diff --git a/package/oprofile/oprofile.mk b/package/oprofile/oprofile.mk
index 5876307e48..ba366403d2 100644
--- a/package/oprofile/oprofile.mk
+++ b/package/oprofile/oprofile.mk
@@ -41,6 +41,12 @@ ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_LIBPFM4),y)
 OPROFILE_DEPENDENCIES += libpfm4
 endif
 
+# When getext is enabled, popt links with -lintl, specifies it in its
+# popt.pc and has done so for the past 6+ years. But oprofile does not
+# use pkconfig to find popt, so misses -lintl, which is important for
+# a static build. We have to do the call to pkgconfig manually...
+OPROFILE_CONF_ENV += LIBS="`$(PKG_CONFIG_HOST_BINARY) --libs popt`"
+
 define OPROFILE_INSTALL_TARGET_CMDS
 	$(INSTALL) -d -m 755 $(TARGET_DIR)/usr/bin
 	$(INSTALL) -d -m 755 $(TARGET_DIR)/usr/share/oprofile