u32 bpf_map__btf_value_type_id(const struct bpf_map *map)
 int bpf_map__set_initial_value(struct bpf_map *map,
 			       const void *data, size_t size)
 {
+	size_t actual_sz;
+
 	if (map->obj->loaded || map->reused)
 		return libbpf_err(-EBUSY);
 
-	if (!map->mmaped || map->libbpf_type == LIBBPF_MAP_KCONFIG ||
-	    size != map->def.value_size)
+	if (!map->mmaped || map->libbpf_type == LIBBPF_MAP_KCONFIG)
+		return libbpf_err(-EINVAL);
+
+	if (map->def.type == BPF_MAP_TYPE_ARENA)
+		actual_sz = map->obj->arena_data_sz;
+	else
+		actual_sz = map->def.value_size;
+	if (size != actual_sz)
 		return libbpf_err(-EINVAL);
 
 	memcpy(map->mmaped, data, size);
 	return 0;
 }
 
-void *bpf_map__initial_value(struct bpf_map *map, size_t *psize)
+void *bpf_map__initial_value(const struct bpf_map *map, size_t *psize)
 {
 	if (bpf_map__is_struct_ops(map)) {
 		if (psize)
@@ -10084,7 +10168,12 @@ void *bpf_map__initial_value(struct bpf_map *map, size_t *psize)
 
 	if (!map->mmaped)
 		return NULL;
-	*psize = map->def.value_size;
+
+	if (map->def.type == BPF_MAP_TYPE_ARENA)
+		*psize = map->obj->arena_data_sz;
+	else
+		*psize = map->def.value_size;
+
 	return map->mmaped;
 }
 
@@ -13573,6 +13662,11 @@ int bpf_object__load_skeleton(struct bpf_object_skeleton *s)
 			continue;
 		}
 
+		if (map->def.type == BPF_MAP_TYPE_ARENA) {
+			*mmaped = map->mmaped;
+			continue;
+		}
+
 		if (map->def.map_flags & BPF_F_RDONLY_PROG)
 			prot = PROT_READ;
 		else
diff --git a/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.h b/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.h
index 5723cbbfcc41..7b510761f545 100644
--- a/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.h
+++ b/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.h
@@ -1014,7 +1014,7 @@ LIBBPF_API int bpf_map__set_map_extra(struct bpf_map *map, __u64 map_extra);
 
 LIBBPF_API int bpf_map__set_initial_value(struct bpf_map *map,
 					  const void *data, size_t size);
-LIBBPF_API void *bpf_map__initial_value(struct bpf_map *map, size_t *psize);
+LIBBPF_API void *bpf_map__initial_value(const struct bpf_map *map, size_t *psize);
 
 /**
  * @brief **bpf_map__is_internal()** tells the caller whether or not the