diff --git a/sysbench/scripting/Makefile.am b/sysbench/scripting/Makefile.am
index d8f186871..331e2d8a0 100644
--- a/sysbench/scripting/Makefile.am
+++ b/sysbench/scripting/Makefile.am
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 if USE_LUA
 SUBDIRS = lua .
 lua_sources = script_lua.c script_lua.h
-AM_CPPFLAGS += -I$(srcdir)/lua/src
+AM_CPPFLAGS += -I$(srcdir)/lua/src -DDATA_PATH=\"$(pkgdatadir)\"
 endif
 
 noinst_LIBRARIES = libsbscript.a
diff --git a/sysbench/scripting/script_lua.c b/sysbench/scripting/script_lua.c
index f14c33e8b..108dd3b6b 100644
--- a/sysbench/scripting/script_lua.c
+++ b/sysbench/scripting/script_lua.c
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@
 
 #include "db_driver.h"
 
+#include <stdlib.h>
+
 #define EVENT_FUNC "event"
 #define PREPARE_FUNC "prepare"
 #define CLEANUP_FUNC "cleanup"
@@ -169,6 +171,8 @@ int script_load_lua(const char *testname, sb_test_t *test)
 {
   unsigned int i;
 
+  setenv("LUA_PATH", DATA_PATH LUA_DIRSEP "?.lua", 0);
+
   /* Initialize global interpreter state */
   gstate = sb_lua_new_state(testname, -1);
   if (gstate == NULL)
@@ -488,8 +492,27 @@ lua_State *sb_lua_new_state(const char *scriptname, int thread_id)
   luaL_newmetatable(state, "sysbench.stmt");
 
   luaL_newmetatable(state, "sysbench.rs");
-  
-  if (luaL_loadfile(state, scriptname) || lua_pcall(state, 0, 0, 0))
+
+  if (luaL_loadfile(state, scriptname))
+  {
+    /* first location failed - look in DATA_PATH */
+    char p[PATH_MAX + 1];
+    strncpy(p, DATA_PATH LUA_DIRSEP, sizeof(p));
+    strncat(p, scriptname, sizeof(p));
+    if (!strrchr(scriptname, '.'))
+    {
+      /* add .lua extension if there isn't one */
+      strncat(p, ".lua", sizeof(p));
+    }
+
+    if (luaL_loadfile(state, p))
+    {
+      lua_error(state);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (lua_pcall(state, 0, 0, 0))
   {
     lua_error(state);
     return NULL;