diff --git a/pkg/sql/sqlstats/persistedsqlstats/sqlstatsutil/json_decoding.go b/pkg/sql/sqlstats/persistedsqlstats/sqlstatsutil/json_decoding.go
index b0e9b78dba5a..14aa54d545cf 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/sqlstats/persistedsqlstats/sqlstatsutil/json_decoding.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/sqlstats/persistedsqlstats/sqlstatsutil/json_decoding.go
@@ -55,16 +55,18 @@ func DecodeStmtStatsStatisticsJSON(jsonVal json.JSON, result *roachpb.StatementS
 func JSONToExplainTreePlanNode(jsonVal json.JSON) (*roachpb.ExplainTreePlanNode, error) {
 	node := roachpb.ExplainTreePlanNode{}
 
-	nameAttr, err := safeFetchVal(jsonVal, "Name")
+	nameAttr, err := jsonVal.FetchValKey("Name")
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	str, err := nameAttr.AsText()
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+	if nameAttr != nil {
+		str, err := nameAttr.AsText()
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		node.Name = *str
 	}
-	node.Name = *str
 
 	iter, err := jsonVal.ObjectIter()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -86,15 +88,17 @@ func JSONToExplainTreePlanNode(jsonVal json.JSON) (*roachpb.ExplainTreePlanNode,
 
 		if key == "Children" {
 			for childIdx := 0; childIdx < value.Len(); childIdx++ {
-				childJSON, err := safeFetchValIdx(value, childIdx)
+				childJSON, err := value.FetchValIdx(childIdx)
 				if err != nil {
 					return nil, err
 				}
-				child, err := JSONToExplainTreePlanNode(childJSON)
-				if err != nil {
-					return nil, err
+				if childJSON != nil {
+					child, err := JSONToExplainTreePlanNode(childJSON)
+					if err != nil {
+						return nil, err
+					}
+					node.Children = append(node.Children, child)
 				}
-				node.Children = append(node.Children, child)
 			}
 		} else {
 			str, err := value.AsText()
diff --git a/pkg/sql/sqlstats/persistedsqlstats/sqlstatsutil/json_encoding_test.go b/pkg/sql/sqlstats/persistedsqlstats/sqlstatsutil/json_encoding_test.go
index ec0fb71d5592..975bb8f7cf01 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/sqlstats/persistedsqlstats/sqlstatsutil/json_encoding_test.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/sqlstats/persistedsqlstats/sqlstatsutil/json_encoding_test.go
@@ -146,6 +146,121 @@ func TestSQLStatsJsonEncoding(t *testing.T) {
 		require.Equal(t, input, actualJSONUnmarshalled)
 	})
 
+	// When a new statistic is added to a statement payload, older versions won't have the
+	// new parameter, so this test is to confirm that all other parameters will be set and
+	// the new one will be empty, without breaking the decoding process.
+	t.Run("statement_statistics with new parameter", func(t *testing.T) {
+		data := genRandomData()
+		expectedStatistics := roachpb.CollectedStatementStatistics{}
+
+		expectedMetadataStrTemplate := `
+			{
+				"stmtTyp": "{{.String}}",
+				"query":   "{{.String}}",
+				"db":      "{{.String}}",
+				"distsql": {{.Bool}},
+				"failed":  {{.Bool}},
+				"implicitTxn": {{.Bool}},
+				"vec":         {{.Bool}},
+				"fullScan":    {{.Bool}}
+			}
+			`
+		expectedStatisticsStrTemplate := `
+     {
+       "statistics": {
+         "cnt": {{.Int64}},
+         "firstAttemptCnt": {{.Int64}},
+         "maxRetries":      {{.Int64}},
+         "lastExecAt":      "{{stringifyTime .Time}}",
+         "numRows": {
+           "mean": {{.Float}},
+           "sqDiff": {{.Float}}
+         },
+         "parseLat": {
+           "mean": {{.Float}},
+           "sqDiff": {{.Float}}
+         },
+         "planLat": {
+           "mean": {{.Float}},
+           "sqDiff": {{.Float}}
+         },
+         "runLat": {
+           "mean": {{.Float}},
+           "sqDiff": {{.Float}}
+         },
+         "svcLat": {
+           "mean": {{.Float}},
+           "sqDiff": {{.Float}}
+         },
+         "ovhLat": {
+           "mean": {{.Float}},
+           "sqDiff": {{.Float}}
+         },
+         "bytesRead": {
+           "mean": {{.Float}},
+           "sqDiff": {{.Float}}
+         },
+         "rowsRead": {
+           "mean": {{.Float}},
+           "sqDiff": {{.Float}}
+         },
+         "rowsWritten": {
+           "mean": {{.Float}},
+           "sqDiff": {{.Float}}
+         },
+         "nodes": [{{joinInts .IntArray}}]
+       },
+       "execution_statistics": {
+         "cnt": {{.Int64}},
+         "networkBytes": {
+           "mean": {{.Float}},
+           "sqDiff": {{.Float}}
+         },
+         "maxMemUsage": {
+           "mean": {{.Float}},
+           "sqDiff": {{.Float}}
+         },
+         "contentionTime": {
+           "mean": {{.Float}},
+           "sqDiff": {{.Float}}
+         },
+         "networkMsgs": {
+           "mean": {{.Float}},
+           "sqDiff": {{.Float}}
+         },
+         "maxDiskUsage": {
+           "mean": {{.Float}},
+           "sqDiff": {{.Float}}
+         }
+       }
+     }
+		 `
+
+		fillTemplate(t, expectedMetadataStrTemplate, data)
+		fillTemplate(t, expectedStatisticsStrTemplate, data)
+		fillObject(t, reflect.ValueOf(&expectedStatistics), &data)
+
+		actualMetadataJSON, err := BuildStmtMetadataJSON(&expectedStatistics)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		actualStatisticsJSON, err := BuildStmtStatisticsJSON(&expectedStatistics.Stats)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		var actualJSONUnmarshalled roachpb.CollectedStatementStatistics
+
+		err = DecodeStmtStatsMetadataJSON(actualMetadataJSON, &actualJSONUnmarshalled)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		// Remove one of the statistics on the object so its value doesn't get populated on
+		// the final actualJSONUnmarshalled.Stats.
+		actualStatisticsJSON, _, _ = actualStatisticsJSON.RemovePath([]string{"statistics", "numRows"})
+		// Initialize the field again to remove the existing value.
+		expectedStatistics.Stats.NumRows = roachpb.NumericStat{}
+
+		err = DecodeStmtStatsStatisticsJSON(actualStatisticsJSON, &actualJSONUnmarshalled.Stats)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		require.Equal(t, expectedStatistics, actualJSONUnmarshalled)
+	})
+
 	t.Run("transaction_statistics", func(t *testing.T) {
 		data := genRandomData()
 
diff --git a/pkg/sql/sqlstats/persistedsqlstats/sqlstatsutil/json_impl.go b/pkg/sql/sqlstats/persistedsqlstats/sqlstatsutil/json_impl.go
index eabd5fe97e80..9dae476ee0bd 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/sqlstats/persistedsqlstats/sqlstatsutil/json_impl.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/sqlstats/persistedsqlstats/sqlstatsutil/json_impl.go
@@ -296,13 +296,15 @@ func (jf jsonFields) decodeJSON(js json.JSON) (err error) {
 
 	for i := range jf {
 		fieldName = jf[i].field
-		field, err := safeFetchVal(js, fieldName)
+		field, err := js.FetchValKey(fieldName)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		err = jf[i].val.decodeJSON(field)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
+		if field != nil {
+			err = jf[i].val.decodeJSON(field)
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -437,25 +439,3 @@ func (d *decimal) decodeJSON(js json.JSON) error {
 func (d *decimal) encodeJSON() (json.JSON, error) {
 	return json.FromDecimal(*(*apd.Decimal)(d)), nil
 }
-
-func safeFetchVal(jsonVal json.JSON, key string) (json.JSON, error) {
-	field, err := jsonVal.FetchValKey(key)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	if field == nil {
-		return nil, errors.Newf("%s field is not found in the JSON payload", key)
-	}
-	return field, nil
-}
-
-func safeFetchValIdx(jsonVal json.JSON, idx int) (json.JSON, error) {
-	field, err := jsonVal.FetchValIdx(idx)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	if field == nil {
-		return nil, errors.Newf("%dth element is not found in the JSON payload", idx)
-	}
-	return field, nil
-}