diff --git a/src/util/vircgroup.c b/src/util/vircgroup.c
index 55a17acae3..520904308f 100644
--- a/src/util/vircgroup.c
+++ b/src/util/vircgroup.c
@@ -1633,14 +1633,7 @@ virCgroupGetMemoryStat(virCgroupPtr group,
 int
 virCgroupGetMemoryUsage(virCgroupPtr group, unsigned long *kb)
 {
-    long long unsigned int usage_in_bytes;
-    int ret;
-    ret = virCgroupGetValueU64(group,
-                               VIR_CGROUP_CONTROLLER_MEMORY,
-                               "memory.usage_in_bytes", &usage_in_bytes);
-    if (ret == 0)
-        *kb = (unsigned long) usage_in_bytes >> 10;
-    return ret;
+    VIR_CGROUP_BACKEND_CALL(group, getMemoryUsage, -1, kb);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/util/vircgroupbackend.h b/src/util/vircgroupbackend.h
index 99754a6310..8bdfc5c835 100644
--- a/src/util/vircgroupbackend.h
+++ b/src/util/vircgroupbackend.h
@@ -223,6 +223,10 @@ typedef int
                             unsigned long long *inactiveFile,
                             unsigned long long *unevictable);
 
+typedef int
+(*virCgroupGetMemoryUsageCB)(virCgroupPtr group,
+                             unsigned long *kb);
+
 struct _virCgroupBackend {
     virCgroupBackendType type;
 
@@ -264,6 +268,7 @@ struct _virCgroupBackend {
 
     virCgroupSetMemoryCB setMemory;
     virCgroupGetMemoryStatCB getMemoryStat;
+    virCgroupGetMemoryUsageCB getMemoryUsage;
 };
 typedef struct _virCgroupBackend virCgroupBackend;
 typedef virCgroupBackend *virCgroupBackendPtr;
diff --git a/src/util/vircgroupv1.c b/src/util/vircgroupv1.c
index 9ecdd253cb..0cd70cc512 100644
--- a/src/util/vircgroupv1.c
+++ b/src/util/vircgroupv1.c
@@ -1478,6 +1478,21 @@ virCgroupV1GetMemoryStat(virCgroupPtr group,
 }
 
 
+static int
+virCgroupV1GetMemoryUsage(virCgroupPtr group,
+                          unsigned long *kb)
+{
+    long long unsigned int usage_in_bytes;
+    int ret;
+    ret = virCgroupGetValueU64(group,
+                               VIR_CGROUP_CONTROLLER_MEMORY,
+                               "memory.usage_in_bytes", &usage_in_bytes);
+    if (ret == 0)
+        *kb = (unsigned long) usage_in_bytes >> 10;
+    return ret;
+}
+
+
 virCgroupBackend virCgroupV1Backend = {
     .type = VIR_CGROUP_BACKEND_TYPE_V1,
 
@@ -1517,6 +1532,7 @@ virCgroupBackend virCgroupV1Backend = {
 
     .setMemory = virCgroupV1SetMemory,
     .getMemoryStat = virCgroupV1GetMemoryStat,
+    .getMemoryUsage = virCgroupV1GetMemoryUsage,
 };