diff --git a/package/libpqxx/Config.in b/package/libpqxx/Config.in
index d06451d792..f5fe2b3807 100644
--- a/package/libpqxx/Config.in
+++ b/package/libpqxx/Config.in
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_LIBPQXX
 	bool "libpqxx"
 	depends on BR2_PACKAGE_POSTGRESQL
 	depends on BR2_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_THREADS
-	depends on BR2_TOOLCHAIN_GCC_AT_LEAST_4_9 # C++11
+	depends on BR2_TOOLCHAIN_GCC_AT_LEAST_7 # C++17
 	depends on BR2_INSTALL_LIBSTDCPP
 	help
 	  libpqxx is the official C++ client API for PostgreSQL, the
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_LIBPQXX
 
 	  http://pqxx.org/development/libpqxx/
 
-comment "libpqxx needs toolchain w/ C++, gcc >= 4.9, threads"
+comment "libpqxx needs toolchain w/ C++, gcc >= 7, threads"
 	depends on BR2_PACKAGE_POSTGRESQL
 	depends on !BR2_INSTALL_LIBSTDCPP || \
-		!BR2_TOOLCHAIN_GCC_AT_LEAST_4_9 || \
+		!BR2_TOOLCHAIN_GCC_AT_LEAST_7 || \
 		!BR2_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_THREADS
diff --git a/package/libpqxx/libpqxx.mk b/package/libpqxx/libpqxx.mk
index b280f5a52a..434cefd069 100644
--- a/package/libpqxx/libpqxx.mk
+++ b/package/libpqxx/libpqxx.mk
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ LIBPQXX_DEPENDENCIES = postgresql
 LIBPQXX_LICENSE = BSD-3-Clause
 LIBPQXX_LICENSE_FILES = COPYING
 
-LIBPQXX_CONF_ENV += ac_cv_path_PG_CONFIG=$(STAGING_DIR)/usr/bin/pg_config
+LIBPQXX_CONF_ENV = \
+	ac_cv_path_PG_CONFIG=$(STAGING_DIR)/usr/bin/pg_config \
+	CXXFLAGS="$(TARGET_CXXFLAGS) -std=c++17"
 
 $(eval $(autotools-package))