diff --git a/data-avro/src/main/java/com/linkedin/data/avro/DataTranslator.java b/data-avro/src/main/java/com/linkedin/data/avro/DataTranslator.java
index 21b2697c78..a7d38fad8a 100644
--- a/data-avro/src/main/java/com/linkedin/data/avro/DataTranslator.java
+++ b/data-avro/src/main/java/com/linkedin/data/avro/DataTranslator.java
@@ -61,6 +61,18 @@ public class DataTranslator implements DataTranslatorContext
 {
   protected DataTranslationOptions _dataTranslationOptions;
 
+  public static void backFillMissingDeafultInDataMap(DataMap map, RecordDataSchema dataSchema) {
+    for (RecordDataSchema.Field field: dataSchema.getFields()) {
+      DataSchema fieldType = field.getType();
+      if ( fieldType.getDereferencedType() != DataSchema.Type.ARRAY && fieldType.getDereferencedType() != DataSchema.Type.MAP) {
+        continue;
+      }
+      if (field.getDefault() != null && (!map.containsKey(field.getName()) || map.get(field.getName()) == null)) {
+        map.put(field.getName(), field.getDefault());
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   /**
    * Convert the given {@link DataMap} conforming to the provided {@link RecordDataSchema} to a {@link GenericRecord}.
    *
@@ -74,6 +86,7 @@ public class DataTranslator implements DataTranslatorContext
    */
   public static GenericRecord dataMapToGenericRecord(DataMap map, RecordDataSchema dataSchema) throws DataTranslationException
   {
+    backFillMissingDeafultInDataMap(map, dataSchema);
     Schema avroSchema = SchemaTranslator.dataToAvroSchema(dataSchema);
     return dataMapToGenericRecord(map, dataSchema, avroSchema, null);
   }
@@ -94,6 +107,7 @@ public static GenericRecord dataMapToGenericRecord(DataMap map, RecordDataSchema
                                                      DataMapToAvroRecordTranslationOptions options)
       throws DataTranslationException
   {
+    backFillMissingDeafultInDataMap(map, dataSchema);
     Schema avroSchema = SchemaTranslator.dataToAvroSchema(dataSchema);
     return dataMapToGenericRecord(map, dataSchema, avroSchema, options);
   }
@@ -102,6 +116,7 @@ public static GenericRecord dataMapToGenericRecord(DataMap map, RecordDataSchema
                                                      DataMapToAvroRecordTranslationOptions options)
       throws DataTranslationException
   {
+    backFillMissingDeafultInDataMap(map, dataSchema);
     DataMapToGenericRecordTranslator translator = new DataMapToGenericRecordTranslator(options);
     try
     {
@@ -116,6 +131,7 @@ public static GenericRecord dataMapToGenericRecord(DataMap map, RecordDataSchema
 
   public static <T extends SpecificRecordBase> T dataMapToSpecificRecord(DataMap map, RecordDataSchema dataSchema,
       Schema avroSchema) throws DataTranslationException {
+    backFillMissingDeafultInDataMap(map, dataSchema);
     DataMapToSpecificRecordTranslator translator = new DataMapToSpecificRecordTranslator();
     try {
       T avroRecord = translator.translate(map, dataSchema, avroSchema);
@@ -145,6 +161,7 @@ public static <T extends SpecificRecordBase> T dataMapToSpecificRecord(DataMap m
    */
   public static GenericRecord dataMapToGenericRecord(DataMap map, RecordDataSchema dataSchema, Schema avroSchema) throws DataTranslationException
   {
+    backFillMissingDeafultInDataMap(map, dataSchema);
     return dataMapToGenericRecord(map, dataSchema, avroSchema, null);
   }
 
diff --git a/data-avro/src/test/java/com/linkedin/data/avro/TestDataTranslator.java b/data-avro/src/test/java/com/linkedin/data/avro/TestDataTranslator.java
index 3abd677853..aaf22eeb5d 100644
--- a/data-avro/src/test/java/com/linkedin/data/avro/TestDataTranslator.java
+++ b/data-avro/src/test/java/com/linkedin/data/avro/TestDataTranslator.java
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@
 package com.linkedin.data.avro;
 
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMap;
+import com.linkedin.avroutil1.compatibility.AvroCompatibilityHelper;
+import com.linkedin.data.Data;
 import com.linkedin.data.DataList;
 import com.linkedin.data.DataMap;
 import com.linkedin.data.TestUtil;
@@ -28,6 +30,7 @@
 import com.linkedin.data.avro.testevents.RecordArray;
 import com.linkedin.data.avro.testevents.RecordMap;
 import com.linkedin.data.avro.testevents.StringRecord;
+import com.linkedin.data.avro.testevents.TestArray;
 import com.linkedin.data.avro.testevents.TestEventRecordOfRecord;
 import com.linkedin.data.avro.testevents.TestEventWithUnionAndEnum;
 import com.linkedin.data.avro.util.AvroUtil;
@@ -1165,7 +1168,9 @@ private void testDataTranslation(String schemaText, String[][] row) throws IOExc
         String expectedBeforeNamespaceProcessor  = row[col][i];
         String expected = TestAvroUtil.namespaceProcessor(expectedBeforeNamespaceProcessor);
         if (debug && expected != expectedBeforeNamespaceProcessor) out.println(" Expected:" + expected);
-
+        if (!result.contains(expected)) {
+          System.out.println("RESULT: "+result+"\n"+"EXPECTED: "+expected);
+        }
         assertTrue(result.contains(expected));
       }
 
@@ -2291,5 +2296,29 @@ public void testMapArrayUnion() throws IOException {
     Assert.assertTrue(mapOfMapOfArrayOfMapArrayUnion.get(0) instanceof Map);
     Assert.assertEquals(((Map<?, ?>) mapOfMapOfArrayOfMapArrayUnion.get(0)).get("recordMap"), mapOfArrayOfMapArrayUnion);
   }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testDataMapBackfill() throws IOException {
+    final String SCHEMA =
+        "{" +
+            "   \"type\":\"record\"," +
+            "   \"name\":\"Foo\"," +
+            "   \"fields\":[" +
+            "      {" +
+            "         \"name\":\"arrayField\"," +
+            "         \"type\":{" +
+            "            \"type\":\"array\"," +
+            "            \"items\":\"string\"" +
+            "         }," +
+            "         \"default\":[ ]" +
+            "      }" +
+            "   ]" +
+            "}";
+    RecordDataSchema recordDataSchema =
+        (RecordDataSchema) TestUtil.dataSchemaFromString(SCHEMA);
+    DataMap map = new DataMap();
+    GenericRecord record = DataTranslator.dataMapToGenericRecord(map, recordDataSchema);
+    Assert.assertEquals(record.get("arrayField"), map.get("arrayField"));
+  }
 }