diff --git a/django/core/management/commands/makemessages.py b/django/core/management/commands/makemessages.py
index ba8de527bf9..932bc0897ee 100644
--- a/django/core/management/commands/makemessages.py
+++ b/django/core/management/commands/makemessages.py
@@ -310,9 +310,9 @@ class Command(BaseCommand):
     @cached_property
     def gettext_version(self):
         out, err, status = popen_wrapper(['xgettext', '--version'])
-        m = re.search(r'(\d)\.(\d+)\.(\d+)', out)
+        m = re.search(r'(\d)\.(\d+)\.?(\d+)?', out)
         if m:
-            return tuple(int(d) for d in m.groups())
+            return tuple(int(d) for d in m.groups() if d is not None)
         else:
             raise CommandError("Unable to get gettext version. Is it installed?")
 
diff --git a/tests/i18n/test_extraction.py b/tests/i18n/test_extraction.py
index 705eca431ed..6f8fea1bfe5 100644
--- a/tests/i18n/test_extraction.py
+++ b/tests/i18n/test_extraction.py
@@ -12,9 +12,10 @@ import warnings
 from django.conf import settings
 from django.core import management
 from django.core.management import execute_from_command_line
+from django.core.management.base import CommandError
+from django.core.management.commands.makemessages import Command as MakeMessagesCommand
 from django.core.management.utils import find_command
-from django.test import SimpleTestCase
-from django.test import override_settings
+from django.test import mock, override_settings, SimpleTestCase
 from django.test.utils import captured_stderr, captured_stdout
 from django.utils.encoding import force_text
 from django.utils._os import upath
@@ -205,8 +206,7 @@ class BasicExtractorTests(ExtractorTests):
 
     def test_force_en_us_locale(self):
         """Value of locale-munging option used by the command is the right one"""
-        from django.core.management.commands.makemessages import Command
-        self.assertTrue(Command.leave_locale_alone)
+        self.assertTrue(MakeMessagesCommand.leave_locale_alone)
 
     def test_extraction_error(self):
         os.chdir(self.test_dir)
@@ -347,8 +347,7 @@ class BasicExtractorTests(ExtractorTests):
         """
         Test that find_files only discover files having the proper extensions.
         """
-        from django.core.management.commands.makemessages import Command
-        cmd = Command()
+        cmd = MakeMessagesCommand()
         cmd.ignore_patterns = ['CVS', '.*', '*~', '*.pyc']
         cmd.symlinks = False
         cmd.domain = 'django'
@@ -366,6 +365,32 @@ class BasicExtractorTests(ExtractorTests):
         found_exts = set([os.path.splitext(tfile.file)[1] for tfile in found_files])
         self.assertEqual(found_exts.difference({'.js'}), set())
 
+    @mock.patch('django.core.management.commands.makemessages.popen_wrapper')
+    def test_makemessages_gettext_version(self, mocked_popen_wrapper):
+        # "Normal" output:
+        mocked_popen_wrapper.return_value = (
+            "xgettext (GNU gettext-tools) 0.18.1\n"
+            "Copyright (C) 1995-1998, 2000-2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.\n"
+            "License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>\n"
+            "This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.\n"
+            "There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.\n"
+            "Written by Ulrich Drepper.\n", '', 0)
+        cmd = MakeMessagesCommand()
+        self.assertEqual(cmd.gettext_version, (0, 18, 1))
+
+        # Version number with only 2 parts (#23788)
+        mocked_popen_wrapper.return_value = (
+            "xgettext (GNU gettext-tools) 0.17\n", '', 0)
+        cmd = MakeMessagesCommand()
+        self.assertEqual(cmd.gettext_version, (0, 17))
+
+        # Bad version output
+        mocked_popen_wrapper.return_value = (
+            "any other return value\n", '', 0)
+        cmd = MakeMessagesCommand()
+        with six.assertRaisesRegex(self, CommandError, "Unable to get gettext version. Is it installed?"):
+            cmd.gettext_version
+
 
 class JavascriptExtractorTests(ExtractorTests):