diff --git a/icu4c/source/aclocal.m4 b/icu4c/source/aclocal.m4
index 71a76f5c2c4..fa0ab6433a5 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/aclocal.m4
+++ b/icu4c/source/aclocal.m4
@@ -275,6 +275,19 @@ AC_DEFUN(AC_CHECK_64BIT_LIBS,
             ENABLE_64BIT_LIBS=no
             ;;
         esac
+    else
+        if test "$GCC" = yes; then
+            OLD_CFLAGS="${CFLAGS}"
+            OLD_CXXFLAGS="${CXXFLAGS}"
+            CFLAGS="${CFLAGS} -m32"
+            CXXFLAGS="${CXXFLAGS} -m32"
+            AC_TRY_RUN(int main(void) {return 0;},
+               ENABLE_64BIT_LIBS=no, ENABLE_64BIT_LIBS=yes, ENABLE_64BIT_LIBS=yes)
+            if test "$ENABLE_64BIT_LIBS" = yes; then
+                CFLAGS="${OLD_CFLAGS}"
+                CXXFLAGS="${OLD_CXXFLAGS}"
+            fi
+        fi
     fi
     dnl Individual tests that fail should reset their own flags.
     AC_MSG_RESULT($ENABLE_64BIT_LIBS)
diff --git a/icu4c/source/configure b/icu4c/source/configure
index c1a6897b8dd..e687cbf24b8 100755
--- a/icu4c/source/configure
+++ b/icu4c/source/configure
@@ -3327,6 +3327,50 @@ fi
             ENABLE_64BIT_LIBS=no
             ;;
         esac
+    else
+        if test "$GCC" = yes; then
+            OLD_CFLAGS="${CFLAGS}"
+            OLD_CXXFLAGS="${CXXFLAGS}"
+            CFLAGS="${CFLAGS} -m32"
+            CXXFLAGS="${CXXFLAGS} -m32"
+            if test "$cross_compiling" = yes; then
+  ENABLE_64BIT_LIBS=yes
+else
+  cat >conftest.$ac_ext <<_ACEOF
+/* confdefs.h.  */
+_ACEOF
+cat confdefs.h >>conftest.$ac_ext
+cat >>conftest.$ac_ext <<_ACEOF
+/* end confdefs.h.  */
+int main(void) {return 0;}
+_ACEOF
+rm -f conftest$ac_exeext
+if { (eval echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \"$ac_link\"") >&5
+  (eval $ac_link) 2>&5
+  ac_status=$?
+  echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \$? = $ac_status" >&5
+  (exit $ac_status); } && { ac_try='./conftest$ac_exeext'
+  { (eval echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \"$ac_try\"") >&5
+  (eval $ac_try) 2>&5
+  ac_status=$?
+  echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \$? = $ac_status" >&5
+  (exit $ac_status); }; }; then
+  ENABLE_64BIT_LIBS=no
+else
+  echo "$as_me: program exited with status $ac_status" >&5
+echo "$as_me: failed program was:" >&5
+sed 's/^/| /' conftest.$ac_ext >&5
+
+( exit $ac_status )
+ENABLE_64BIT_LIBS=yes
+fi
+rm -f core *.core gmon.out bb.out conftest$ac_exeext conftest.$ac_objext conftest.$ac_ext
+fi
+            if test "$ENABLE_64BIT_LIBS" = yes; then
+                CFLAGS="${OLD_CFLAGS}"
+                CXXFLAGS="${OLD_CXXFLAGS}"
+            fi
+        fi
     fi
         echo "$as_me:$LINENO: result: $ENABLE_64BIT_LIBS" >&5
 echo "${ECHO_T}$ENABLE_64BIT_LIBS" >&6