diff --git a/cpp/src/io/orc/orc_gpu.h b/cpp/src/io/orc/orc_gpu.h
index efc7b78cdb2..c866afd5324 100644
--- a/cpp/src/io/orc/orc_gpu.h
+++ b/cpp/src/io/orc/orc_gpu.h
@@ -112,6 +112,7 @@ struct ColumnDesc {
   int32_t decimal_scale;  // number of fractional decimal digits for decimal type
   int32_t ts_clock_rate;  // output timestamp clock frequency (0=default, 1000=ms, 1000000000=ns)
   column_validity_info parent_validity_info;  // consists of parent column valid_map and null count
+  uint32_t* parent_null_count_prefix_sums;  // per-stripe prefix sums of parent column's null count
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/cpp/src/io/orc/reader_impl.cu b/cpp/src/io/orc/reader_impl.cu
index 033a2d9aff5..f7bd5ae86b8 100644
--- a/cpp/src/io/orc/reader_impl.cu
+++ b/cpp/src/io/orc/reader_impl.cu
@@ -759,6 +759,49 @@ void update_null_mask(cudf::detail::hostdevice_2dvector<gpu::ColumnDesc>& chunks
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * @brief Compute the per-stripe prefix sum of null count, for each struct column in the current
+ * layer.
+ */
+void scan_null_counts(cudf::detail::hostdevice_2dvector<gpu::ColumnDesc> const& chunks,
+                      cudf::host_span<rmm::device_uvector<uint32_t>> prefix_sums,
+                      rmm::cuda_stream_view stream)
+{
+  auto const num_stripes = chunks.size().first;
+  if (num_stripes == 0) return;
+
+  auto const num_columns = chunks.size().second;
+  std::vector<thrust::pair<size_type, cudf::device_span<uint32_t>>> prefix_sums_to_update;
+  for (auto col_idx = 0ul; col_idx < num_columns; ++col_idx) {
+    // Null counts sums are only needed for children of struct columns
+    if (chunks[0][col_idx].type_kind == STRUCT) {
+      prefix_sums_to_update.emplace_back(col_idx, prefix_sums[col_idx]);
+    }
+  }
+  auto const d_prefix_sums_to_update =
+    cudf::detail::make_device_uvector_async(prefix_sums_to_update, stream);
+
+  thrust::for_each(rmm::exec_policy(stream),
+                   d_prefix_sums_to_update.begin(),
+                   d_prefix_sums_to_update.end(),
+                   [chunks = cudf::detail::device_2dspan<gpu::ColumnDesc const>{chunks}] __device__(
+                     auto const& idx_psums) {
+                     auto const col_idx = idx_psums.first;
+                     auto const psums   = idx_psums.second;
+
+                     thrust::transform(
+                       thrust::seq,
+                       thrust::make_counting_iterator(0),
+                       thrust::make_counting_iterator(0) + psums.size(),
+                       psums.begin(),
+                       [&](auto stripe_idx) { return chunks[stripe_idx][col_idx].null_count; });
+
+                     thrust::inclusive_scan(thrust::seq, psums.begin(), psums.end(), psums.begin());
+                   });
+  // `prefix_sums_to_update` goes out of scope, copy has to be done before we return
+  stream.synchronize();
+}
+
 void reader::impl::decode_stream_data(cudf::detail::hostdevice_2dvector<gpu::ColumnDesc>& chunks,
                                       size_t num_dicts,
                                       size_t skip_rows,
@@ -817,8 +860,6 @@ void reader::impl::decode_stream_data(cudf::detail::hostdevice_2dvector<gpu::Col
                       [&](auto null_count, auto const stripe_idx) {
                         return null_count + chunks[stripe_idx][col_idx].null_count;
                       });
-    // Add parent null count in case this is a child column of a struct
-    out_buffers[col_idx].null_count() += chunks[0][col_idx].parent_validity_info.null_count;
   });
 }
 
@@ -841,6 +882,7 @@ void reader::impl::aggregate_child_meta(cudf::detail::host_2dspan<gpu::ColumnDes
   num_child_rows.resize(_selected_columns[level + 1].size());
   std::fill(num_child_rows.begin(), num_child_rows.end(), 0);
   parent_column_data.resize(number_of_child_chunks);
+  _col_meta.parent_column_index.resize(number_of_child_chunks);
   _col_meta.child_start_row.resize(number_of_child_chunks);
   _col_meta.num_child_rows_per_stripe.resize(number_of_child_chunks);
   _col_meta.rwgrp_meta.resize(num_of_rowgroups * num_child_cols);
@@ -899,7 +941,8 @@ void reader::impl::aggregate_child_meta(cudf::detail::host_2dspan<gpu::ColumnDes
     auto num_rows          = out_buffers[parent_col_idx].size;
 
     for (uint32_t id = 0; id < p_col.num_children; id++) {
-      const auto child_col_idx = index + id;
+      const auto child_col_idx                     = index + id;
+      _col_meta.parent_column_index[child_col_idx] = parent_col_idx;
       if (type == type_id::STRUCT) {
         parent_column_data[child_col_idx] = {parent_valid_map, parent_null_count};
         // Number of rows in child will remain same as parent in case of struct column
@@ -1042,6 +1085,7 @@ table_with_metadata reader::impl::read(size_type skip_rows,
   std::vector<std::vector<column_buffer>> out_buffers(_selected_columns.size());
   std::vector<column_name_info> schema_info;
   std::vector<std::vector<rmm::device_buffer>> lvl_stripe_data(_selected_columns.size());
+  std::vector<std::vector<rmm::device_uvector<uint32_t>>> null_count_prefix_sums;
   table_metadata out_metadata;
 
   // There are no columns in the table
@@ -1124,6 +1168,14 @@ table_with_metadata reader::impl::read(size_type skip_rows,
       // Logically view streams as columns
       std::vector<orc_stream_info> stream_info;
 
+      null_count_prefix_sums.emplace_back();
+      null_count_prefix_sums.back().reserve(_selected_columns[level].size());
+      std::generate_n(
+        std::back_inserter(null_count_prefix_sums.back()), _selected_columns[level].size(), [&]() {
+          return cudf::detail::make_zeroed_device_uvector_async<uint32_t>(total_num_stripes,
+                                                                          stream);
+        });
+
       // Tracker for eventually deallocating compressed and uncompressed data
       auto& stripe_data = lvl_stripe_data[level];
 
@@ -1207,10 +1259,12 @@ table_with_metadata reader::impl::read(size_type skip_rows,
                 ? stripe_info->numberOfRows
                 : _col_meta.num_child_rows_per_stripe[stripe_idx * num_columns + col_idx];
             chunk.column_num_rows = (level == 0) ? num_rows : _col_meta.num_child_rows[col_idx];
-            chunk.parent_validity_info.valid_map_base =
-              (level == 0) ? nullptr : _col_meta.parent_column_data[col_idx].valid_map_base;
-            chunk.parent_validity_info.null_count =
-              (level == 0) ? 0 : _col_meta.parent_column_data[col_idx].null_count;
+            chunk.parent_validity_info =
+              (level == 0) ? column_validity_info{} : _col_meta.parent_column_data[col_idx];
+            chunk.parent_null_count_prefix_sums =
+              (level == 0)
+                ? nullptr
+                : null_count_prefix_sums[level - 1][_col_meta.parent_column_index[col_idx]].data();
             chunk.encoding_kind = stripe_footer->columns[selected_columns[col_idx].id].kind;
             chunk.type_kind     = _metadata->per_file_metadata[stripe_source_mapping.source_idx]
                                 .ff.types[selected_columns[col_idx].id]
@@ -1336,6 +1390,7 @@ table_with_metadata reader::impl::read(size_type skip_rows,
 
         // Extract information to process nested child columns
         if (nested_col.size()) {
+          scan_null_counts(chunks, null_count_prefix_sums[level], stream);
           row_groups.device_to_host(stream, true);
           aggregate_child_meta(chunks, row_groups, out_buffers[level], nested_col, level);
         }
diff --git a/cpp/src/io/orc/reader_impl.hpp b/cpp/src/io/orc/reader_impl.hpp
index 49c0c983992..7171b13d422 100644
--- a/cpp/src/io/orc/reader_impl.hpp
+++ b/cpp/src/io/orc/reader_impl.hpp
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ struct reader_column_meta {
 
   std::vector<column_validity_info>
     parent_column_data;  // consists of parent column valid_map and null count
+  std::vector<size_type> parent_column_index;
 
   std::vector<uint32_t> child_start_row;  // start row of child columns [stripe][column]
   std::vector<uint32_t>
diff --git a/cpp/src/io/orc/stripe_data.cu b/cpp/src/io/orc/stripe_data.cu
index 75ccd19d77b..41ee285ac25 100644
--- a/cpp/src/io/orc/stripe_data.cu
+++ b/cpp/src/io/orc/stripe_data.cu
@@ -1167,8 +1167,17 @@ __global__ void __launch_bounds__(block_size)
       // No present stream: all rows are valid
       s->vals.u32[t] = ~0;
     }
-    while (s->top.nulls_desc_row < s->chunk.num_rows) {
-      uint32_t nrows_max = min(s->chunk.num_rows - s->top.nulls_desc_row, blockDim.x * 32);
+    auto const prev_parent_null_count =
+      (s->chunk.parent_null_count_prefix_sums != nullptr && stripe > 0)
+        ? s->chunk.parent_null_count_prefix_sums[stripe - 1]
+        : 0;
+    auto const parent_null_count =
+      (s->chunk.parent_null_count_prefix_sums != nullptr)
+        ? s->chunk.parent_null_count_prefix_sums[stripe] - prev_parent_null_count
+        : 0;
+    auto const num_elems = s->chunk.num_rows - parent_null_count;
+    while (s->top.nulls_desc_row < num_elems) {
+      uint32_t nrows_max = min(num_elems - s->top.nulls_desc_row, blockDim.x * 32);
       uint32_t nrows;
       size_t row_in;
 
@@ -1187,7 +1196,7 @@ __global__ void __launch_bounds__(block_size)
       }
       __syncthreads();
 
-      row_in = s->chunk.start_row + s->top.nulls_desc_row;
+      row_in = s->chunk.start_row + s->top.nulls_desc_row - prev_parent_null_count;
       if (row_in + nrows > first_row && row_in < first_row + max_num_rows &&
           s->chunk.valid_map_base != NULL) {
         int64_t dst_row   = row_in - first_row;
@@ -1251,7 +1260,7 @@ __global__ void __launch_bounds__(block_size)
     // Sum up the valid counts and infer null_count
     null_count = block_reduce(temp_storage.bk_storage).Sum(null_count);
     if (t == 0) {
-      chunks[chunk_id].null_count = null_count;
+      chunks[chunk_id].null_count = parent_null_count + null_count;
       chunks[chunk_id].skip_count = s->chunk.skip_count;
     }
   } else {
diff --git a/python/cudf/cudf/tests/test_orc.py b/python/cudf/cudf/tests/test_orc.py
index 635332d5c24..33ce8427a71 100644
--- a/python/cudf/cudf/tests/test_orc.py
+++ b/python/cudf/cudf/tests/test_orc.py
@@ -844,7 +844,7 @@ def test_orc_string_stream_offset_issue():
 
 
 # Data is generated using pyorc module
-def generate_list_struct_buff(size=28000):
+def generate_list_struct_buff(size=100_000):
     rd = random.Random(1)
     np.random.seed(seed=1)
 
@@ -963,7 +963,7 @@ def generate_list_struct_buff(size=28000):
         ["lvl2_struct", "lvl1_struct"],
     ],
 )
-@pytest.mark.parametrize("num_rows", [0, 15, 1005, 10561, 28000])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("num_rows", [0, 15, 1005, 10561, 100_000])
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("use_index", [True, False])
 def test_lists_struct_nests(
     columns, num_rows, use_index,