diff --git a/activerecord/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/sqlite3_adapter.rb b/activerecord/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/sqlite3_adapter.rb
index 90a16aacc1ad6..fc172fee00d32 100644
--- a/activerecord/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/sqlite3_adapter.rb
+++ b/activerecord/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/sqlite3_adapter.rb
@@ -112,13 +112,9 @@ def initialize(...)
           dirname = File.dirname(@config[:database])
           unless File.directory?(dirname)
             begin
-              Dir.mkdir(dirname)
-            rescue Errno::ENOENT => error
-              if error.message.include?("No such file or directory")
-                raise ActiveRecord::NoDatabaseError.new(connection_pool: @pool)
-              else
-                raise
-              end
+              FileUtils.mkdir_p(dirname)
+            rescue SystemCallError
+              raise ActiveRecord::NoDatabaseError.new(connection_pool: @pool)
             end
           end
         end
diff --git a/activerecord/test/cases/adapters/sqlite3/sqlite3_adapter_test.rb b/activerecord/test/cases/adapters/sqlite3/sqlite3_adapter_test.rb
index 42d853f512487..b26548d76c038 100644
--- a/activerecord/test/cases/adapters/sqlite3/sqlite3_adapter_test.rb
+++ b/activerecord/test/cases/adapters/sqlite3/sqlite3_adapter_test.rb
@@ -23,12 +23,14 @@ def setup
         )
       end
 
-      def test_bad_connection
-        error = assert_raise ActiveRecord::NoDatabaseError do
-          connection = SQLite3Adapter.new(adapter: "sqlite3", database: "/tmp/should/_not/_exist/-cinco-dog.db")
+      def test_database_should_get_created_when_missing_parent_directories_for_database_path
+        dir = Dir.mktmpdir
+        db_path = File.join(dir, "_not_exist/-cinco-dog.sqlite3")
+        assert_nothing_raised do
+          connection = SQLite3Adapter.new(adapter: "sqlite3", database: db_path)
           connection.drop_table "ex", if_exists: true
         end
-        assert_kind_of ActiveRecord::ConnectionAdapters::NullPool, error.connection_pool
+        assert SQLite3Adapter.database_exists?(adapter: "sqlite3", database: db_path)
       end
 
       def test_database_exists_returns_false_when_the_database_does_not_exist