diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/poppler/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/poppler/default.nix
index be38d0cd47e6..fd3c063ed904 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/poppler/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/poppler/default.nix
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
 
   NIX_CFLAGS_COMPILE = [ "-DQT_NO_DEBUG" ];
 
+  CXXFLAGS = lib.optional qt5Support "-std=c++11";
+
   configureFlags = with lib;
     [
       "--enable-xpdf-headers"