diff --git a/pkg/ccl/multiregionccl/multiregion_system_table_test.go b/pkg/ccl/multiregionccl/multiregion_system_table_test.go
index 4718917c4295..7fd74f5e4ef2 100644
--- a/pkg/ccl/multiregionccl/multiregion_system_table_test.go
+++ b/pkg/ccl/multiregionccl/multiregion_system_table_test.go
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ func TestMrSystemDatabase(t *testing.T) {
 
 	sDB := sqlutils.MakeSQLRunner(systemSQL)
 
+	sDB.Exec(t, `ANALYZE system.sqlliveness;`)
 	sDB.Exec(t, `SET CLUSTER SETTING sql.multiregion.system_database_multiregion.enabled = true`)
 	sDB.Exec(t, `ALTER DATABASE system SET PRIMARY REGION "us-east1"`)
 	sDB.Exec(t, `ALTER DATABASE system ADD REGION "us-east2"`)
diff --git a/pkg/sql/region_util.go b/pkg/sql/region_util.go
index 1df7930e6d5f..6d3990a6eaae 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/region_util.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/region_util.go
@@ -2521,6 +2521,10 @@ func (p *planner) setSystemDatabaseSurvival(ctx context.Context) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// systemTableLocalityChangeJobName is the job name used when the locality is converted
+// to regional by row.
+const systemTableLocalityChangeJobName = "convert system.%s to %s locality"
+
 // optimizeSystemDatabase configures some tables in the system data as
 // global and regional by row. The locality changes reduce how long it
 // takes a server to start up in a multi-region deployment.
@@ -2604,7 +2608,7 @@ func (p *planner) optimizeSystemDatabase(ctx context.Context) error {
 			return err
 		}
 
-		jobName := fmt.Sprintf("convert system.%s to %s locality", desc.GetName(), locality)
+		jobName := fmt.Sprintf(systemTableLocalityChangeJobName, desc.GetName(), locality)
 		return p.writeSchemaChange(ctx, desc, descpb.InvalidMutationID, jobName)
 	}
 
diff --git a/pkg/sql/schema_changer.go b/pkg/sql/schema_changer.go
index 28c0f0d79a29..58c07f1429aa 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/schema_changer.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/schema_changer.go
@@ -920,7 +920,18 @@ func (sc *SchemaChanger) exec(ctx context.Context) error {
 	if sc.mutationID == descpb.InvalidMutationID {
 		// Nothing more to do.
 		isCreateTableAs := tableDesc.Adding() && tableDesc.IsAs()
-		return waitToUpdateLeases(isCreateTableAs /* refreshStats */)
+		// If we are converting a system database table to MR, we should force
+		// a stats refresh so that the stats also have the correct type. There is
+		// a potential race condition between waiting for leases and deleting the
+		// statistics using optimizeDatabase, where between those two point statistics
+		// with the wrong type could show up. To minimize any transient condition,
+		// lets force a refresh of stats here.
+		isSystemDatabaseTransformation := tableDesc.GetParentID() == keys.SystemDatabaseID &&
+			(strings.HasPrefix(sc.job.Payload().Description,
+				fmt.Sprintf(systemTableLocalityChangeJobName, tableDesc.GetName(), "regional by row")) ||
+				strings.HasPrefix(sc.job.Payload().Description,
+					fmt.Sprintf(systemTableLocalityChangeJobName, tableDesc.GetName(), "global")))
+		return waitToUpdateLeases(isCreateTableAs || isSystemDatabaseTransformation /* refreshStats */)
 	}
 
 	if err := sc.initJobRunningStatus(ctx); err != nil {