diff --git a/lib/private/user/backend.php b/lib/private/user/backend.php
index 02c93d13bdfc13f5120a8fb1e42d816676534b9e..6969ce4ba3419449c3f25b36636aeabfbeaa8f2e 100644
--- a/lib/private/user/backend.php
+++ b/lib/private/user/backend.php
@@ -31,13 +31,14 @@ define('OC_USER_BACKEND_NOT_IMPLEMENTED',   -501);
 /**
  * actions that user backends can define
  */
-define('OC_USER_BACKEND_CREATE_USER',       0x0000001);
-define('OC_USER_BACKEND_SET_PASSWORD',      0x0000010);
-define('OC_USER_BACKEND_CHECK_PASSWORD',    0x0000100);
-define('OC_USER_BACKEND_GET_HOME',			0x0001000);
-define('OC_USER_BACKEND_GET_DISPLAYNAME',	0x0010000);
-define('OC_USER_BACKEND_SET_DISPLAYNAME',	0x0100000);
-define('OC_USER_BACKEND_PROVIDE_AVATAR',	0x1000000);
+define('OC_USER_BACKEND_CREATE_USER',       0x00000001);
+define('OC_USER_BACKEND_SET_PASSWORD',      0x00000010);
+define('OC_USER_BACKEND_CHECK_PASSWORD',    0x00000100);
+define('OC_USER_BACKEND_GET_HOME',			0x00001000);
+define('OC_USER_BACKEND_GET_DISPLAYNAME',	0x00010000);
+define('OC_USER_BACKEND_SET_DISPLAYNAME',	0x00100000);
+define('OC_USER_BACKEND_PROVIDE_AVATAR',	0x01000000);
+define('OC_USER_BACKEND_COUNT_USERS',		0x10000000);
 
 /**
  * Abstract base class for user management. Provides methods for querying backend
@@ -55,6 +56,7 @@ abstract class OC_User_Backend implements OC_User_Interface {
 		OC_USER_BACKEND_GET_DISPLAYNAME => 'getDisplayName',
 		OC_USER_BACKEND_SET_DISPLAYNAME => 'setDisplayName',
 		OC_USER_BACKEND_PROVIDE_AVATAR => 'canChangeAvatar',
+		OC_USER_BACKEND_COUNT_USERS => 'countUsers',
 	);
 
 	/**
diff --git a/lib/private/user/database.php b/lib/private/user/database.php
index c99db3b27ca715f40ea6dcd0e0e57308072c4343..1a63755b980f652e7034fe85a004a0931ad6ddee 100644
--- a/lib/private/user/database.php
+++ b/lib/private/user/database.php
@@ -253,4 +253,19 @@ class OC_User_Database extends OC_User_Backend {
 		return true;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * counts the users in the database
+	 *
+	 * @return int | bool
+	 */
+	public function countUsers() {
+		$query = OC_DB::prepare('SELECT COUNT(*) FROM `*PREFIX*users`');
+		$result = $query->execute();
+		if (OC_DB::isError($result)) {
+			OC_Log::write('core', OC_DB::getErrorMessage($result), OC_Log::ERROR);
+			return false;
+		}
+		return $result->fetchOne();
+	}
+
 }
diff --git a/lib/private/user/manager.php b/lib/private/user/manager.php
index cf83a75ba25dfd27d3be49a956deeeb928347311..101b388f1e0ad741647a32acdee943029dc7910a 100644
--- a/lib/private/user/manager.php
+++ b/lib/private/user/manager.php
@@ -270,4 +270,22 @@ class Manager extends PublicEmitter {
 		}
 		return false;
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * returns how many users per backend exist (if supported by backend)
+	 *
+	 * @return array with backend class as key and count number as value
+	 */
+	public function countUsers() {
+		$userCountStatistics = array();
+		foreach ($this->backends as $backend) {
+			if ($backend->implementsActions(\OC_USER_BACKEND_COUNT_USERS)) {
+				$backendusers = $backend->countUsers();
+				if($backendusers !== false) {
+					$userCountStatistics[get_class($backend)] = $backendusers;
+				}
+			}
+		}
+		return $userCountStatistics;
+	}
 }