diff --git a/accounts-db/src/accounts_db.rs b/accounts-db/src/accounts_db.rs
index 6520d4de189d64..62de2fbd61660c 100644
--- a/accounts-db/src/accounts_db.rs
+++ b/accounts-db/src/accounts_db.rs
@@ -475,6 +475,7 @@ pub(crate) struct ShrinkCollect<'a, T: ShrinkCollectRefs<'a>> {
     pub(crate) slot: Slot,
     pub(crate) capacity: u64,
     pub(crate) unrefed_pubkeys: Vec<&'a Pubkey>,
+    pub(crate) zero_lamport_single_ref_pubkeys: Vec<&'a Pubkey>,
     pub(crate) alive_accounts: T,
     /// total size in storage of all alive accounts
     pub(crate) alive_total_bytes: usize,
@@ -524,6 +525,8 @@ struct LoadAccountsIndexForShrink<'a, T: ShrinkCollectRefs<'a>> {
     alive_accounts: T,
     /// pubkeys that were unref'd in the accounts index because they were dead
     unrefed_pubkeys: Vec<&'a Pubkey>,
+    /// pubkeys that are the last remaining zero lamport instance of an account
+    zero_lamport_single_ref_pubkeys: Vec<&'a Pubkey>,
     /// true if all alive accounts are zero lamport accounts
     all_are_zero_lamports: bool,
     /// index entries we need to hold onto to keep them from getting flushed
@@ -2011,6 +2014,7 @@ pub struct ShrinkStats {
     dead_accounts: AtomicU64,
     alive_accounts: AtomicU64,
     accounts_loaded: AtomicU64,
+    purged_zero_lamports: AtomicU64,
 }
 
 impl ShrinkStats {
@@ -2109,6 +2113,11 @@ impl ShrinkStats {
                     self.accounts_loaded.swap(0, Ordering::Relaxed) as i64,
                     i64
                 ),
+                (
+                    "purged_zero_lamports_count",
+                    self.purged_zero_lamports.swap(0, Ordering::Relaxed),
+                    i64
+                ),
             );
         }
     }
@@ -2309,6 +2318,13 @@ impl ShrinkAncientStats {
                 self.many_refs_old_alive.swap(0, Ordering::Relaxed),
                 i64
             ),
+            (
+                "purged_zero_lamports_count",
+                self.shrink_stats
+                    .purged_zero_lamports
+                    .swap(0, Ordering::Relaxed),
+                i64
+            ),
         );
     }
 }
@@ -3793,12 +3809,14 @@ impl AccountsDb {
         let count = accounts.len();
         let mut alive_accounts = T::with_capacity(count, slot_to_shrink);
         let mut unrefed_pubkeys = Vec::with_capacity(count);
+        let mut zero_lamport_single_ref_pubkeys = Vec::with_capacity(count);
 
         let mut alive = 0;
         let mut dead = 0;
         let mut index = 0;
         let mut all_are_zero_lamports = true;
         let mut index_entries_being_shrunk = Vec::with_capacity(accounts.len());
+        let latest_full_snapshot_slot = self.latest_full_snapshot_slot();
         self.accounts_index.scan(
             accounts.iter().map(|account| account.pubkey()),
             |pubkey, slots_refs, entry| {
@@ -3817,6 +3835,21 @@ impl AccountsDb {
                         unrefed_pubkeys.push(pubkey);
                         result = AccountsIndexScanResult::Unref;
                         dead += 1;
+                    } else if stored_account.is_zero_lamport()
+                        && ref_count == 1
+                        && latest_full_snapshot_slot
+                            .map(|latest_full_snapshot_slot| {
+                                latest_full_snapshot_slot >= slot_to_shrink
+                            })
+                            .unwrap_or(true)
+                    {
+                        // only do this if our slot is prior to the latest full snapshot
+                        // we found a zero lamport account that is the only instance of this account. We can delete it completely.
+                        zero_lamport_single_ref_pubkeys.push(pubkey);
+                        self.add_uncleaned_pubkeys_after_shrink(
+                            slot_to_shrink,
+                            [*pubkey].into_iter(),
+                        );
                     } else {
                         // Hold onto the index entry arc so that it cannot be flushed.
                         // Since we are shrinking these entries, we need to disambiguate storage ids during this period and those only exist in the in-memory accounts index.
@@ -3839,6 +3872,7 @@ impl AccountsDb {
         LoadAccountsIndexForShrink {
             alive_accounts,
             unrefed_pubkeys,
+            zero_lamport_single_ref_pubkeys,
             all_are_zero_lamports,
             index_entries_being_shrunk,
         }
@@ -3939,6 +3973,7 @@ impl AccountsDb {
         let len = stored_accounts.len();
         let alive_accounts_collect = Mutex::new(T::with_capacity(len, slot));
         let unrefed_pubkeys_collect = Mutex::new(Vec::with_capacity(len));
+        let zero_lamport_single_ref_pubkeys_collect = Mutex::new(Vec::with_capacity(len));
         stats
             .accounts_loaded
             .fetch_add(len as u64, Ordering::Relaxed);
@@ -3955,6 +3990,7 @@ impl AccountsDb {
                         alive_accounts,
                         mut unrefed_pubkeys,
                         all_are_zero_lamports,
+                        mut zero_lamport_single_ref_pubkeys,
                         mut index_entries_being_shrunk,
                     } = self.load_accounts_index_for_shrink(stored_accounts, stats, slot);
 
@@ -3967,6 +4003,10 @@ impl AccountsDb {
                         .lock()
                         .unwrap()
                         .append(&mut unrefed_pubkeys);
+                    zero_lamport_single_ref_pubkeys_collect
+                        .lock()
+                        .unwrap()
+                        .append(&mut zero_lamport_single_ref_pubkeys);
                     index_entries_being_shrunk_outer
                         .lock()
                         .unwrap()
@@ -3979,6 +4019,9 @@ impl AccountsDb {
 
         let alive_accounts = alive_accounts_collect.into_inner().unwrap();
         let unrefed_pubkeys = unrefed_pubkeys_collect.into_inner().unwrap();
+        let zero_lamport_single_ref_pubkeys = zero_lamport_single_ref_pubkeys_collect
+            .into_inner()
+            .unwrap();
 
         index_read_elapsed.stop();
         stats
@@ -4002,6 +4045,7 @@ impl AccountsDb {
             slot,
             capacity: *capacity,
             unrefed_pubkeys,
+            zero_lamport_single_ref_pubkeys,
             alive_accounts,
             alive_total_bytes,
             total_starting_accounts: len,
@@ -4010,6 +4054,41 @@ impl AccountsDb {
         }
     }
 
+    /// These accounts were found during shrink of `slot` to be slot_list=[slot] and ref_count == 1 and lamports = 0.
+    /// This means this slot contained the only account data for this pubkey and it is zero lamport.
+    /// Thus, we did NOT treat this as an alive account, so we did NOT copy the zero lamport account to the new
+    /// storage. So, the account will no longer be alive or exist at `slot`.
+    /// So, first, remove the ref count since this newly shrunk storage will no longer access it.
+    /// Second, remove `slot` from the index entry's slot list. If the slot list is now empty, then the
+    /// pubkey can be removed completely from the index.
+    /// In parallel with this code (which is running in the bg), the same pubkey could be revived and written to
+    /// as part of tx processing. In that case, the slot list will contain a slot in the write cache and the
+    /// index entry will NOT be deleted.
+    fn remove_zero_lamport_single_ref_accounts_after_shrink(
+        &self,
+        zero_lamport_single_ref_pubkeys: &[&Pubkey],
+        slot: Slot,
+        stats: &ShrinkStats,
+    ) {
+        stats.purged_zero_lamports.fetch_add(
+            zero_lamport_single_ref_pubkeys.len() as u64,
+            Ordering::Relaxed,
+        );
+
+        // we have to unref before we `purge_keys_exact`. Otherwise, we could race with the foreground with tx processing
+        // reviving this index entry and then we'd unref the revived version, which is a refcount bug.
+        self.accounts_index.scan(
+            zero_lamport_single_ref_pubkeys.iter().cloned(),
+            |_pubkey, _slots_refs, _entry| AccountsIndexScanResult::Unref,
+            Some(AccountsIndexScanResult::Unref),
+            false,
+        );
+
+        zero_lamport_single_ref_pubkeys.iter().for_each(|k| {
+            _ = self.purge_keys_exact([&(**k, slot)].into_iter());
+        });
+    }
+
     /// common code from shrink and combine_ancient_slots
     /// get rid of all original store_ids in the slot
     pub(crate) fn remove_old_stores_shrink<'a, T: ShrinkCollectRefs<'a>>(
@@ -4020,7 +4099,19 @@ impl AccountsDb {
         shrink_can_be_active: bool,
     ) {
         let mut time = Measure::start("remove_old_stores_shrink");
+
+        // handle the zero lamport alive accounts before calling clean
+        // We have to update the index entries for these zero lamport pubkeys before we remove the storage in `mark_dirty_dead_stores`
+        // that contained the accounts.
+        self.remove_zero_lamport_single_ref_accounts_after_shrink(
+            &shrink_collect.zero_lamport_single_ref_pubkeys,
+            shrink_collect.slot,
+            stats,
+        );
+
         // Purge old, overwritten storage entries
+        // This has the side effect of dropping `shrink_in_progress`, which removes the old storage completely. The
+        // index has to be correct before we drop the old storage.
         let dead_storages = self.mark_dirty_dead_stores(
             shrink_collect.slot,
             // If all accounts are zero lamports, then we want to mark the entire OLD append vec as dirty.
@@ -10884,6 +10975,146 @@ pub mod tests {
         assert_eq!(accounts.alive_account_count_in_slot(1), 0);
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn test_remove_zero_lamport_single_ref_accounts_after_shrink() {
+        for pass in 0..3 {
+            let accounts = AccountsDb::new_single_for_tests();
+            let pubkey_zero = Pubkey::from([1; 32]);
+            let pubkey2 = Pubkey::from([2; 32]);
+            let account = AccountSharedData::new(1, 0, AccountSharedData::default().owner());
+            let zero_lamport_account =
+                AccountSharedData::new(0, 0, AccountSharedData::default().owner());
+            let slot = 1;
+
+            accounts.store_for_tests(
+                slot,
+                &[(&pubkey_zero, &zero_lamport_account), (&pubkey2, &account)],
+            );
+
+            // Simulate rooting the zero-lamport account, writes it to storage
+            accounts.calculate_accounts_delta_hash(slot);
+            accounts.add_root_and_flush_write_cache(slot);
+
+            if pass > 0 {
+                // store in write cache
+                accounts.store_for_tests(slot + 1, &[(&pubkey_zero, &zero_lamport_account)]);
+                if pass == 2 {
+                    // move to a storage (causing ref count to increase)
+                    accounts.calculate_accounts_delta_hash(slot + 1);
+                    accounts.add_root_and_flush_write_cache(slot + 1);
+                }
+            }
+
+            accounts.accounts_index.get_and_then(&pubkey_zero, |entry| {
+                let expected_ref_count = if pass < 2 { 1 } else { 2 };
+                assert_eq!(entry.unwrap().ref_count(), expected_ref_count, "{pass}");
+                let expected_slot_list = if pass < 1 { 1 } else { 2 };
+                assert_eq!(
+                    entry.unwrap().slot_list.read().unwrap().len(),
+                    expected_slot_list
+                );
+                (false, ())
+            });
+            accounts.accounts_index.get_and_then(&pubkey2, |entry| {
+                assert!(entry.is_some());
+                (false, ())
+            });
+
+            let zero_lamport_single_ref_pubkeys = [&pubkey_zero];
+            accounts.remove_zero_lamport_single_ref_accounts_after_shrink(
+                &zero_lamport_single_ref_pubkeys,
+                slot,
+                &ShrinkStats::default(),
+            );
+
+            accounts.accounts_index.get_and_then(&pubkey_zero, |entry| {
+                if pass == 0 {
+                    // should not exist in index at all
+                    assert!(entry.is_none(), "{pass}");
+                } else {
+                    // alive only in slot + 1
+                    assert_eq!(entry.unwrap().slot_list.read().unwrap().len(), 1);
+                    assert_eq!(
+                        entry
+                            .unwrap()
+                            .slot_list
+                            .read()
+                            .unwrap()
+                            .first()
+                            .map(|(s, _)| s)
+                            .cloned()
+                            .unwrap(),
+                        slot + 1
+                    );
+                    // refcount = 1 if we flushed the write cache for slot + 1
+                    let expected_ref_count = if pass < 2 { 0 } else { 1 };
+                    assert_eq!(
+                        entry.map(|e| e.ref_count()),
+                        Some(expected_ref_count),
+                        "{pass}"
+                    );
+                }
+                (false, ())
+            });
+
+            accounts.accounts_index.get_and_then(&pubkey2, |entry| {
+                assert!(entry.is_some(), "{pass}");
+                (false, ())
+            });
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_shrink_zero_lamport_single_ref_account() {
+        solana_logger::setup();
+
+        // store a zero and non-zero lamport account
+        // make sure clean marks the ref_count=1, zero lamport account dead and removes pubkey from index completely
+        let accounts = AccountsDb::new_single_for_tests();
+        let pubkey_zero = Pubkey::from([1; 32]);
+        let pubkey2 = Pubkey::from([2; 32]);
+        let account = AccountSharedData::new(1, 0, AccountSharedData::default().owner());
+        let zero_lamport_account =
+            AccountSharedData::new(0, 0, AccountSharedData::default().owner());
+
+        // Store a zero-lamport account and a non-zero lamport account
+        accounts.store_for_tests(
+            1,
+            &[(&pubkey_zero, &zero_lamport_account), (&pubkey2, &account)],
+        );
+
+        // Simulate rooting the zero-lamport account, should be a
+        // candidate for cleaning
+        accounts.calculate_accounts_delta_hash(1);
+        accounts.add_root_and_flush_write_cache(1);
+
+        // for testing, we need to cause shrink to think this will be productive.
+        // The zero lamport account isn't dead, but it can become dead inside shrink.
+        accounts
+            .storage
+            .get_slot_storage_entry(1)
+            .unwrap()
+            .alive_bytes
+            .fetch_sub(aligned_stored_size(0), Ordering::Relaxed);
+
+        // Slot 1 should be cleaned, but
+        // zero-lamport account should not be cleaned since last full snapshot root is before slot 1
+        accounts.shrink_slot_forced(1);
+
+        assert!(accounts.storage.get_slot_storage_entry(1).is_some());
+
+        // the zero lamport account should be marked as dead
+        assert_eq!(accounts.alive_account_count_in_slot(1), 1);
+
+        // zero lamport account should be dead in the index
+        assert!(!accounts
+            .accounts_index
+            .contains_with(&pubkey_zero, None, None));
+        // other account should still be alive
+        assert!(accounts.accounts_index.contains_with(&pubkey2, None, None));
+        assert!(accounts.storage.get_slot_storage_entry(1).is_some());
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn test_clean_multiple_zero_lamport_decrements_index_ref_count() {
         solana_logger::setup();
@@ -15910,6 +16141,8 @@ pub mod tests {
                                 debug!("space: {space}, lamports: {lamports}, alive: {alive}, account_count: {account_count}, append_opposite_alive_account: {append_opposite_alive_account}, append_opposite_zero_lamport_account: {append_opposite_zero_lamport_account}, normal_account_count: {normal_account_count}");
                                 let db = AccountsDb::new_single_for_tests();
                                 let slot5 = 5;
+                                // don't do special zero lamport account handling
+                                db.set_latest_full_snapshot_slot(0);
                                 let mut account = AccountSharedData::new(
                                     lamports,
                                     space,
diff --git a/accounts-db/src/ancient_append_vecs.rs b/accounts-db/src/ancient_append_vecs.rs
index 998781d8c04850..ffe025e7474a39 100644
--- a/accounts-db/src/ancient_append_vecs.rs
+++ b/accounts-db/src/ancient_append_vecs.rs
@@ -3836,6 +3836,7 @@ pub mod tests {
                 unrefed_pubkeys: unrefed_pubkeys.iter().collect(),
 
                 // irrelevant fields
+                zero_lamport_single_ref_pubkeys: Vec::default(),
                 slot: 0,
                 capacity: 0,
                 alive_accounts: ShrinkCollectAliveSeparatedByRefs {