diff --git a/include/linux/pid.h b/include/linux/pid.h
index 1484db6ca8d1..2a83e434db9d 100644
--- a/include/linux/pid.h
+++ b/include/linux/pid.h
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 #include <linux/rculist.h>
 #include <linux/wait.h>
+#include <linux/refcount.h>
 
 enum pid_type
 {
@@ -57,7 +58,7 @@ struct upid {
 
 struct pid
 {
-	atomic_t count;
+	refcount_t count;
 	unsigned int level;
 	/* lists of tasks that use this pid */
 	struct hlist_head tasks[PIDTYPE_MAX];
@@ -74,7 +75,7 @@ extern const struct file_operations pidfd_fops;
 static inline struct pid *get_pid(struct pid *pid)
 {
 	if (pid)
-		atomic_inc(&pid->count);
+		refcount_inc(&pid->count);
 	return pid;
 }
 
diff --git a/kernel/pid.c b/kernel/pid.c
index 16263b526560..0a9f2e437217 100644
--- a/kernel/pid.c
+++ b/kernel/pid.c
@@ -37,14 +37,14 @@
 #include <linux/init_task.h>
 #include <linux/syscalls.h>
 #include <linux/proc_ns.h>
-#include <linux/proc_fs.h>
+#include <linux/refcount.h>
 #include <linux/anon_inodes.h>
 #include <linux/sched/signal.h>
 #include <linux/sched/task.h>
 #include <linux/idr.h>
 
 struct pid init_struct_pid = {
-	.count 		= ATOMIC_INIT(1),
+	.count		= REFCOUNT_INIT(1),
 	.tasks		= {
 		{ .first = NULL },
 		{ .first = NULL },
@@ -108,8 +108,7 @@ void put_pid(struct pid *pid)
 		return;
 
 	ns = pid->numbers[pid->level].ns;
-	if ((atomic_read(&pid->count) == 1) ||
-	     atomic_dec_and_test(&pid->count)) {
+	if (refcount_dec_and_test(&pid->count)) {
 		kmem_cache_free(ns->pid_cachep, pid);
 		put_pid_ns(ns);
 	}
@@ -212,7 +211,7 @@ struct pid *alloc_pid(struct pid_namespace *ns)
 	}
 
 	get_pid_ns(ns);
-	atomic_set(&pid->count, 1);
+	refcount_set(&pid->count, 1);
 	for (type = 0; type < PIDTYPE_MAX; ++type)
 		INIT_HLIST_HEAD(&pid->tasks[type]);