diff --git a/app/test/test_cryptodev.c b/app/test/test_cryptodev.c
index 9dfe34f8c1..fbfe1d0d21 100644
--- a/app/test/test_cryptodev.c
+++ b/app/test/test_cryptodev.c
@@ -316,12 +316,12 @@ testsuite_teardown(void)
 
 	if (ts_params->mbuf_pool != NULL) {
 		RTE_LOG(DEBUG, USER1, "CRYPTO_MBUFPOOL count %u\n",
-		rte_mempool_count(ts_params->mbuf_pool));
+		rte_mempool_avail_count(ts_params->mbuf_pool));
 	}
 
 	if (ts_params->op_mpool != NULL) {
 		RTE_LOG(DEBUG, USER1, "CRYPTO_OP_POOL count %u\n",
-		rte_mempool_count(ts_params->op_mpool));
+		rte_mempool_avail_count(ts_params->op_mpool));
 	}
 
 }
@@ -412,7 +412,7 @@ ut_teardown(void)
 
 	if (ts_params->mbuf_pool != NULL)
 		RTE_LOG(DEBUG, USER1, "CRYPTO_MBUFPOOL count %u\n",
-				rte_mempool_count(ts_params->mbuf_pool));
+			rte_mempool_avail_count(ts_params->mbuf_pool));
 
 	rte_cryptodev_stats_get(ts_params->valid_devs[0], &stats);
 
diff --git a/app/test/test_cryptodev_perf.c b/app/test/test_cryptodev_perf.c
index e484cbb53a..d72821121b 100644
--- a/app/test/test_cryptodev_perf.c
+++ b/app/test/test_cryptodev_perf.c
@@ -343,10 +343,10 @@ testsuite_teardown(void)
 
 	if (ts_params->mbuf_mp != NULL)
 		RTE_LOG(DEBUG, USER1, "CRYPTO_PERF_MBUFPOOL count %u\n",
-		rte_mempool_count(ts_params->mbuf_mp));
+		rte_mempool_avail_count(ts_params->mbuf_mp));
 	if (ts_params->op_mpool != NULL)
 		RTE_LOG(DEBUG, USER1, "CRYPTO_PERF_OP POOL count %u\n",
-		rte_mempool_count(ts_params->op_mpool));
+		rte_mempool_avail_count(ts_params->op_mpool));
 }
 
 static int
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ ut_teardown(void)
 
 	if (ts_params->mbuf_mp != NULL)
 		RTE_LOG(DEBUG, USER1, "CRYPTO_PERF_MBUFPOOL count %u\n",
-			rte_mempool_count(ts_params->mbuf_mp));
+			rte_mempool_avail_count(ts_params->mbuf_mp));
 
 	rte_cryptodev_stats_get(ts_params->dev_id, &stats);
 
diff --git a/app/test/test_mbuf.c b/app/test/test_mbuf.c
index 1835acc73a..8664885dd9 100644
--- a/app/test/test_mbuf.c
+++ b/app/test/test_mbuf.c
@@ -717,7 +717,7 @@ test_refcnt_iter(unsigned lcore, unsigned iter)
 	 * - increment it's reference up to N+1,
 	 * - enqueue it N times into the ring for slave cores to free.
 	 */
-	for (i = 0, n = rte_mempool_count(refcnt_pool);
+	for (i = 0, n = rte_mempool_avail_count(refcnt_pool);
 	    i != n && (m = rte_pktmbuf_alloc(refcnt_pool)) != NULL;
 	    i++) {
 		ref = RTE_MAX(rte_rand() % REFCNT_MAX_REF, 1UL);
@@ -745,7 +745,7 @@ test_refcnt_iter(unsigned lcore, unsigned iter)
 
 	/* check that all mbufs are back into mempool by now */
 	for (wn = 0; wn != REFCNT_MAX_TIMEOUT; wn++) {
-		if ((i = rte_mempool_count(refcnt_pool)) == n) {
+		if ((i = rte_mempool_avail_count(refcnt_pool)) == n) {
 			refcnt_lcore[lcore] += tref;
 			printf("%s(lcore=%u, iter=%u) completed, "
 			    "%u references processed\n",
diff --git a/app/test/test_mempool.c b/app/test/test_mempool.c
index 63c61f35bf..238ff52058 100644
--- a/app/test/test_mempool.c
+++ b/app/test/test_mempool.c
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ test_mempool_basic(struct rte_mempool *mp, int use_external_cache)
 	printf("get object count\n");
 	/* We have to count the extra caches, one in this case. */
 	offset = use_external_cache ? 1 * cache->len : 0;
-	if (rte_mempool_count(mp) + offset != MEMPOOL_SIZE - 1)
+	if (rte_mempool_avail_count(mp) + offset != MEMPOOL_SIZE - 1)
 		GOTO_ERR(ret, out);
 
 	printf("get private data\n");
@@ -497,7 +497,7 @@ test_mempool_basic_ex(struct rte_mempool *mp)
 		return ret;
 	}
 	printf("test_mempool_basic_ex now mempool (%s) has %u free entries\n",
-		mp->name, rte_mempool_free_count(mp));
+		mp->name, rte_mempool_in_use_count(mp));
 	if (rte_mempool_full(mp) != 1) {
 		printf("test_mempool_basic_ex the mempool should be full\n");
 		goto fail_mp_basic_ex;
diff --git a/app/test/test_mempool_perf.c b/app/test/test_mempool_perf.c
index b80a1dd36e..4fac04cd06 100644
--- a/app/test/test_mempool_perf.c
+++ b/app/test/test_mempool_perf.c
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ launch_cores(unsigned cores)
 		   external_cache_size : (unsigned) mp->cache_size,
 	       cores, n_get_bulk, n_put_bulk, n_keep);
 
-	if (rte_mempool_count(mp) != MEMPOOL_SIZE) {
+	if (rte_mempool_avail_count(mp) != MEMPOOL_SIZE) {
 		printf("mempool is not full\n");
 		return -1;
 	}
diff --git a/doc/guides/rel_notes/deprecation.rst b/doc/guides/rel_notes/deprecation.rst
index 56cb1d92dd..f502f86375 100644
--- a/doc/guides/rel_notes/deprecation.rst
+++ b/doc/guides/rel_notes/deprecation.rst
@@ -32,6 +32,12 @@ Deprecation Notices
   PKT_RX_QINQ_STRIPPED, that are better described. The old flags and
   their behavior will be kept in 16.07 and will be removed in 16.11.
 
+* The APIs rte_mempool_count and rte_mempool_free_count are being deprecated
+  on the basis that they are confusing to use - free_count actually returns
+  the number of allocated entries, not the number of free entries as expected.
+  They are being replaced by rte_mempool_avail_count and
+  rte_mempool_in_use_count respectively.
+
 * The mempool functions for single/multi producer/consumer are deprecated and
   will be removed in 16.11.
   It is replaced by rte_mempool_generic_get/put functions.
diff --git a/drivers/net/qede/qede_rxtx.c b/drivers/net/qede/qede_rxtx.c
index ccce5fdbcd..b5a40fe48e 100644
--- a/drivers/net/qede/qede_rxtx.c
+++ b/drivers/net/qede/qede_rxtx.c
@@ -23,8 +23,8 @@ static inline int qede_alloc_rx_buffer(struct qede_rx_queue *rxq)
 			   "Failed to allocate rx buffer "
 			   "sw_rx_prod %u sw_rx_cons %u mp entries %u free %u",
 			   idx, rxq->sw_rx_cons & NUM_RX_BDS(rxq),
-			   rte_mempool_count(rxq->mb_pool),
-			   rte_mempool_free_count(rxq->mb_pool));
+			   rte_mempool_avail_count(rxq->mb_pool),
+			   rte_mempool_in_use_count(rxq->mb_pool));
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
 	rxq->sw_rx_ring[idx].mbuf = new_mb;
diff --git a/drivers/net/thunderx/nicvf_ethdev.c b/drivers/net/thunderx/nicvf_ethdev.c
index d534312fa0..48ed3812fe 100644
--- a/drivers/net/thunderx/nicvf_ethdev.c
+++ b/drivers/net/thunderx/nicvf_ethdev.c
@@ -1158,7 +1158,7 @@ nicvf_dev_rx_queue_setup(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, uint16_t qidx,
 
 	PMD_RX_LOG(DEBUG, "[%d] rxq=%p pool=%s nb_desc=(%d/%d) phy=%" PRIx64,
 			qidx, rxq, mp->name, nb_desc,
-			rte_mempool_count(mp), rxq->phys);
+			rte_mempool_avail_count(mp), rxq->phys);
 
 	dev->data->rx_queues[qidx] = rxq;
 	dev->data->rx_queue_state[qidx] = RTE_ETH_QUEUE_STATE_STOPPED;
@@ -1313,10 +1313,10 @@ nicvf_dev_start(struct rte_eth_dev *dev)
 		total_rxq_desc += rxq->qlen_mask + 1;
 		exp_buffs = RTE_MEMPOOL_CACHE_MAX_SIZE + rxq->rx_free_thresh;
 		exp_buffs *= nic->eth_dev->data->nb_rx_queues;
-		if (rte_mempool_count(rxq->pool) < exp_buffs) {
+		if (rte_mempool_avail_count(rxq->pool) < exp_buffs) {
 			PMD_INIT_LOG(ERR, "Buff shortage in pool=%s (%d/%d)",
 				     rxq->pool->name,
-				     rte_mempool_count(rxq->pool),
+				     rte_mempool_avail_count(rxq->pool),
 				     exp_buffs);
 			return -ENOENT;
 		}
diff --git a/examples/multi_process/l2fwd_fork/main.c b/examples/multi_process/l2fwd_fork/main.c
index 368b309932..2d951d9303 100644
--- a/examples/multi_process/l2fwd_fork/main.c
+++ b/examples/multi_process/l2fwd_fork/main.c
@@ -442,7 +442,8 @@ reset_slave_all_ports(unsigned slaveid)
 		pool = rte_mempool_lookup(buf_name);
 		if (pool)
 			printf("Port %d mempool free object is %u(%u)\n", slave->port[i],
-				rte_mempool_count(pool), (unsigned)NB_MBUF);
+				rte_mempool_avail_count(pool),
+				(unsigned int)NB_MBUF);
 		else
 			printf("Can't find mempool %s\n", buf_name);
 
diff --git a/examples/qos_sched/main.c b/examples/qos_sched/main.c
index e16b164dd2..e10cfd448d 100644
--- a/examples/qos_sched/main.c
+++ b/examples/qos_sched/main.c
@@ -201,8 +201,6 @@ app_stat(void)
 				stats.oerrors - tx_stats[i].oerrors);
 		memcpy(&tx_stats[i], &stats, sizeof(stats));
 
-		//printf("MP = %d\n", rte_mempool_count(conf->app_pktmbuf_pool));
-
 #if APP_COLLECT_STAT
 		printf("-------+------------+------------+\n");
 		printf("       |  received  |   dropped  |\n");
diff --git a/lib/librte_mempool/rte_mempool.c b/lib/librte_mempool/rte_mempool.c
index 4f159fce43..d78d02b7b8 100644
--- a/lib/librte_mempool/rte_mempool.c
+++ b/lib/librte_mempool/rte_mempool.c
@@ -960,8 +960,8 @@ rte_mempool_xmem_create(const char *name, unsigned n, unsigned elt_size,
 }
 
 /* Return the number of entries in the mempool */
-unsigned
-rte_mempool_count(const struct rte_mempool *mp)
+unsigned int
+rte_mempool_avail_count(const struct rte_mempool *mp)
 {
 	unsigned count;
 	unsigned lcore_id;
@@ -983,6 +983,19 @@ rte_mempool_count(const struct rte_mempool *mp)
 	return count;
 }
 
+/* return the number of entries allocated from the mempool */
+unsigned int
+rte_mempool_in_use_count(const struct rte_mempool *mp)
+{
+	return mp->size - rte_mempool_avail_count(mp);
+}
+
+unsigned int
+rte_mempool_count(const struct rte_mempool *mp)
+{
+	return rte_mempool_avail_count(mp);
+}
+
 /* dump the cache status */
 static unsigned
 rte_mempool_dump_cache(FILE *f, const struct rte_mempool *mp)
diff --git a/lib/librte_mempool/rte_mempool.h b/lib/librte_mempool/rte_mempool.h
index c8a81e2da7..fb7052e145 100644
--- a/lib/librte_mempool/rte_mempool.h
+++ b/lib/librte_mempool/rte_mempool.h
@@ -1498,9 +1498,41 @@ rte_mempool_get(struct rte_mempool *mp, void **obj_p)
  * @return
  *   The number of entries in the mempool.
  */
+unsigned int rte_mempool_avail_count(const struct rte_mempool *mp);
+
+/**
+ * @deprecated
+ * Return the number of entries in the mempool.
+ *
+ * When cache is enabled, this function has to browse the length of
+ * all lcores, so it should not be used in a data path, but only for
+ * debug purposes.
+ *
+ * @param mp
+ *   A pointer to the mempool structure.
+ * @return
+ *   The number of entries in the mempool.
+ */
+__rte_deprecated
 unsigned rte_mempool_count(const struct rte_mempool *mp);
 
 /**
+ * Return the number of elements which have been allocated from the mempool
+ *
+ * When cache is enabled, this function has to browse the length of
+ * all lcores, so it should not be used in a data path, but only for
+ * debug purposes.
+ *
+ * @param mp
+ *   A pointer to the mempool structure.
+ * @return
+ *   The number of free entries in the mempool.
+ */
+unsigned int
+rte_mempool_in_use_count(const struct rte_mempool *mp);
+
+/**
+ * @deprecated
  * Return the number of free entries in the mempool ring.
  * i.e. how many entries can be freed back to the mempool.
  *
@@ -1517,10 +1549,11 @@ unsigned rte_mempool_count(const struct rte_mempool *mp);
  * @return
  *   The number of free entries in the mempool.
  */
+__rte_deprecated
 static inline unsigned
 rte_mempool_free_count(const struct rte_mempool *mp)
 {
-	return mp->size - rte_mempool_count(mp);
+	return rte_mempool_in_use_count(mp);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -1539,7 +1572,7 @@ rte_mempool_free_count(const struct rte_mempool *mp)
 static inline int
 rte_mempool_full(const struct rte_mempool *mp)
 {
-	return !!(rte_mempool_count(mp) == mp->size);
+	return !!(rte_mempool_avail_count(mp) == mp->size);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -1558,7 +1591,7 @@ rte_mempool_full(const struct rte_mempool *mp)
 static inline int
 rte_mempool_empty(const struct rte_mempool *mp)
 {
-	return !!(rte_mempool_count(mp) == 0);
+	return !!(rte_mempool_avail_count(mp) == 0);
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/lib/librte_mempool/rte_mempool_version.map b/lib/librte_mempool/rte_mempool_version.map
index 729ea9777b..dee1c99073 100644
--- a/lib/librte_mempool/rte_mempool_version.map
+++ b/lib/librte_mempool/rte_mempool_version.map
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ DPDK_2.0 {
 DPDK_16.07 {
 	global:
 
+	rte_mempool_avail_count;
 	rte_mempool_cache_create;
 	rte_mempool_cache_flush;
 	rte_mempool_cache_free;
@@ -28,6 +29,7 @@ DPDK_16.07 {
 	rte_mempool_free;
 	rte_mempool_generic_get;
 	rte_mempool_generic_put;
+	rte_mempool_in_use_count;
 	rte_mempool_mem_iter;
 	rte_mempool_obj_iter;
 	rte_mempool_ops_table;