diff --git a/cmake/modules/CheckCXXFeatures.cmake b/cmake/modules/CheckCXXFeatures.cmake
index 5c4bd828c1d301a253d77dc1fd5c0b3c888a9f36..d8f922837592b1dae75880fb9d089a89218200a6 100644
--- a/cmake/modules/CheckCXXFeatures.cmake
+++ b/cmake/modules/CheckCXXFeatures.cmake
@@ -481,3 +481,15 @@ check_cxx_source_compiles("
   }
 " DUNE_SUPPORTS_CXX_THROW_IN_CONSTEXPR
   )
+
+
+# Check whether the compiler supports inline variables
+check_cxx_source_compiles("
+  inline int foo = 42;
+
+  int main()
+  {
+    return not (foo == 42);
+  }
+" DUNE_HAVE_CXX_INLINE_VARIABLES
+  )
diff --git a/config.h.cmake b/config.h.cmake
index fa6b9d21195fd6f8f3e464f1edae4ab649ce15e7..a15ab8a8d117c4699c70bfdba62cb2843b70dd70 100644
--- a/config.h.cmake
+++ b/config.h.cmake
@@ -35,6 +35,9 @@
 /* does the compiler support conditionally throwing exceptions in constexpr context? */
 #cmakedefine DUNE_SUPPORTS_CXX_THROW_IN_CONSTEXPR 1
 
+/* does the compiler support inline variables? */
+#cmakedefine DUNE_HAVE_CXX_INLINE_VARIABLES 1
+
 /* Define if you have a BLAS library. */
 #cmakedefine HAVE_BLAS 1