diff --git a/gio/meson.build b/gio/meson.build
index b8baaa639..119e58059 100644
--- a/gio/meson.build
+++ b/gio/meson.build
@@ -855,9 +855,26 @@ else
 endif
 
 # Dependencies used by executables below
+have_libelf = false
 libelf = dependency('libelf', version : '>= 0.8.12', required : false)
 if libelf.found()
+  have_libelf = true
+else
+  # This fallback is necessary on *BSD. elfutils isn't the only libelf
+  # implementation, and *BSD usually includes their own libelf as a system
+  # library which doesn't have a corresponding .pc file.
+  libelf = cc.find_library('elf', required : false)
+  have_libelf = libelf.found()
+  have_libelf = have_libelf and cc.has_function('elf_begin', dependencies : libelf)
+  have_libelf = have_libelf and cc.has_function('elf_getshdrstrndx', dependencies : libelf)
+  have_libelf = have_libelf and cc.has_function('elf_getshdrnum', dependencies : libelf)
+  have_libelf = have_libelf and cc.has_header('libelf.h')
+endif
+
+if have_libelf
   glib_conf.set('HAVE_LIBELF', 1)
+else
+  libelf = []
 endif
 
 gconstructor_as_data_h = custom_target('gconstructor_as_data.h',