diff --git a/django/forms/forms.py b/django/forms/forms.py
index dd562099ab..3898419ab2 100644
--- a/django/forms/forms.py
+++ b/django/forms/forms.py
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ from django.forms.fields import Field, FileField
 # pretty_name is imported for backwards compatibility in Django 1.9
 from django.forms.utils import ErrorDict, ErrorList, pretty_name  # NOQA
 from django.forms.widgets import Media, MediaDefiningClass
+from django.utils.datastructures import MultiValueDict
 from django.utils.functional import cached_property
 from django.utils.html import conditional_escape, html_safe
 from django.utils.safestring import mark_safe
@@ -69,8 +70,8 @@ class BaseForm:
                  initial=None, error_class=ErrorList, label_suffix=None,
                  empty_permitted=False, field_order=None, use_required_attribute=None, renderer=None):
         self.is_bound = data is not None or files is not None
-        self.data = {} if data is None else data
-        self.files = {} if files is None else files
+        self.data = MultiValueDict() if data is None else data
+        self.files = MultiValueDict() if files is None else files
         self.auto_id = auto_id
         if prefix is not None:
             self.prefix = prefix
diff --git a/tests/forms_tests/tests/test_forms.py b/tests/forms_tests/tests/test_forms.py
index d4e421d6ac..edce5e801f 100644
--- a/tests/forms_tests/tests/test_forms.py
+++ b/tests/forms_tests/tests/test_forms.py
@@ -3671,6 +3671,11 @@ Good luck picking a username that doesn&#39;t already exist.</p>
         self.assertTrue(f.is_valid())
         self.assertEqual(f.cleaned_data, {'data': 'xyzzy'})
 
+    def test_empty_data_files_multi_value_dict(self):
+        p = Person()
+        self.assertIsInstance(p.data, MultiValueDict)
+        self.assertIsInstance(p.files, MultiValueDict)
+
 
 class CustomRenderer(DjangoTemplates):
     pass