diff --git a/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.md b/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.md
index 1b0f0e6b7..387c4191b 100644
--- a/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.md
+++ b/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.md
@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@ __Add new items below here__
 ### New `dbServerStats()` API for iocStats
 
 A new routine provides the ability to request channel and client counts from
-name server layers that implement the `stats()` method. A preprocessor macro
+named server layers that implement the `stats()` method, or to get a summary
+of the counts from all registered server layers. A preprocessor macro
 `HAS_DBSERVER_STATS` macro is defined in the `dbServer.h` header file to
 simplify code that needs to support older versions of Base as well.
 
diff --git a/modules/database/src/ioc/db/dbServer.c b/modules/database/src/ioc/db/dbServer.c
index f08eec828..c4e5f55c3 100644
--- a/modules/database/src/ioc/db/dbServer.c
+++ b/modules/database/src/ioc/db/dbServer.c
@@ -130,11 +130,23 @@ int dbServerClient(char *pBuf, size_t bufSize)
 int dbServerStats(const char *name, unsigned *channels, unsigned *clients)
 {
     dbServer *psrv = (dbServer *)ellFirst(&serverList);
+    unsigned tch, tcl;
 
-    if (!name || state != running || !psrv)
+    if (state != running || !psrv)
         return -1;
 
-    while (psrv) {
+    for (tch = 0, tcl = 0; psrv;
+         psrv = (dbServer *)ellNext(&psrv->node)) {
+        if (!name) {
+            if (psrv->stats) {
+                unsigned lch, lcl;
+
+                psrv->stats(&lch, &lcl);
+                tch += lch;
+                tcl += lcl;
+            }
+            continue;
+        }
         if (strcmp(name, psrv->name) == 0) {
             if (!psrv->stats)
                 return -1;
@@ -142,7 +154,11 @@ int dbServerStats(const char *name, unsigned *channels, unsigned *clients)
             psrv->stats(channels, clients);
             return 0;
         }
-        psrv = (dbServer *)ellNext(&psrv->node);
+    }
+    if (!name) {
+        if (channels) *channels = tch;
+        if (clients) *clients = tcl;
+        return 0;
     }
     return -1;
 }
diff --git a/modules/database/src/ioc/db/dbServer.h b/modules/database/src/ioc/db/dbServer.h
index 86c3f7d82..9b16c3b3d 100644
--- a/modules/database/src/ioc/db/dbServer.h
+++ b/modules/database/src/ioc/db/dbServer.h
@@ -151,9 +151,11 @@ DBCORE_API int dbServerClient(char *pBuf, size_t bufSize);
  *
  * This is an API for iocStats and similar to fetch the number of channels
  *  and clients connected to the named server layer.
+ *  If the name given is NULL the statistics returned are the totals for
+ *  all the registered server layers.
  * @param name Server name
- * @param channels Where to return the channel count
- * @param clients Where to return the client count
+ * @param channels NULL, or where to return the channel count
+ * @param clients NULL or where to return the client count
  * @returns 0 on success; -1 if IOC isn't running, no such named server,
  *  or that server doesn't implement the stats method.
  *
diff --git a/modules/database/test/ioc/db/dbServerTest.c b/modules/database/test/ioc/db/dbServerTest.c
index 9379d9fb1..97e547deb 100644
--- a/modules/database/test/ioc/db/dbServerTest.c
+++ b/modules/database/test/ioc/db/dbServerTest.c
@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@ void oneReport(unsigned level)
 void oneStats(unsigned *channels, unsigned *clients)
 {
     oneState = STATS_CALLED;
-    *channels = 2;
-    *clients = 1;
+    if (channels) *channels = 2;
+    if (clients)  *clients = 1;
 }
 
 int oneClient(char *pbuf, size_t len)
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ MAIN(dbServerTest)
     int status;
     unsigned ch=0, cl=0;
 
-    testPlan(29);
+    testPlan(32);
 
     /* Prove that we handle substring names properly */
     epicsEnvSet("EPICS_IOC_IGNORE_SERVERS", "none ones");
@@ -167,12 +167,22 @@ MAIN(dbServerTest)
     testDiag("Checking server methods called");
     dbsr(0);
     testOk(oneState == REPORT_CALLED, "dbsr called one::report()");
+
+    testDiag("Checking stats functionality");
     testOk(dbServerStats("none", &ch, &cl) != 0, "Stats: unknown name rejected");
     testOk(dbServerStats("no-routines", &ch, &cl) != 0, "Stats: no-routine rejected");
     testOk(dbServerStats("one", &ch, &cl) == 0 && oneState == STATS_CALLED,
         "dbServerStats('one') called one::stats()");
-    testOk(ch == 2 && cl == 1, "Stats: counts returned as expected");
+    testOk(ch == 2 && cl == 1, "Stats: ch==%d, cl==%d (expected 2, 1)", ch, cl);
 
+    ch = 10; cl = 10; oneState = NOTHING_CALLED;
+    testOk(dbServerStats(NULL, NULL, &cl) == 0 && oneState == STATS_CALLED,
+        "dbServerStats(NULL, &cl) called one::stats()");
+    testOk(dbServerStats(NULL, &ch, NULL) == 0 && oneState == STATS_CALLED,
+        "dbServerStats(NULL, &ch) called one::stats()");
+    testOk(ch == 2 && cl == 1, "Stats: ch==%d, cl==%d (expected 2, 1)", ch, cl);
+
+    testDiag("Checking client identification");
     oneSim = NULL;
     name[0] = 0;
     status = dbServerClient(name, sizeof(name));