diff --git a/plugins/inputs/docker/docker_test.go b/plugins/inputs/docker/docker_test.go
index a84a6047b30aa..42028a572e42c 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/docker/docker_test.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/docker/docker_test.go
@@ -265,6 +265,162 @@ func TestDockerGatherContainerStats(t *testing.T) {
 	acc.AssertDoesNotContainsTaggedFields(t, "docker_container_cpu", cpu3fields, cputags)
 }
 
+func TestDockerMemoryExcludesCache(t *testing.T) {
+	var acc testutil.Accumulator
+	stats := testStats()
+
+	tags := map[string]string{
+		"container_name":  "redis",
+		"container_image": "redis/image",
+	}
+
+	d := &Docker{
+		Log: testutil.Logger{},
+	}
+
+	delete(stats.MemoryStats.Stats, "cache")
+	delete(stats.MemoryStats.Stats, "inactive_file")
+	delete(stats.MemoryStats.Stats, "total_inactive_file")
+
+	// set cgroup v2 cache value
+	stats.MemoryStats.Stats["inactive_file"] = 9
+
+	d.parseContainerStats(stats, &acc, tags, "123456789", "linux")
+
+	// test docker_container_mem measurement
+	memfields := map[string]interface{}{
+		"active_anon":               uint64(0),
+		"active_file":               uint64(1),
+		"container_id":              "123456789",
+		"fail_count":                uint64(1),
+		"hierarchical_memory_limit": uint64(0),
+		"inactive_anon":             uint64(0),
+		"inactive_file":             uint64(9),
+		"limit":                     uint64(2000),
+		"mapped_file":               uint64(0),
+		"max_usage":                 uint64(1001),
+		"pgfault":                   uint64(2),
+		"pgmajfault":                uint64(0),
+		"pgpgin":                    uint64(0),
+		"pgpgout":                   uint64(0),
+		"rss_huge":                  uint64(0),
+		"rss":                       uint64(0),
+		"total_active_anon":         uint64(0),
+		"total_active_file":         uint64(0),
+		"total_cache":               uint64(0),
+		"total_inactive_anon":       uint64(0),
+		"total_mapped_file":         uint64(0),
+		"total_pgfault":             uint64(0),
+		"total_pgmajfault":          uint64(0),
+		"total_pgpgin":              uint64(4),
+		"total_pgpgout":             uint64(0),
+		"total_rss_huge":            uint64(444),
+		"total_rss":                 uint64(44),
+		"total_unevictable":         uint64(0),
+		"total_writeback":           uint64(55),
+		"unevictable":               uint64(0),
+		"usage_percent":             float64(55.1), // 1102 / 2000
+		"usage":                     uint64(1102),
+		"writeback":                 uint64(0),
+	}
+
+	acc.AssertContainsTaggedFields(t, "docker_container_mem", memfields, tags)
+	acc.ClearMetrics()
+
+	// set cgroup v1 cache value (has priority over cgroups v2)
+	stats.MemoryStats.Stats["total_inactive_file"] = 7
+
+	d.parseContainerStats(stats, &acc, tags, "123456789", "linux")
+
+	// test docker_container_mem measurement
+	memfields = map[string]interface{}{
+		"active_anon": uint64(0),
+		"active_file": uint64(1),
+		// "cache":                     uint64(0),
+		"container_id":              "123456789",
+		"fail_count":                uint64(1),
+		"hierarchical_memory_limit": uint64(0),
+		"inactive_anon":             uint64(0),
+		"inactive_file":             uint64(9),
+		"limit":                     uint64(2000),
+		"mapped_file":               uint64(0),
+		"max_usage":                 uint64(1001),
+		"pgfault":                   uint64(2),
+		"pgmajfault":                uint64(0),
+		"pgpgin":                    uint64(0),
+		"pgpgout":                   uint64(0),
+		"rss_huge":                  uint64(0),
+		"rss":                       uint64(0),
+		"total_active_anon":         uint64(0),
+		"total_active_file":         uint64(0),
+		"total_cache":               uint64(0),
+		"total_inactive_anon":       uint64(0),
+		"total_inactive_file":       uint64(7),
+		"total_mapped_file":         uint64(0),
+		"total_pgfault":             uint64(0),
+		"total_pgmajfault":          uint64(0),
+		"total_pgpgin":              uint64(4),
+		"total_pgpgout":             uint64(0),
+		"total_rss_huge":            uint64(444),
+		"total_rss":                 uint64(44),
+		"total_unevictable":         uint64(0),
+		"total_writeback":           uint64(55),
+		"unevictable":               uint64(0),
+		"usage_percent":             float64(55.2), // 1104 / 2000
+		"usage":                     uint64(1104),
+		"writeback":                 uint64(0),
+	}
+
+	acc.AssertContainsTaggedFields(t, "docker_container_mem", memfields, tags)
+	acc.ClearMetrics()
+
+	// set Docker 19.03 and older cache value (has priority over cgroups v1 and v2)
+	stats.MemoryStats.Stats["cache"] = 16
+
+	d.parseContainerStats(stats, &acc, tags, "123456789", "linux")
+
+	// test docker_container_mem measurement
+	memfields = map[string]interface{}{
+		"active_anon":               uint64(0),
+		"active_file":               uint64(1),
+		"cache":                     uint64(16),
+		"container_id":              "123456789",
+		"fail_count":                uint64(1),
+		"hierarchical_memory_limit": uint64(0),
+		"inactive_anon":             uint64(0),
+		"inactive_file":             uint64(9),
+		"limit":                     uint64(2000),
+		"mapped_file":               uint64(0),
+		"max_usage":                 uint64(1001),
+		"pgfault":                   uint64(2),
+		"pgmajfault":                uint64(0),
+		"pgpgin":                    uint64(0),
+		"pgpgout":                   uint64(0),
+		"rss_huge":                  uint64(0),
+		"rss":                       uint64(0),
+		"total_active_anon":         uint64(0),
+		"total_active_file":         uint64(0),
+		"total_cache":               uint64(0),
+		"total_inactive_anon":       uint64(0),
+		"total_inactive_file":       uint64(7),
+		"total_mapped_file":         uint64(0),
+		"total_pgfault":             uint64(0),
+		"total_pgmajfault":          uint64(0),
+		"total_pgpgin":              uint64(4),
+		"total_pgpgout":             uint64(0),
+		"total_rss_huge":            uint64(444),
+		"total_rss":                 uint64(44),
+		"total_unevictable":         uint64(0),
+		"total_writeback":           uint64(55),
+		"unevictable":               uint64(0),
+		"usage_percent":             float64(54.75), // 1095 / 2000
+		"usage":                     uint64(1095),
+		"writeback":                 uint64(0),
+	}
+
+	acc.AssertContainsTaggedFields(t, "docker_container_mem", memfields, tags)
+}
+
 func TestDocker_WindowsMemoryContainerStats(t *testing.T) {
 	var acc testutil.Accumulator
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/docker/stats_helpers.go b/plugins/inputs/docker/stats_helpers.go
index 982f131d6d8d3..e5e21ee783154 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/docker/stats_helpers.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/docker/stats_helpers.go
@@ -40,9 +40,28 @@ func calculateCPUPercentWindows(v *types.StatsJSON) float64 {
 }
 
 // CalculateMemUsageUnixNoCache calculate memory usage of the container.
-// Page cache is intentionally excluded to avoid misinterpretation of the output.
+// Cache is intentionally excluded to avoid misinterpretation of the output.
+//
+// On Docker 19.03 and older, the result is `mem.Usage - mem.Stats["cache"]`.
+// On new docker with cgroup v1 host, the result is `mem.Usage - mem.Stats["total_inactive_file"]`.
+// On new docker with cgroup v2 host, the result is `mem.Usage - mem.Stats["inactive_file"]`.
+//
+// This definition is designed to be consistent with past values and the latest docker CLI
+// * https://github.com/docker/cli/blob/6e2838e18645e06f3e4b6c5143898ccc44063e3b/cli/command/container/stats_helpers.go#L239
 func CalculateMemUsageUnixNoCache(mem types.MemoryStats) float64 {
-	return float64(mem.Usage - mem.Stats["cache"])
+	// Docker 19.03 and older
+	if v, isOldDocker := mem.Stats["cache"]; isOldDocker && v < mem.Usage {
+		return float64(mem.Usage - v)
+	}
+	// cgroup v1
+	if v, isCgroup1 := mem.Stats["total_inactive_file"]; isCgroup1 && v < mem.Usage {
+		return float64(mem.Usage - v)
+	}
+	// cgroup v2
+	if v := mem.Stats["inactive_file"]; v < mem.Usage {
+		return float64(mem.Usage - v)
+	}
+	return float64(mem.Usage)
 }
 
 func CalculateMemPercentUnixNoCache(limit float64, usedNoCache float64) float64 {