diff --git a/Doc/using/configure.rst b/Doc/using/configure.rst
index e662c0dafdb8de..20b4fb3c030e33 100644
--- a/Doc/using/configure.rst
+++ b/Doc/using/configure.rst
@@ -804,11 +804,14 @@ Libraries options
 
 .. option:: --with-system-libmpdec
 
-   Build the ``_decimal`` extension module using an installed ``mpdec``
-   library, see the :mod:`decimal` module (default is no).
+   Build the ``_decimal`` extension module using an installed ``mpdecimal``
+   library, see the :mod:`decimal` module (default is yes).
 
    .. versionadded:: 3.3
 
+   .. versionchanged:: 3.13
+      Default to using the installed ``mpdecimal`` library.
+
    .. seealso:: :option:`LIBMPDEC_CFLAGS` and :option:`LIBMPDEC_LIBS`.
 
 .. option:: --with-readline=readline|editline
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index cc85aed2aa51c2..4dbc2c6c01d995 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -1892,8 +1892,9 @@ Optional Packages:
   --with-libs='lib1 ...'  link against additional libs (default is no)
   --with-system-expat     build pyexpat module using an installed expat
                           library, see Doc/library/pyexpat.rst (default is no)
-  --with-system-libmpdec  build _decimal module using an installed libmpdec
-                          library, see Doc/library/decimal.rst (default is no)
+  --with-system-libmpdec  build _decimal module using an installed mpdecimal
+                          library, see Doc/library/decimal.rst (default is
+                          yes)
   --with-decimal-contextvar
                           build _decimal module using a coroutine-local rather
                           than a thread-local context (default is yes)
@@ -14611,7 +14612,7 @@ if test ${with_system_libmpdec+y}
 then :
   withval=$with_system_libmpdec;
 else $as_nop
-  with_system_libmpdec="no"
+  with_system_libmpdec="yes"
 fi
 
 { printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $with_system_libmpdec" >&5
@@ -14700,6 +14701,87 @@ else $as_nop
    LIBMPDEC_INTERNAL="\$(LIBMPDEC_HEADERS) \$(LIBMPDEC_A)"
 fi
 
+if test "x$with_system_libmpdec" = xyes
+then :
+  save_CFLAGS=$CFLAGS
+save_CPPFLAGS=$CPPFLAGS
+save_LDFLAGS=$LDFLAGS
+save_LIBS=$LIBS
+
+
+             CPPFLAGS="$LIBMPDEC_CFLAGS $CPPFLAGS"
+             LDFLAGS="$LIBMPDEC_LIBS $LDFLAGS"
+             { printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for library containing mpd_version" >&5
+printf %s "checking for library containing mpd_version... " >&6; }
+if test ${ac_cv_search_mpd_version+y}
+then :
+  printf %s "(cached) " >&6
+else $as_nop
+  ac_func_search_save_LIBS=$LIBS
+cat confdefs.h - <<_ACEOF >conftest.$ac_ext
+/* end confdefs.h.  */
+
+/* Override any GCC internal prototype to avoid an error.
+   Use char because int might match the return type of a GCC
+   builtin and then its argument prototype would still apply.  */
+char mpd_version ();
+int
+main (void)
+{
+return mpd_version ();
+  ;
+  return 0;
+}
+_ACEOF
+for ac_lib in '' mpdec
+do
+  if test -z "$ac_lib"; then
+    ac_res="none required"
+  else
+    ac_res=-l$ac_lib
+    LIBS="-l$ac_lib  $ac_func_search_save_LIBS"
+  fi
+  if ac_fn_c_try_link "$LINENO"
+then :
+  ac_cv_search_mpd_version=$ac_res
+fi
+rm -f core conftest.err conftest.$ac_objext conftest.beam \
+    conftest$ac_exeext
+  if test ${ac_cv_search_mpd_version+y}
+then :
+  break
+fi
+done
+if test ${ac_cv_search_mpd_version+y}
+then :
+
+else $as_nop
+  ac_cv_search_mpd_version=no
+fi
+rm conftest.$ac_ext
+LIBS=$ac_func_search_save_LIBS
+fi
+{ printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $ac_cv_search_mpd_version" >&5
+printf "%s\n" "$ac_cv_search_mpd_version" >&6; }
+ac_res=$ac_cv_search_mpd_version
+if test "$ac_res" != no
+then :
+  test "$ac_res" = "none required" || LIBS="$ac_res $LIBS"
+  have_mpdec=yes
+else $as_nop
+  have_mpdec=no
+fi
+
+CFLAGS=$save_CFLAGS
+CPPFLAGS=$save_CPPFLAGS
+LDFLAGS=$save_LDFLAGS
+LIBS=$save_LIBS
+
+
+else $as_nop
+  have_mpdec=yes
+fi
+
 # Disable forced inlining in debug builds, see GH-94847
 if test "x$with_pydebug" = xyes
 then :
@@ -30393,7 +30475,7 @@ then :
 
     if true
 then :
-  if true
+  if test "$have_mpdec" = "yes"
 then :
   py_cv_module__decimal=yes
 else $as_nop
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index c55e33add20fde..a5d18181a1eb70 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -3974,10 +3974,10 @@ AC_ARG_WITH(
   [system_libmpdec],
   [AS_HELP_STRING(
     [--with-system-libmpdec],
-    [build _decimal module using an installed libmpdec library, see Doc/library/decimal.rst (default is no)]
+    [build _decimal module using an installed mpdecimal library, see Doc/library/decimal.rst (default is yes)]
   )],
   [],
-  [with_system_libmpdec="no"])
+  [with_system_libmpdec="yes"])
 AC_MSG_RESULT([$with_system_libmpdec])
 
 AS_VAR_IF(
@@ -3991,6 +3991,14 @@ AS_VAR_IF(
    LIBMPDEC_LIBS="-lm \$(LIBMPDEC_A)"
    LIBMPDEC_INTERNAL="\$(LIBMPDEC_HEADERS) \$(LIBMPDEC_A)"])
 
+AS_VAR_IF([with_system_libmpdec], [yes],
+          [WITH_SAVE_ENV([
+             CPPFLAGS="$LIBMPDEC_CFLAGS $CPPFLAGS"
+             LDFLAGS="$LIBMPDEC_LIBS $LDFLAGS"
+             AC_SEARCH_LIBS([mpd_version], [mpdec],
+                            [have_mpdec=yes], [have_mpdec=no])])],
+          [have_mpdec=yes])
+
 # Disable forced inlining in debug builds, see GH-94847
 AS_VAR_IF(
   [with_pydebug], [yes],
@@ -7665,7 +7673,9 @@ PY_STDLIB_MOD([_curses_panel],
   [], [test "$have_panel" != "no"],
   [$PANEL_CFLAGS $CURSES_CFLAGS], [$PANEL_LIBS $CURSES_LIBS]
 )
-PY_STDLIB_MOD([_decimal], [], [], [$LIBMPDEC_CFLAGS], [$LIBMPDEC_LIBS])
+PY_STDLIB_MOD([_decimal],
+  [], [test "$have_mpdec" = "yes"],
+  [$LIBMPDEC_CFLAGS], [$LIBMPDEC_LIBS])
 PY_STDLIB_MOD([_dbm],
   [test -n "$with_dbmliborder"], [test "$have_dbm" != "no"],
   [$DBM_CFLAGS], [$DBM_LIBS])