diff --git a/dvc/repo/ls.py b/dvc/repo/ls.py
index 76f7a33e7d..c27c4a6d0b 100644
--- a/dvc/repo/ls.py
+++ b/dvc/repo/ls.py
@@ -31,11 +31,11 @@ def ls(url, path=None, rev=None, recursive=None, dvc_only=False):
     with Repo.open(url, rev=rev, subrepos=True, uninitialized=True) as repo:
         path = path or ""
 
-        if path and not repo.repo_fs.exists(path):
-            raise PathMissingError(path, repo, dvc_only=dvc_only)
-
         ret = _ls(repo.repo_fs, path, recursive, dvc_only)
 
+        if path and not ret:
+            raise PathMissingError(path, repo, dvc_only=dvc_only)
+
         ret_list = []
         for path, info in ret.items():
             info["path"] = path
diff --git a/tests/func/test_ls.py b/tests/func/test_ls.py
index 569ecd9506..a08c92dd1b 100644
--- a/tests/func/test_ls.py
+++ b/tests/func/test_ls.py
@@ -150,20 +150,9 @@ def test_ls_repo_with_path_dir_dvc_only_empty(tmp_dir, dvc, scm):
     tmp_dir.scm_gen(FS_STRUCTURE, commit="init")
     tmp_dir.dvc_gen(DVC_STRUCTURE, commit="dvc")
     tmp_dir.scm_gen({"folder/.keep": "content"}, commit="add .keep")
-    tmp_dir.scm_gen({"empty_scm_folder/": {}}, commit="add scm empty")
-    tmp_dir.dvc_gen({"empty_dvc_folder": {}}, commit="empty dvc folder")
 
     with pytest.raises(PathMissingError):
-        Repo.ls(os.fspath(tmp_dir), path="not_exist_folder")
-
-    assert Repo.ls(os.fspath(tmp_dir), path="empty_scm_folder") == []
-
-    assert Repo.ls(os.fspath(tmp_dir), path="folder", dvc_only=True) == []
-
-    assert (
-        Repo.ls(os.fspath(tmp_dir), path="empty_dvc_folder", dvc_only=True)
-        == []
-    )
+        Repo.ls(os.fspath(tmp_dir), path="folder", dvc_only=True)
 
 
 def test_ls_repo_with_path_subdir(tmp_dir, dvc, scm):