diff --git a/pageserver/src/disk_usage_eviction_task.rs b/pageserver/src/disk_usage_eviction_task.rs
index 1f0525b045..d5f5a20683 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/disk_usage_eviction_task.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/disk_usage_eviction_task.rs
@@ -623,6 +623,7 @@ impl std::fmt::Display for EvictionLayer {
     }
 }
 
+#[derive(Default)]
 pub(crate) struct DiskUsageEvictionInfo {
     /// Timeline's largest layer (remote or resident)
     pub max_layer_size: Option<u64>,
@@ -854,19 +855,27 @@ async fn collect_eviction_candidates(
 
         let total = tenant_candidates.len();
 
-        for (i, mut candidate) in tenant_candidates.into_iter().enumerate() {
-            // as we iterate this reverse sorted list, the most recently accessed layer will always
-            // be 1.0; this is for us to evict it last.
-            candidate.relative_last_activity = eviction_order.relative_last_activity(total, i);
+        let tenant_candidates =
+            tenant_candidates
+                .into_iter()
+                .enumerate()
+                .map(|(i, mut candidate)| {
+                    // as we iterate this reverse sorted list, the most recently accessed layer will always
+                    // be 1.0; this is for us to evict it last.
+                    candidate.relative_last_activity =
+                        eviction_order.relative_last_activity(total, i);
 
-            let partition = if cumsum > min_resident_size as i128 {
-                MinResidentSizePartition::Above
-            } else {
-                MinResidentSizePartition::Below
-            };
-            cumsum += i128::from(candidate.layer.get_file_size());
-            candidates.push((partition, candidate));
-        }
+                    let partition = if cumsum > min_resident_size as i128 {
+                        MinResidentSizePartition::Above
+                    } else {
+                        MinResidentSizePartition::Below
+                    };
+                    cumsum += i128::from(candidate.layer.get_file_size());
+
+                    (partition, candidate)
+                });
+
+        candidates.extend(tenant_candidates);
     }
 
     // Note: the same tenant ID might be hit twice, if it transitions from attached to
@@ -882,21 +891,41 @@ async fn collect_eviction_candidates(
     );
 
     for secondary_tenant in secondary_tenants {
-        let mut layer_info = secondary_tenant.get_layers_for_eviction();
+        // for secondary tenants we use a sum of on_disk layers and already evicted layers. this is
+        // to prevent repeated disk usage based evictions from completely draining less often
+        // updating secondaries.
+        let (mut layer_info, total_layers) = secondary_tenant.get_layers_for_eviction();
+
+        debug_assert!(
+            total_layers >= layer_info.resident_layers.len(),
+            "total_layers ({total_layers}) must be at least the resident_layers.len() ({})",
+            layer_info.resident_layers.len()
+        );
 
         layer_info
             .resident_layers
             .sort_unstable_by_key(|layer_info| std::cmp::Reverse(layer_info.last_activity_ts));
 
-        candidates.extend(layer_info.resident_layers.into_iter().map(|candidate| {
-            (
-                // Secondary locations' layers are always considered above the min resident size,
-                // i.e. secondary locations are permitted to be trimmed to zero layers if all
-                // the layers have sufficiently old access times.
-                MinResidentSizePartition::Above,
-                candidate,
-            )
-        }));
+        let tenant_candidates =
+            layer_info
+                .resident_layers
+                .into_iter()
+                .enumerate()
+                .map(|(i, mut candidate)| {
+                    candidate.relative_last_activity =
+                        eviction_order.relative_last_activity(total_layers, i);
+                    (
+                        // Secondary locations' layers are always considered above the min resident size,
+                        // i.e. secondary locations are permitted to be trimmed to zero layers if all
+                        // the layers have sufficiently old access times.
+                        MinResidentSizePartition::Above,
+                        candidate,
+                    )
+                });
+
+        candidates.extend(tenant_candidates);
+
+        tokio::task::yield_now().await;
     }
 
     debug_assert!(MinResidentSizePartition::Above < MinResidentSizePartition::Below,
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/secondary.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/secondary.rs
index 4269e1dec1..926cd0302b 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/secondary.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/secondary.rs
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ impl SecondaryTenant {
         &self.tenant_shard_id
     }
 
-    pub(crate) fn get_layers_for_eviction(self: &Arc<Self>) -> DiskUsageEvictionInfo {
+    pub(crate) fn get_layers_for_eviction(self: &Arc<Self>) -> (DiskUsageEvictionInfo, usize) {
         self.detail.lock().unwrap().get_layers_for_eviction(self)
     }
 
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/secondary/downloader.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/secondary/downloader.rs
index 55af4f9f2b..9330edf946 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/secondary/downloader.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/secondary/downloader.rs
@@ -146,14 +146,15 @@ impl SecondaryDetail {
         }
     }
 
+    /// Additionally returns the total number of layers, used for more stable relative access time
+    /// based eviction.
     pub(super) fn get_layers_for_eviction(
         &self,
         parent: &Arc<SecondaryTenant>,
-    ) -> DiskUsageEvictionInfo {
-        let mut result = DiskUsageEvictionInfo {
-            max_layer_size: None,
-            resident_layers: Vec::new(),
-        };
+    ) -> (DiskUsageEvictionInfo, usize) {
+        let mut result = DiskUsageEvictionInfo::default();
+        let mut total_layers = 0;
+
         for (timeline_id, timeline_detail) in &self.timelines {
             result
                 .resident_layers
@@ -169,6 +170,10 @@ impl SecondaryDetail {
                         relative_last_activity: finite_f32::FiniteF32::ZERO,
                     }
                 }));
+
+            // total might be missing currently downloading layers, but as a lower than actual
+            // value it is good enough approximation.
+            total_layers += timeline_detail.on_disk_layers.len() + timeline_detail.evicted_at.len();
         }
         result.max_layer_size = result
             .resident_layers
@@ -183,7 +188,7 @@ impl SecondaryDetail {
             result.resident_layers.len()
         );
 
-        result
+        (result, total_layers)
     }
 }
 
@@ -312,9 +317,7 @@ impl JobGenerator<PendingDownload, RunningDownload, CompleteDownload, DownloadCo
             .tenant_manager
             .get_secondary_tenant_shard(*tenant_shard_id);
         let Some(tenant) = tenant else {
-            {
-                return Err(anyhow::anyhow!("Not found or not in Secondary mode"));
-            }
+            return Err(anyhow::anyhow!("Not found or not in Secondary mode"));
         };
 
         Ok(PendingDownload {
@@ -389,9 +392,9 @@ impl JobGenerator<PendingDownload, RunningDownload, CompleteDownload, DownloadCo
             }
 
             CompleteDownload {
-                    secondary_state,
-                    completed_at: Instant::now(),
-                }
+                secondary_state,
+                completed_at: Instant::now(),
+            }
         }.instrument(info_span!(parent: None, "secondary_download", tenant_id=%tenant_shard_id.tenant_id, shard_id=%tenant_shard_id.shard_slug()))))
     }
 }