diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index eca424b784b..dbe841ba19e 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -1323,6 +1323,31 @@ libsystemd = shared_library(
         install : true,
         install_dir : rootlibdir)
 
+static_libsystemd = get_option('static-libsystemd')
+static_libsystemd_pic = static_libsystemd == 'true' or static_libsystemd == 'pic'
+
+install_libsystemd_static = static_library(
+        'systemd',
+        libsystemd_sources,
+        journal_client_sources,
+        basic_sources,
+        basic_gcrypt_sources,
+        include_directories : includes,
+        build_by_default : static_libsystemd != 'false',
+        install : static_libsystemd != 'false',
+        install_dir : rootlibdir,
+        pic : static_libsystemd == 'true' or static_libsystemd == 'pic',
+        dependencies : [threads,
+                        librt,
+                        libxz,
+                        liblz4,
+                        libcap,
+                        libblkid,
+                        libmount,
+                        libselinux,
+                        libgcrypt],
+        c_args : libsystemd_c_args + (static_libsystemd_pic ? [] : ['-fno-PIC']))
+
 ############################################################
 
 # binaries that have --help and are intended for use by humans,
@@ -2522,17 +2547,30 @@ foreach tuple : tests
         endif
 endforeach
 
-test_libsystemd_sym = executable(
+exe = executable(
         'test-libsystemd-sym',
         test_libsystemd_sym_c,
         include_directories : includes,
         link_with : [libsystemd],
         install : install_tests,
         install_dir : testsdir)
-test('test-libsystemd-sym',
-     test_libsystemd_sym)
+test('test-libsystemd-sym', exe)
 
-test_libudev_sym = executable(
+exe = executable(
+        'test-libsystemd-static-sym',
+        test_libsystemd_sym_c,
+        include_directories : includes,
+        link_with : [install_libsystemd_static],
+        dependencies : [threads], # threads is already included in dependencies on the library,
+                                  # but does not seem to get propagated. Add here as a work-around.
+        build_by_default : static_libsystemd_pic,
+        install : install_tests and static_libsystemd_pic,
+        install_dir : testsdir)
+if static_libsystemd_pic
+        test('test-libsystemd-static-sym', exe)
+endif
+
+exe = executable(
         'test-libudev-sym',
         test_libudev_sym_c,
         include_directories : includes,
@@ -2540,8 +2578,20 @@ test_libudev_sym = executable(
         link_with : [libudev],
         install : install_tests,
         install_dir : testsdir)
-test('test-libudev-sym',
-     test_libudev_sym)
+test('test-libudev-sym', exe)
+
+exe = executable(
+        'test-libudev-static-sym',
+        test_libudev_sym_c,
+        include_directories : includes,
+        c_args : ['-Wno-deprecated-declarations'],
+        link_with : [install_libudev_static],
+        build_by_default : static_libudev_pic,
+        install : install_tests and static_libudev_pic,
+        install_dir : testsdir)
+if static_libudev_pic
+        test('test-libudev-static-sym', exe)
+endif
 
 ############################################################
 
diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index a6ea6c498f6..61d3381d17c 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -13,6 +13,12 @@ option('rootprefix', type : 'string',
        description : '''override the root prefix''')
 option('link-udev-shared', type : 'boolean',
        description : 'link systemd-udev and its helpers to libsystemd-shared.so')
+option('static-libsystemd', type : 'combo',
+       choices : ['false', 'true', 'pic', 'no-pic'],
+       description : '''install a static library for libsystemd''')
+option('static-libudev', type : 'combo',
+       choices : ['false', 'true', 'pic', 'no-pic'],
+       description : '''install a static library for libudev''')
 
 option('sysvinit-path', type : 'string', value : '/etc/init.d',
        description : 'the directory where the SysV init scripts are located')
diff --git a/src/basic/meson.build b/src/basic/meson.build
index cff1b9d18ff..69c525dcdc2 100644
--- a/src/basic/meson.build
+++ b/src/basic/meson.build
@@ -302,6 +302,9 @@ foreach item : [['af',     af_list_txt,     'af',         ''],
 endforeach
 
 basic_sources += [missing_h] + generated_gperf_headers
+basic_gcrypt_sources = files(
+        'gcrypt-util.c',
+        'gcrypt-util.h')
 
 libbasic = static_library(
         'basic',
@@ -319,8 +322,7 @@ libbasic = static_library(
 # unnecessary linking to libgcrypt.
 libbasic_gcrypt = static_library(
         'basic-gcrypt',
-        'gcrypt-util.c',
-        'gcrypt-util.h',
+        basic_gcrypt_sources,
         include_directories : includes,
         dependencies : [libgcrypt],
         c_args : ['-fvisibility=default'])
diff --git a/src/libsystemd/meson.build b/src/libsystemd/meson.build
index 7e55aec35b1..ce4cd418442 100644
--- a/src/libsystemd/meson.build
+++ b/src/libsystemd/meson.build
@@ -82,15 +82,17 @@ libsystemd_sources = files('''
         sd-utf8/sd-utf8.c
 '''.split()) + id128_sources + sd_daemon_c + sd_event_c + sd_login_c
 
+libsystemd_c_args = ['-fvisibility=default']
+
 libsystemd_static = static_library(
-        'systemd',
+        'systemd_static',
         libsystemd_sources,
         install : false,
         include_directories : includes,
         link_with : libbasic,
         dependencies : [threads,
                         librt],
-        c_args : ['-fvisibility=default'])
+        c_args : libsystemd_c_args)
 
 libsystemd_sym = 'src/libsystemd/libsystemd.sym'
 
diff --git a/src/shared/meson.build b/src/shared/meson.build
index d0cb38650b6..e3b076122b0 100644
--- a/src/shared/meson.build
+++ b/src/shared/meson.build
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 #
 # Copyright 2017 Zbigniew Jędrzejewski-Szmek
 
-shared_sources = '''
+shared_sources = files('''
         acl-util.h
         acpi-fpdt.c
         acpi-fpdt.h
@@ -104,25 +104,25 @@ shared_sources = '''
         watchdog.c
         watchdog.h
         wireguard-netlink.h
-'''.split()
+'''.split())
 
 test_tables_h = files('test-tables.h')
 shared_sources += [test_tables_h]
 
 if conf.get('HAVE_ACL') == 1
-        shared_sources += ['acl-util.c']
+        shared_sources += files('acl-util.c')
 endif
 
 if conf.get('ENABLE_UTMP') == 1
-        shared_sources += ['utmp-wtmp.c']
+        shared_sources += files('utmp-wtmp.c')
 endif
 
 if conf.get('HAVE_SECCOMP') == 1
-        shared_sources += ['seccomp-util.c']
+        shared_sources += files('seccomp-util.c')
 endif
 
 if conf.get('HAVE_LIBIPTC') == 1
-        shared_sources += ['firewall-util.c']
+        shared_sources += files('firewall-util.c')
 endif
 
 libshared_name = 'systemd-shared-@0@'.format(meson.project_version())
diff --git a/src/udev/meson.build b/src/udev/meson.build
index a58191d4a74..8fa0627d005 100644
--- a/src/udev/meson.build
+++ b/src/udev/meson.build
@@ -111,12 +111,29 @@ libudev_basic = static_library(
         c_args : ['-fvisibility=default'])
 
 libudev_static = static_library(
-        'udev',
+        'udev_static',
         'udev.h',
         include_directories : includes,
         link_with : udev_link_with,
         link_whole : libudev_basic)
 
+static_libudev = get_option('static-libudev')
+static_libudev_pic = static_libudev == 'true' or static_libudev == 'pic'
+install_libudev_static = static_library(
+        'udev',
+        basic_sources,
+        shared_sources,
+        libsystemd_sources,
+        libudev_sources,
+        include_directories : includes,
+        build_by_default : static_libudev != 'false',
+        install : static_libudev != 'false',
+        install_dir : rootlibdir,
+        link_depends : libudev_sym,
+        dependencies : libshared_deps + [libmount],
+        c_args : static_libudev_pic ? [] : ['-fno-PIC'],
+        pic : static_libudev_pic)
+
 libudev = shared_library(
         'udev',
         'udev.h', # pick a header file at random to work around old meson bug