diff --git a/django/core/management/commands/loaddata.py b/django/core/management/commands/loaddata.py
index d65ccd44fb..879a03eb62 100644
--- a/django/core/management/commands/loaddata.py
+++ b/django/core/management/commands/loaddata.py
@@ -85,6 +85,16 @@ class Command(BaseCommand):
         if has_bz2:
             self.compression_formats['bz2'] = (bz2.BZ2File, 'r')
 
+        # Django's test suite repeatedly tries to load initial_data fixtures
+        # from apps that don't have any fixtures. Because disabling constraint
+        # checks can be expensive on some database (especially MSSQL), bail
+        # out early if no fixtures are found.
+        for fixture_label in fixture_labels:
+            if self.find_fixtures(fixture_label):
+                break
+        else:
+            return
+
         with connection.constraint_checks_disabled():
             for fixture_label in fixture_labels:
                 self.load_label(fixture_label)
diff --git a/docs/releases/1.8.8.txt b/docs/releases/1.8.8.txt
index 8caf5f7ff5..a888925841 100644
--- a/docs/releases/1.8.8.txt
+++ b/docs/releases/1.8.8.txt
@@ -51,3 +51,6 @@ Bugfixes
 
 * Fixed a regression in the admin which ignored line breaks in read-only fields
   instead of converting them to ``<br>`` (:ticket:`25465`).
+
+* Made ``loaddata`` skip disabling and enabling database constraints when it
+  doesn't load any fixtures (:ticket:`23372`).
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/tests.py b/tests/fixtures/tests.py
index f0a76f5182..bbd572e376 100644
--- a/tests/fixtures/tests.py
+++ b/tests/fixtures/tests.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ from django.contrib.sites.models import Site
 from django.core import management
 from django.db import IntegrityError, connection
 from django.test import (
-    TestCase, TransactionTestCase, ignore_warnings, skipUnlessDBFeature,
+    TestCase, TransactionTestCase, ignore_warnings, mock, skipUnlessDBFeature,
 )
 from django.utils import six
 from django.utils.encoding import force_text
@@ -417,6 +417,18 @@ class NonExistentFixtureTests(TestCase):
             management.call_command('loaddata', 'initial_data.json', verbosity=0)
         self.assertEqual(len(w), 0)
 
+    @mock.patch('django.db.connection.enable_constraint_checking')
+    @mock.patch('django.db.connection.disable_constraint_checking')
+    def test_nonexistent_fixture_no_constraint_checking(self,
+            disable_constraint_checking, enable_constraint_checking):
+        """
+        If no fixtures match the loaddata command, constraints checks on the
+        database shouldn't be disabled. This is performance critical on MSSQL.
+        """
+        management.call_command('loaddata', 'this_fixture_doesnt_exist', verbosity=0)
+        disable_constraint_checking.assert_not_called()
+        enable_constraint_checking.assert_not_called()
+
 
 class FixtureTransactionTests(DumpDataAssertMixin, TransactionTestCase):