diff --git a/ql/src/java/org/apache/hadoop/hive/ql/stats/StatsUtils.java b/ql/src/java/org/apache/hadoop/hive/ql/stats/StatsUtils.java
index 55f9d0c1e158..979dd11227bd 100644
--- a/ql/src/java/org/apache/hadoop/hive/ql/stats/StatsUtils.java
+++ b/ql/src/java/org/apache/hadoop/hive/ql/stats/StatsUtils.java
@@ -239,22 +239,33 @@ public static long getNumRows(HiveConf conf, List<ColumnInfo> schema, Table tabl
     return aggregateStat.getNumRows();
   }
 
-  private static void estimateStatsForMissingCols(List<String> neededColumns, List<ColStatistics> columnStats,
-      HiveConf conf, long nr, List<ColumnInfo> schema) {
+  /**
+   * Estimates column statistics for columns specified in {@code neededColumnNames}
+   * that do not already have statistics in the {@code existingColStats} list.
+   *
+   * @return A {@link List} of {@link ColStatistics} objects containing
+   * both the provided existing statistics and the newly estimated ones.
+   */
+  static List<ColStatistics> estimateStatsForMissingCols(
+      List<String> neededColumnNames, List<ColStatistics> existingColStats, HiveConf conf, long nr,
+      List<ColumnInfo> schema) {
 
-    Set<String> neededCols = new HashSet<>(neededColumns);
-    Set<String> colsWithStats = new HashSet<>();
+    Set<String> neededCols = new HashSet<>(neededColumnNames);
+    Set<String> columnNamesWithStats = new HashSet<>(existingColStats.size());
 
-    for (ColStatistics cstats : columnStats) {
-      colsWithStats.add(cstats.getColumnName());
+    for (ColStatistics cstats : existingColStats) {
+      columnNamesWithStats.add(cstats.getColumnName());
     }
 
-    List<String> missingColStats = new ArrayList<>(Sets.difference(neededCols, colsWithStats));
+    List<String> missingColumnNames = new ArrayList<>(Sets.difference(neededCols, columnNamesWithStats));
+    ArrayList<ColStatistics> combined = new ArrayList<>(existingColStats.size() + missingColumnNames.size());
+    combined.addAll(existingColStats);
 
-    if (!missingColStats.isEmpty()) {
-      columnStats.addAll(
-          estimateStats(schema, missingColStats, conf, nr));
+    if (!missingColumnNames.isEmpty()) {
+      combined.addAll(estimateStats(schema, missingColumnNames, conf, nr));
     }
+
+    return combined;
   }
 
   public static Statistics collectStatistics(HiveConf conf, PrunedPartitionList partList,
@@ -300,7 +311,7 @@ private static Statistics collectStatistics(HiveConf conf, PrunedPartitionList p
       if (needColStats && !metaTable) {
         colStats = getTableColumnStats(table, neededColumns, colStatsCache, fetchColStats);
         if (estimateStats) {
-          estimateStatsForMissingCols(neededColumns, colStats, conf, nr, schema);
+          colStats = estimateStatsForMissingCols(neededColumns, colStats, conf, nr, schema);
         }
         // we should have stats for all columns (estimated or actual)
         if (neededColumns.size() == colStats.size()) {
@@ -386,7 +397,7 @@ private static Statistics collectStatistics(HiveConf conf, PrunedPartitionList p
         boolean statsRetrieved = aggrStats != null &&
             aggrStats.getColStats() != null && aggrStats.getColStatsSize() != 0;
         if (neededColumns.isEmpty() || (!neededColsToRetrieve.isEmpty() && !statsRetrieved)) {
-          estimateStatsForMissingCols(neededColsToRetrieve, columnStats, conf, nr, schema);
+          columnStats = estimateStatsForMissingCols(neededColsToRetrieve, columnStats, conf, nr, schema);
           // There are some partitions with no state (or we didn't fetch any state).
           // Update the stats with empty list to reflect that in the
           // state/initialize structures.
diff --git a/ql/src/test/org/apache/hadoop/hive/ql/stats/TestStatsUtils.java b/ql/src/test/org/apache/hadoop/hive/ql/stats/TestStatsUtils.java
index c009472fed0a..dfa4f8e02af7 100644
--- a/ql/src/test/org/apache/hadoop/hive/ql/stats/TestStatsUtils.java
+++ b/ql/src/test/org/apache/hadoop/hive/ql/stats/TestStatsUtils.java
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@
 
 package org.apache.hadoop.hive.ql.stats;
 
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotEquals;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotNull;
@@ -41,10 +43,12 @@
 import org.apache.hadoop.hive.metastore.api.LongColumnStatsData;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hive.metastore.api.Timestamp;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hive.metastore.api.TimestampColumnStatsData;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hive.ql.exec.ColumnInfo;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hive.ql.plan.ColStatistics;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hive.ql.plan.ColStatistics.Range;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hive.ql.plan.Statistics;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hive.serde.serdeConstants;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hive.serde2.typeinfo.TypeInfoFactory;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 import org.junit.jupiter.params.ParameterizedTest;
 import org.junit.jupiter.params.provider.Arguments;
@@ -565,4 +569,44 @@ void testGetColStatisticsTimestampType() {
     assertEquals(1700000000L, range.maxValue.longValue(), "maxValue mismatch for TIMESTAMP");
   }
 
+  @Test
+  void testEstimateStatsForMissingColsHandlesEmptyList() {
+    HiveConf conf = new HiveConf();
+
+    ColumnInfo columnInfoA = new ColumnInfo("a", TypeInfoFactory.intTypeInfo, "t", false);
+
+    List<ColStatistics> allColumnStats = StatsUtils.estimateStatsForMissingCols(
+        List.of("a"), Collections.emptyList(), conf, 0, List.of(columnInfoA));
+
+    assertEquals(1, allColumnStats.size());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void testEstimateStatsForMissingColsCombinesExistingStatsAndEstimations() {
+    HiveConf conf = new HiveConf();
+
+    ColumnInfo colNeededButNotExists = new ColumnInfo("neededButNotExists", TypeInfoFactory.intTypeInfo, "t", false);
+    ColumnInfo colNeededAndExists = new ColumnInfo("neededAndExists", TypeInfoFactory.intTypeInfo, "t", false);
+    ColumnInfo colNotNeededButExists = new ColumnInfo("notNeededButExists", TypeInfoFactory.intTypeInfo, "t", false);
+    ColumnInfo colNotNeededNotExists = new ColumnInfo("notNeededNotExists", TypeInfoFactory.intTypeInfo, "t", false);
+
+    ColStatistics colStatNeededAndExists = new ColStatistics();
+    colStatNeededAndExists.setColumnName(colNeededAndExists.getInternalName());
+    ColStatistics colStatNotNeededButExists = new ColStatistics();
+    colStatNotNeededButExists.setColumnName(colNotNeededButExists.getInternalName());
+
+    List<ColStatistics> allColumnStats = StatsUtils.estimateStatsForMissingCols(
+        List.of(colNeededAndExists.getInternalName(), colNeededButNotExists.getInternalName()),
+        List.of(colStatNeededAndExists, colStatNotNeededButExists),
+        conf,
+        0,
+        List.of(colNeededButNotExists, colNeededAndExists, colNotNeededButExists, colNotNeededNotExists));
+
+    assertEquals(3, allColumnStats.size());
+    assertEquals(allColumnStats.get(0), colStatNeededAndExists);
+    assertEquals(allColumnStats.get(1), colStatNotNeededButExists);
+    assertTrue(allColumnStats.get(2).isEstimated());
+    assertEquals(allColumnStats.get(2).getColumnName(), colNeededButNotExists.getInternalName());
+  }
+
 }