diff --git a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
index f6257fb4f08c..39b15968eab1 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
@@ -309,10 +309,11 @@ static char *get_config_name(struct list_head *head_terms)
 static struct perf_evsel *
 __add_event(struct list_head *list, int *idx,
 	    struct perf_event_attr *attr,
-	    char *name, struct cpu_map *cpus,
+	    char *name, struct perf_pmu *pmu,
 	    struct list_head *config_terms, bool auto_merge_stats)
 {
 	struct perf_evsel *evsel;
+	struct cpu_map *cpus = pmu ? pmu->cpus : NULL;
 
 	event_attr_init(attr);
 
@@ -323,7 +324,7 @@ __add_event(struct list_head *list, int *idx,
 	(*idx)++;
 	evsel->cpus        = cpu_map__get(cpus);
 	evsel->own_cpus    = cpu_map__get(cpus);
-	evsel->system_wide = !!cpus;
+	evsel->system_wide = pmu ? pmu->is_uncore : false;
 	evsel->auto_merge_stats = auto_merge_stats;
 
 	if (name)
@@ -1233,7 +1234,7 @@ static int __parse_events_add_pmu(struct parse_events_state *parse_state,
 
 	if (!head_config) {
 		attr.type = pmu->type;
-		evsel = __add_event(list, &parse_state->idx, &attr, NULL, pmu->cpus, NULL, auto_merge_stats);
+		evsel = __add_event(list, &parse_state->idx, &attr, NULL, pmu, NULL, auto_merge_stats);
 		return evsel ? 0 : -ENOMEM;
 	}
 
@@ -1254,7 +1255,7 @@ static int __parse_events_add_pmu(struct parse_events_state *parse_state,
 		return -EINVAL;
 
 	evsel = __add_event(list, &parse_state->idx, &attr,
-			    get_config_name(head_config), pmu->cpus,
+			    get_config_name(head_config), pmu,
 			    &config_terms, auto_merge_stats);
 	if (evsel) {
 		evsel->unit = info.unit;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/pmu.c b/tools/perf/util/pmu.c
index ac16a9db1fb5..1c4d7b4e4fb5 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/pmu.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/pmu.c
@@ -470,31 +470,10 @@ static void pmu_read_sysfs(void)
 	closedir(dir);
 }
 
-static struct cpu_map *pmu_cpumask(const char *name)
+static struct cpu_map *__pmu_cpumask(const char *path)
 {
-	struct stat st;
-	char path[PATH_MAX];
 	FILE *file;
 	struct cpu_map *cpus;
-	const char *sysfs = sysfs__mountpoint();
-	const char *templates[] = {
-		 "%s/bus/event_source/devices/%s/cpumask",
-		 "%s/bus/event_source/devices/%s/cpus",
-		 NULL
-	};
-	const char **template;
-
-	if (!sysfs)
-		return NULL;
-
-	for (template = templates; *template; template++) {
-		snprintf(path, PATH_MAX, *template, sysfs, name);
-		if (stat(path, &st) == 0)
-			break;
-	}
-
-	if (!*template)
-		return NULL;
 
 	file = fopen(path, "r");
 	if (!file)
@@ -505,6 +484,51 @@ static struct cpu_map *pmu_cpumask(const char *name)
 	return cpus;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Uncore PMUs have a "cpumask" file under sysfs. CPU PMUs (e.g. on arm/arm64)
+ * may have a "cpus" file.
+ */
+#define CPUS_TEMPLATE_UNCORE	"%s/bus/event_source/devices/%s/cpumask"
+#define CPUS_TEMPLATE_CPU	"%s/bus/event_source/devices/%s/cpus"
+
+static struct cpu_map *pmu_cpumask(const char *name)
+{
+	char path[PATH_MAX];
+	struct cpu_map *cpus;
+	const char *sysfs = sysfs__mountpoint();
+	const char *templates[] = {
+		CPUS_TEMPLATE_UNCORE,
+		CPUS_TEMPLATE_CPU,
+		NULL
+	};
+	const char **template;
+
+	if (!sysfs)
+		return NULL;
+
+	for (template = templates; *template; template++) {
+		snprintf(path, PATH_MAX, *template, sysfs, name);
+		cpus = __pmu_cpumask(path);
+		if (cpus)
+			return cpus;
+	}
+
+	return NULL;
+}
+
+static bool pmu_is_uncore(const char *name)
+{
+	char path[PATH_MAX];
+	struct cpu_map *cpus;
+	const char *sysfs = sysfs__mountpoint();
+
+	snprintf(path, PATH_MAX, CPUS_TEMPLATE_UNCORE, sysfs, name);
+	cpus = __pmu_cpumask(path);
+	cpu_map__put(cpus);
+
+	return !!cpus;
+}
+
 /*
  * Return the CPU id as a raw string.
  *
@@ -617,6 +641,8 @@ static struct perf_pmu *pmu_lookup(const char *name)
 
 	pmu->cpus = pmu_cpumask(name);
 
+	pmu->is_uncore = pmu_is_uncore(name);
+
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&pmu->format);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&pmu->aliases);
 	list_splice(&format, &pmu->format);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/pmu.h b/tools/perf/util/pmu.h
index 389e9729331f..fe0de0502ce2 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/pmu.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/pmu.h
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ struct perf_pmu {
 	char *name;
 	__u32 type;
 	bool selectable;
+	bool is_uncore;
 	struct perf_event_attr *default_config;
 	struct cpu_map *cpus;
 	struct list_head format;  /* HEAD struct perf_pmu_format -> list */