diff --git a/packages/babel-plugin-makepot/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/babel-plugin-makepot/CHANGELOG.md
index c70831cbada60..8079f5197a2fd 100644
--- a/packages/babel-plugin-makepot/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/babel-plugin-makepot/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+## v2.1.1 (Unreleased)
+
+### Bug Fix
+
+- Fixed Babel plugin for POT file generation to properly handle plural numbers specified in the passed header. ([#13577](https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/13577))
+
 ## 2.1.0 (2018-09-05)
 
 ### New Feature
diff --git a/packages/babel-plugin-makepot/src/index.js b/packages/babel-plugin-makepot/src/index.js
index 1f9524f524ac5..cf66b8bbc80f3 100644
--- a/packages/babel-plugin-makepot/src/index.js
+++ b/packages/babel-plugin-makepot/src/index.js
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ module.exports = function() {
 					// Attempt to exract nplurals from header
 					const pluralsMatch = ( baseData.headers[ 'plural-forms' ] || '' ).match( /nplurals\s*=\s*(\d+);/ );
 					if ( pluralsMatch ) {
-						nplurals = pluralsMatch[ 1 ];
+						nplurals = parseInt( pluralsMatch[ 1 ], 10 );
 					}
 				}