diff --git a/changelog.d/stats-peers-from-instances.change b/changelog.d/stats-peers-from-instances.change
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c493b4550
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/stats-peers-from-instances.change
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Read the peer list from the instances table and update instance stats every 5 minutes instead of every minute; the old peers query was one of the most expensive regular queries
diff --git a/lib/pleroma/stats.ex b/lib/pleroma/stats.ex
index 47b30b951..328aa110a 100644
--- a/lib/pleroma/stats.ex
+++ b/lib/pleroma/stats.ex
@@ -8,10 +8,11 @@ defmodule Pleroma.Stats do
   import Ecto.Query
 
   alias Pleroma.CounterCache
+  alias Pleroma.Instances.Instance
   alias Pleroma.Repo
   alias Pleroma.User
 
-  @interval :timer.seconds(60)
+  @interval :timer.seconds(300)
 
   def start_link(_) do
     GenServer.start_link(
@@ -64,14 +65,9 @@ defmodule Pleroma.Stats do
           }
         }
   def calculate_stat_data do
-    peers =
-      from(
-        u in User,
-        select: fragment("distinct split_part(?, '@', 2)", u.nickname),
-        where: u.local != ^true
-      )
-      |> Repo.all()
-      |> Enum.filter(& &1)
+    # Hosts are unique in instances, and remote users add theirs. Scanning
+    # all remote users for their domains was one of the costliest queries.
+    peers = Repo.all(from(i in Instance, select: i.host))
 
     domain_count = Enum.count(peers)
 
diff --git a/test/pleroma/web/mastodon_api/controllers/instance_controller_test.exs b/test/pleroma/web/mastodon_api/controllers/instance_controller_test.exs
index 461b46066..404d276db 100644
--- a/test/pleroma/web/mastodon_api/controllers/instance_controller_test.exs
+++ b/test/pleroma/web/mastodon_api/controllers/instance_controller_test.exs
@@ -63,8 +63,8 @@ defmodule Pleroma.Web.MastodonAPI.InstanceControllerTest do
     user2 = insert(:user, %{local: true})
     {:ok, _user2} = User.set_activation(user2, false)
 
-    insert(:user, %{local: false, nickname: "u@peer1.com"})
-    insert(:user, %{local: false, nickname: "u@peer2.com"})
+    insert(:instance, host: "peer1.com")
+    insert(:instance, host: "peer2.com")
 
     {:ok, _} = Pleroma.Web.CommonAPI.post(user, %{status: "cofe"})
 
@@ -83,8 +83,9 @@ defmodule Pleroma.Web.MastodonAPI.InstanceControllerTest do
   end
 
   test "get peers", %{conn: conn} do
-    insert(:user, %{local: false, nickname: "u@peer1.com"})
-    insert(:user, %{local: false, nickname: "u@peer2.com"})
+    # Peers come from the instances table, which remote users add to.
+    insert(:instance, host: "peer1.com")
+    insert(:instance, host: "peer2.com")
 
     Pleroma.Stats.force_update()