diff --git a/packages/components/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/components/CHANGELOG.md
index 285f861cc3b73..3881fea0860ff 100644
--- a/packages/components/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/components/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 ### Bug Fix
 
 -   `Button`: Fix RTL alignment for buttons containing an icon and text ([#44787](https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/44787)).
+-   `TabPanel`: Call `onSelect()` on every tab selection, regardless of whether it was triggered by user interaction ([#44028](https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/44028)).
 -   `FontSizePicker`: Fallback to font size `slug` if `name` is undefined  ([#45041](https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/45041)).
 
 ### Internal
diff --git a/packages/components/src/tab-panel/test/index.tsx b/packages/components/src/tab-panel/test/index.tsx
index 3b8f7aacc265c..ce096cac6bcb5 100644
--- a/packages/components/src/tab-panel/test/index.tsx
+++ b/packages/components/src/tab-panel/test/index.tsx
@@ -38,14 +38,22 @@ describe( 'TabPanel', () => {
 	it( 'should render a tabpanel, and clicking should change tabs', async () => {
 		const user = setupUser();
 		const panelRenderFunction = jest.fn();
+		const mockOnSelect = jest.fn();
 
-		render( <TabPanel tabs={ TABS } children={ panelRenderFunction } /> );
+		render(
+			<TabPanel
+				tabs={ TABS }
+				children={ panelRenderFunction }
+				onSelect={ mockOnSelect }
+			/>
+		);
 
 		expect( getSelectedTab() ).toHaveTextContent( 'Alpha' );
 		expect(
 			screen.getByRole( 'tabpanel', { name: 'Alpha' } )
 		).toBeInTheDocument();
 		expect( panelRenderFunction ).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith( TABS[ 0 ] );
+		expect( mockOnSelect ).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith( 'alpha' );
 
 		await user.click( screen.getByRole( 'tab', { name: 'Beta' } ) );
 
@@ -54,6 +62,7 @@ describe( 'TabPanel', () => {
 			screen.getByRole( 'tabpanel', { name: 'Beta' } )
 		).toBeInTheDocument();
 		expect( panelRenderFunction ).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith( TABS[ 1 ] );
+		expect( mockOnSelect ).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith( 'beta' );
 
 		await user.click( screen.getByRole( 'tab', { name: 'Alpha' } ) );
 
@@ -62,6 +71,7 @@ describe( 'TabPanel', () => {
 			screen.getByRole( 'tabpanel', { name: 'Alpha' } )
 		).toBeInTheDocument();
 		expect( panelRenderFunction ).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith( TABS[ 0 ] );
+		expect( mockOnSelect ).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith( 'alpha' );
 	} );
 
 	it( 'should render with a tab initially selected by prop initialTabIndex', () => {
@@ -117,4 +127,71 @@ describe( 'TabPanel', () => {
 			'gamma-class'
 		);
 	} );
+
+	it( 'should select `initialTabname` if defined', () => {
+		const mockOnSelect = jest.fn();
+
+		render(
+			<TabPanel
+				tabs={ TABS }
+				initialTabName="beta"
+				children={ () => undefined }
+				onSelect={ mockOnSelect }
+			/>
+		);
+		expect( getSelectedTab() ).toHaveTextContent( 'Beta' );
+		expect( mockOnSelect ).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith( 'beta' );
+	} );
+
+	describe( 'fallbacks when new tab list invalidates current selection', () => {
+		it( 'should select `initialTabName` if defined', async () => {
+			const user = setupUser();
+			const mockOnSelect = jest.fn();
+
+			const { rerender } = render(
+				<TabPanel
+					tabs={ TABS }
+					initialTabName="gamma"
+					children={ () => undefined }
+					onSelect={ mockOnSelect }
+				/>
+			);
+			await user.click( screen.getByRole( 'tab', { name: 'Alpha' } ) );
+
+			rerender(
+				<TabPanel
+					tabs={ TABS.slice( 1 ) /* remove alpha */ }
+					initialTabName="gamma"
+					children={ () => undefined }
+					onSelect={ mockOnSelect }
+				/>
+			);
+			expect( getSelectedTab() ).toHaveTextContent( 'Gamma' );
+			expect( mockOnSelect ).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith( 'gamma' );
+		} );
+
+		it( 'should select first tab if `initialTabName` not defined', async () => {
+			const user = setupUser();
+			const mockOnSelect = jest.fn();
+
+			const { rerender } = render(
+				<TabPanel
+					tabs={ TABS }
+					children={ () => undefined }
+					onSelect={ mockOnSelect }
+				/>
+			);
+			await user.click( screen.getByRole( 'tab', { name: 'Alpha' } ) );
+
+			rerender(
+				<TabPanel
+					tabs={ TABS.slice( 1 ) /* remove alpha */ }
+					children={ () => undefined }
+					onSelect={ mockOnSelect }
+				/>
+			);
+			expect( getSelectedTab() ).toHaveTextContent( 'Beta' );
+			expect( mockOnSelect ).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith( 'beta' );
+		} );
+	} );
 } );