diff --git a/block-storage/src/main/java/org/lucares/pdb/map/PersistentMap.java b/block-storage/src/main/java/org/lucares/pdb/map/PersistentMap.java
index 927700f..66c3254 100644
--- a/block-storage/src/main/java/org/lucares/pdb/map/PersistentMap.java
+++ b/block-storage/src/main/java/org/lucares/pdb/map/PersistentMap.java
@@ -188,6 +188,13 @@ public class PersistentMap<K, V> implements AutoCloseable {
 
     private long version;
 
+    /**
+     * 
+     * @param path            file relative to {@code storageBasePath}
+     * @param storageBasePath base path
+     * @param keyEncoder      encoder for keys
+     * @param valueEncoder    encoder for values
+     */
     public PersistentMap(final Path path, final Path storageBasePath, final EncoderDecoder<K> keyEncoder,
             final EncoderDecoder<V> valueEncoder) {
         this.path = path;
@@ -633,6 +640,14 @@ public class PersistentMap<K, V> implements AutoCloseable {
         return stats;
     }
 
+    public synchronized boolean isEmpty() {
+        final long rootNodeOffset = readNodeOffsetOfRootNode();
+        final PersistentMapDiskNode node = getNode(rootNodeOffset);
+
+        final List<NodeEntry> entries = node.getEntries();
+        return entries.size() == 1; // the empty map has a single NodeEntry for the PersistentMapDiskNode.MAX_KEY
+    }
+
     private void swapFiles(final Path newFile) throws IOException {
         final Path backupFile = path.getParent().resolve(path.getFileName() + "."
                 + DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("yyyyMMdd-HHmmss").format(OffsetDateTime.now()) + ".backup");
diff --git a/block-storage/src/test/java/org/lucares/pdb/map/PersistentMapTest.java b/block-storage/src/test/java/org/lucares/pdb/map/PersistentMapTest.java
index b1a1a55..0e761a9 100644
--- a/block-storage/src/test/java/org/lucares/pdb/map/PersistentMapTest.java
+++ b/block-storage/src/test/java/org/lucares/pdb/map/PersistentMapTest.java
@@ -375,6 +375,29 @@ public class PersistentMapTest {
         }
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testIsEmpty() throws IOException {
+        final Path file = dataDirectory.resolve("map.db");
+        try (final PersistentMap<Long, Long> map = new PersistentMap<>(file, dataDirectory, PersistentMap.LONG_CODER,
+                PersistentMap.LONG_CODER)) {
+            Assertions.assertTrue(map.isEmpty(), "new created map is empty");
+        }
+
+        try (final PersistentMap<Long, Long> map = new PersistentMap<>(file, dataDirectory, PersistentMap.LONG_CODER,
+                PersistentMap.LONG_CODER)) {
+            Assertions.assertTrue(map.isEmpty(), "map is empty after reading an empty map from disk");
+
+            map.putValue(1L, 2L);
+
+            Assertions.assertFalse(map.isEmpty(), "map is empty after putting a value");
+        }
+
+        try (final PersistentMap<Long, Long> map = new PersistentMap<>(file, dataDirectory, PersistentMap.LONG_CODER,
+                PersistentMap.LONG_CODER)) {
+            Assertions.assertFalse(map.isEmpty(), "map is empty when reading a non empty map from disk");
+        }
+    }
+
     private void assertValuesInMap(final Map<Long, Long> insertedValues, final PersistentMap<Long, Long> map) {
         final AtomicInteger counter = new AtomicInteger();
         final AtomicInteger maxDepth = new AtomicInteger();