diff --git a/lib/internal/modules/cjs/helpers.js b/lib/internal/modules/cjs/helpers.js
index 874805beccd39c..df727ff3c88a45 100644
--- a/lib/internal/modules/cjs/helpers.js
+++ b/lib/internal/modules/cjs/helpers.js
@@ -11,12 +11,7 @@ function makeRequireFunction(mod) {
   const Module = mod.constructor;
 
   function require(path) {
-    try {
-      exports.requireDepth += 1;
-      return mod.require(path);
-    } finally {
-      exports.requireDepth -= 1;
-    }
+    return mod.require(path);
   }
 
   function resolve(request, options) {
@@ -139,7 +134,6 @@ module.exports = exports = {
   builtinLibs,
   makeRequireFunction,
   normalizeReferrerURL,
-  requireDepth: 0,
   stripBOM,
   stripShebang
 };
diff --git a/lib/internal/modules/cjs/loader.js b/lib/internal/modules/cjs/loader.js
index fd592be8ea4c7e..b7ded66157d565 100644
--- a/lib/internal/modules/cjs/loader.js
+++ b/lib/internal/modules/cjs/loader.js
@@ -37,7 +37,6 @@ const { safeGetenv } = internalBinding('credentials');
 const {
   makeRequireFunction,
   normalizeReferrerURL,
-  requireDepth,
   stripBOM,
   stripShebang
 } = require('internal/modules/cjs/helpers');
@@ -85,18 +84,17 @@ const {
 
 const isWindows = process.platform === 'win32';
 
+let requireDepth = 0;
+let statCache = new Map();
 function stat(filename) {
   filename = path.toNamespacedPath(filename);
-  const cache = stat.cache;
-  if (cache !== null) {
-    const result = cache.get(filename);
-    if (result !== undefined) return result;
-  }
-  const result = internalModuleStat(filename);
-  if (cache !== null) cache.set(filename, result);
+  if (statCache === null) statCache = new Map();
+  let result = statCache.get(filename);
+  if (result !== undefined) return result;
+  result = internalModuleStat(filename);
+  statCache.set(filename, result);
   return result;
 }
-stat.cache = null;
 
 function updateChildren(parent, child, scan) {
   var children = parent && parent.children;
@@ -702,7 +700,12 @@ Module.prototype.require = function(id) {
     throw new ERR_INVALID_ARG_VALUE('id', id,
                                     'must be a non-empty string');
   }
-  return Module._load(id, this, /* isMain */ false);
+  requireDepth++;
+  try {
+    return Module._load(id, this, /* isMain */ false);
+  } finally {
+    requireDepth--;
+  }
 };
 
 
@@ -785,8 +788,6 @@ Module.prototype._compile = function(content, filename) {
   }
   var dirname = path.dirname(filename);
   var require = makeRequireFunction(this);
-  var depth = requireDepth;
-  if (depth === 0) stat.cache = new Map();
   var result;
   var exports = this.exports;
   var thisValue = exports;
@@ -798,7 +799,7 @@ Module.prototype._compile = function(content, filename) {
     result = compiledWrapper.call(thisValue, exports, require, module,
                                   filename, dirname);
   }
-  if (depth === 0) stat.cache = null;
+  if (requireDepth === 0) statCache = null;
   return result;
 };
 
diff --git a/test/fixtures/module-require-depth/one.js b/test/fixtures/module-require-depth/one.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 02b451465bb76c..00000000000000
--- a/test/fixtures/module-require-depth/one.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-// Flags: --expose_internals
-'use strict';
-const assert = require('assert');
-const {
-  requireDepth
-} = require('internal/modules/cjs/helpers');
-
-exports.requireDepth = requireDepth;
-assert.strictEqual(requireDepth, 1);
-assert.deepStrictEqual(require('./two'), { requireDepth: 2 });
-assert.strictEqual(requireDepth, 1);
diff --git a/test/fixtures/module-require-depth/two.js b/test/fixtures/module-require-depth/two.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 5c94c4c89aa9ef..00000000000000
--- a/test/fixtures/module-require-depth/two.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-// Flags: --expose_internals
-'use strict';
-const assert = require('assert');
-const {
-  requireDepth
-} = require('internal/modules/cjs/helpers');
-
-exports.requireDepth = requireDepth;
-assert.strictEqual(requireDepth, 2);
-assert.deepStrictEqual(require('./one'), { requireDepth: 1 });
-assert.strictEqual(requireDepth, 2);
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-module-require-depth.js b/test/parallel/test-module-require-depth.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 0a3fc2826c71f4..00000000000000
--- a/test/parallel/test-module-require-depth.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
-// Flags: --expose_internals
-'use strict';
-require('../common');
-const fixtures = require('../common/fixtures');
-const assert = require('assert');
-const {
-  requireDepth
-} = require('internal/modules/cjs/helpers');
-
-// Module one loads two too so the expected depth for two is, well, two.
-assert.strictEqual(requireDepth, 0);
-const one = require(fixtures.path('module-require-depth', 'one'));
-const two = require(fixtures.path('module-require-depth', 'two'));
-assert.deepStrictEqual(one, { requireDepth: 1 });
-assert.deepStrictEqual(two, { requireDepth: 2 });
-assert.strictEqual(requireDepth, 0);