diff --git a/changelog.d/1806.change.rst b/changelog.d/1806.change.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..100b689967
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/1806.change.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Allowed recursive globs (`**`) in `package_data`. -- by :user:`nullableVoidPtr`
diff --git a/setuptools/command/build_py.py b/setuptools/command/build_py.py
index c3fdc0927c..ac7cff95da 100644
--- a/setuptools/command/build_py.py
+++ b/setuptools/command/build_py.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+from functools import partial
 from glob import glob
 from distutils.util import convert_path
 import distutils.command.build_py as orig
@@ -98,7 +99,7 @@ def find_data_files(self, package, src_dir):
             package,
             src_dir,
         )
-        globs_expanded = map(glob, patterns)
+        globs_expanded = map(partial(glob, recursive=True), patterns)
         # flatten the expanded globs into an iterable of matches
         globs_matches = itertools.chain.from_iterable(globs_expanded)
         glob_files = filter(os.path.isfile, globs_matches)
diff --git a/setuptools/tests/test_build_py.py b/setuptools/tests/test_build_py.py
index 19c8b780b8..f6f0d944e6 100644
--- a/setuptools/tests/test_build_py.py
+++ b/setuptools/tests/test_build_py.py
@@ -25,6 +25,29 @@ def test_directories_in_package_data_glob(tmpdir_cwd):
     dist.run_commands()
 
 
+def test_recursive_in_package_data_glob(tmpdir_cwd):
+    """
+    Files matching recursive globs (**) in package_data should
+    be included in the package data.
+
+    #1806
+    """
+    dist = Distribution(dict(
+        script_name='setup.py',
+        script_args=['build_py'],
+        packages=[''],
+        package_data={'': ['path/**/data']},
+    ))
+    os.makedirs('path/subpath/subsubpath')
+    open('path/subpath/subsubpath/data', 'w').close()
+
+    dist.parse_command_line()
+    dist.run_commands()
+
+    assert stat.S_ISREG(os.stat('build/lib/path/subpath/subsubpath/data').st_mode), \
+        "File is not included"
+
+
 def test_read_only(tmpdir_cwd):
     """
     Ensure read-only flag is not preserved in copy