diff --git a/build/aclocal/atomic_builtins.m4 b/build/aclocal/atomic_builtins.m4
index eac5d3336a..6ebc2279af 100644
--- a/build/aclocal/atomic_builtins.m4
+++ b/build/aclocal/atomic_builtins.m4
@@ -6,16 +6,13 @@ AC_DEFUN([WX_ATOMIC_BUILTINS],
 [
   AC_REQUIRE([AC_PROG_CC])
   if test -n "$GCC"; then
-    AC_MSG_CHECKING([for __sync_fetch_and_add and __sync_sub_and_fetch builtins])
+    AC_MSG_CHECKING([for __sync_xxx_and_fetch builtins])
     AC_CACHE_VAL(wx_cv_cc_gcc_atomic_builtins, [
       AC_TRY_LINK(
         [],
         [
           unsigned int value=0;
-          /* wxAtomicInc doesn't use return value here */
-          __sync_fetch_and_add(&value, 2);
-          __sync_sub_and_fetch(&value, 1);
-          /* but wxAtomicDec does, so mimic that: */
+          volatile unsigned int r1 = __sync_add_and_fetch(&value, 2);
           volatile unsigned int r2 = __sync_sub_and_fetch(&value, 1);
         ],
         wx_cv_cc_gcc_atomic_builtins=yes,
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 1f78571587..e3ba68438d 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -25145,8 +25145,8 @@ fi
 
 
   if test -n "$GCC"; then
-    { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for __sync_fetch_and_add and __sync_sub_and_fetch builtins" >&5
-$as_echo_n "checking for __sync_fetch_and_add and __sync_sub_and_fetch builtins... " >&6; }
+    { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for __sync_xxx_and_fetch builtins" >&5
+$as_echo_n "checking for __sync_xxx_and_fetch builtins... " >&6; }
     if ${wx_cv_cc_gcc_atomic_builtins+:} false; then :
   $as_echo_n "(cached) " >&6
 else
@@ -25159,10 +25159,7 @@ main ()
 {
 
           unsigned int value=0;
-          /* wxAtomicInc doesn't use return value here */
-          __sync_fetch_and_add(&value, 2);
-          __sync_sub_and_fetch(&value, 1);
-          /* but wxAtomicDec does, so mimic that: */
+          volatile unsigned int r1 = __sync_add_and_fetch(&value, 2);
           volatile unsigned int r2 = __sync_sub_and_fetch(&value, 1);
 
   ;
diff --git a/include/wx/atomic.h b/include/wx/atomic.h
index 25bd049834..5112623515 100644
--- a/include/wx/atomic.h
+++ b/include/wx/atomic.h
@@ -17,10 +17,7 @@
 // get the value of wxUSE_THREADS configuration flag
 #include "wx/defs.h"
 
-// constraints on the various functions:
-//  - wxAtomicDec must return a zero value if the value is zero once
-//  decremented else it must return any non-zero value (the true value is OK
-//  but not necessary).
+// these functions return the new value, after the operation
 
 #if wxUSE_THREADS
 
@@ -31,9 +28,9 @@
 //     http://bugs.mysql.com/bug.php?id=28456
 //     http://golubenco.org/blog/atomic-operations/
 
-inline void wxAtomicInc (wxUint32 &value)
+inline wxUint32 wxAtomicInc (wxUint32 &value)
 {
-    __sync_fetch_and_add(&value, 1);
+    return __sync_add_and_fetch(&value, 1);
 }
 
 inline wxUint32 wxAtomicDec (wxUint32 &value)
@@ -47,9 +44,9 @@ inline wxUint32 wxAtomicDec (wxUint32 &value)
 // include standard Windows headers
 #include "wx/msw/wrapwin.h"
 
-inline void wxAtomicInc (wxUint32 &value)
+inline wxUint32 wxAtomicInc (wxUint32 &value)
 {
-    InterlockedIncrement ((LONG*)&value);
+    return InterlockedIncrement ((LONG*)&value);
 }
 
 inline wxUint32 wxAtomicDec (wxUint32 &value)
@@ -60,9 +57,9 @@ inline wxUint32 wxAtomicDec (wxUint32 &value)
 #elif defined(__DARWIN__)
 
 #include "libkern/OSAtomic.h"
-inline void wxAtomicInc (wxUint32 &value)
+inline wxUint32 wxAtomicInc (wxUint32 &value)
 {
-    OSAtomicIncrement32 ((int32_t*)&value);
+    return OSAtomicIncrement32 ((int32_t*)&value);
 }
 
 inline wxUint32 wxAtomicDec (wxUint32 &value)
@@ -76,7 +73,7 @@ inline wxUint32 wxAtomicDec (wxUint32 &value)
 
 inline void wxAtomicInc (wxUint32 &value)
 {
-    atomic_add_32 ((uint32_t*)&value, 1);
+    return atomic_add_32_nv ((uint32_t*)&value, 1);
 }
 
 inline wxUint32 wxAtomicDec (wxUint32 &value)
@@ -94,7 +91,7 @@ inline wxUint32 wxAtomicDec (wxUint32 &value)
 #else // else of wxUSE_THREADS
 // if no threads are used we can safely use simple ++/--
 
-inline void wxAtomicInc (wxUint32 &value) { ++value; }
+inline wxUint32 wxAtomicInc (wxUint32 &value) { return ++value; }
 inline wxUint32 wxAtomicDec (wxUint32 &value) { return --value; }
 
 #endif // !wxUSE_THREADS
@@ -120,10 +117,10 @@ public:
 
     wxAtomicInt32& operator=(wxInt32 v) { m_value = v; return *this; }
 
-    void Inc()
+    wxInt32 Inc()
     {
         wxCriticalSectionLocker lock(m_locker);
-        ++m_value;
+        return ++m_value;
     }
 
     wxInt32 Dec()
@@ -137,14 +134,14 @@ private:
     wxCriticalSection m_locker;
 };
 
-inline void wxAtomicInc(wxAtomicInt32 &value) { value.Inc(); }
+inline wxInt32 wxAtomicInc(wxAtomicInt32 &value) { return value.Inc(); }
 inline wxInt32 wxAtomicDec(wxAtomicInt32 &value) { return value.Dec(); }
 
 #else // !wxNEEDS_GENERIC_ATOMIC_OPS
 
 #define wxHAS_ATOMIC_OPS
 
-inline void wxAtomicInc(wxInt32 &value) { wxAtomicInc((wxUint32&)value); }
+inline wxInt32 wxAtomicInc(wxInt32 &value) { return wxAtomicInc((wxUint32&)value); }
 inline wxInt32 wxAtomicDec(wxInt32 &value) { return wxAtomicDec((wxUint32&)value); }
 
 typedef wxInt32 wxAtomicInt32;
diff --git a/interface/wx/atomic.h b/interface/wx/atomic.h
index 441e6eb610..0eefd2d424 100644
--- a/interface/wx/atomic.h
+++ b/interface/wx/atomic.h
@@ -22,15 +22,18 @@
     but is implemented in a generic way using a critical section which can be
     prohibitively expensive for use in performance-sensitive code.
 
+    Returns the new value after the increment (the return value is only
+    available since wxWidgets 3.1.7, this function doesn't return anything in
+    previous versions of the library).
+
     @header{wx/atomic.h}
 */
-void wxAtomicInc(wxAtomicInt& value);
+wxInt32 wxAtomicInc(wxAtomicInt& value);
 
 /**
     This function decrements value in an atomic manner.
 
-    Returns 0 if value is 0 after decrement or any non-zero value (not
-    necessarily equal to the value of the variable) otherwise.
+    Returns the new value after decrementing it.
 
     @see wxAtomicInc
 
diff --git a/tests/thread/atomic.cpp b/tests/thread/atomic.cpp
index 2d28ed475e..81c0672d7d 100644
--- a/tests/thread/atomic.cpp
+++ b/tests/thread/atomic.cpp
@@ -77,15 +77,14 @@ TEST_CASE("Atomic::NoThread", "[atomic]")
     CHECK( int2 == -ITERATIONS_NUM );
 }
 
-TEST_CASE("Atomic::DecReturn", "[atomic]")
+TEST_CASE("Atomic::ReturnValue", "[atomic]")
 {
     wxAtomicInt i(0);
-    wxAtomicInc(i);
-    wxAtomicInc(i);
-    CHECK( i == 2 );
+    REQUIRE( wxAtomicInc(i) == 1 );
+    REQUIRE( wxAtomicInc(i) == 2 );
 
-    CHECK( wxAtomicDec(i) > 0 );
-    CHECK( wxAtomicDec(i) == 0 );
+    REQUIRE( wxAtomicDec(i) == 1 );
+    REQUIRE( wxAtomicDec(i) == 0 );
 }
 
 TEST_CASE("Atomic::WithThreads", "[atomic]")