diff --git a/tools/perf/ui/browsers/hists.c b/tools/perf/ui/browsers/hists.c
index 928b4825b752b18c3d85c177d5168e4d88e77edb..2f02ce79bd9d167f168797afa30a138be6da6a23 100644
--- a/tools/perf/ui/browsers/hists.c
+++ b/tools/perf/ui/browsers/hists.c
@@ -1280,7 +1280,7 @@ static int hist_browser__show_entry(struct hist_browser *browser,
 static int hist_browser__show_hierarchy_entry(struct hist_browser *browser,
 					      struct hist_entry *entry,
 					      unsigned short row,
-					      int level, int nr_sort_keys)
+					      int level)
 {
 	int printed = 0;
 	int width = browser->b.width;
@@ -1294,7 +1294,7 @@ static int hist_browser__show_hierarchy_entry(struct hist_browser *browser,
 		.current_entry	= current_entry,
 	};
 	int column = 0;
-	int hierarchy_indent = (nr_sort_keys - 1) * HIERARCHY_INDENT;
+	int hierarchy_indent = (entry->hists->nr_hpp_node - 2) * HIERARCHY_INDENT;
 
 	if (current_entry) {
 		browser->he_selection = entry;
@@ -1436,8 +1436,7 @@ static int hist_browser__show_hierarchy_entry(struct hist_browser *browser,
 }
 
 static int hist_browser__show_no_entry(struct hist_browser *browser,
-				       unsigned short row,
-				       int level, int nr_sort_keys)
+				       unsigned short row, int level)
 {
 	int width = browser->b.width;
 	bool current_entry = ui_browser__is_current_entry(&browser->b, row);
@@ -1445,6 +1444,7 @@ static int hist_browser__show_no_entry(struct hist_browser *browser,
 	int column = 0;
 	int ret;
 	struct perf_hpp_fmt *fmt;
+	int indent = browser->hists->nr_hpp_node - 2;
 
 	if (current_entry) {
 		browser->he_selection = NULL;
@@ -1485,8 +1485,8 @@ static int hist_browser__show_no_entry(struct hist_browser *browser,
 		width -= ret;
 	}
 
-	ui_browser__write_nstring(&browser->b, "", nr_sort_keys * HIERARCHY_INDENT);
-	width -= nr_sort_keys * HIERARCHY_INDENT;
+	ui_browser__write_nstring(&browser->b, "", indent * HIERARCHY_INDENT);
+	width -= indent * HIERARCHY_INDENT;
 
 	if (column >= browser->b.horiz_scroll) {
 		char buf[32];
@@ -1553,7 +1553,7 @@ static int hists_browser__scnprintf_hierarchy_headers(struct hist_browser *brows
 	struct perf_hpp_fmt *fmt;
 	size_t ret = 0;
 	int column = 0;
-	int nr_sort_keys = hists->nr_sort_keys;
+	int indent = hists->nr_hpp_node - 2;
 	bool first = true;
 
 	ret = scnprintf(buf, size, " ");
@@ -1577,7 +1577,7 @@ static int hists_browser__scnprintf_hierarchy_headers(struct hist_browser *brows
 	}
 
 	ret = scnprintf(dummy_hpp.buf, dummy_hpp.size, "%*s",
-			(nr_sort_keys - 1) * HIERARCHY_INDENT, "");
+			indent * HIERARCHY_INDENT, "");
 	if (advance_hpp_check(&dummy_hpp, ret))
 		return ret;
 
@@ -1645,7 +1645,6 @@ static unsigned int hist_browser__refresh(struct ui_browser *browser)
 	u16 header_offset = 0;
 	struct rb_node *nd;
 	struct hist_browser *hb = container_of(browser, struct hist_browser, b);
-	int nr_sort = hb->hists->nr_sort_keys;
 
 	if (hb->show_headers) {
 		hist_browser__show_headers(hb);
@@ -1672,14 +1671,12 @@ static unsigned int hist_browser__refresh(struct ui_browser *browser)
 
 		if (symbol_conf.report_hierarchy) {
 			row += hist_browser__show_hierarchy_entry(hb, h, row,
-								  h->depth,
-								  nr_sort);
+								  h->depth);
 			if (row == browser->rows)
 				break;
 
 			if (h->has_no_entry) {
-				hist_browser__show_no_entry(hb, row, h->depth,
-							    nr_sort);
+				hist_browser__show_no_entry(hb, row, h->depth);
 				row++;
 			}
 		} else {
diff --git a/tools/perf/ui/hist.c b/tools/perf/ui/hist.c
index 95795ef4209b9018c164f41c3370bb5e54d5620e..f03c4f70438fb90daf720164edf65d5a680f2d30 100644
--- a/tools/perf/ui/hist.c
+++ b/tools/perf/ui/hist.c
@@ -740,6 +740,7 @@ static int add_hierarchy_fmt(struct hists *hists, struct perf_hpp_fmt *fmt)
 		node->level = fmt->level;
 		perf_hpp_list__init(&node->hpp);
 
+		hists->nr_hpp_node++;
 		list_add_tail(&node->list, &hists->hpp_formats);
 	}
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/ui/stdio/hist.c b/tools/perf/ui/stdio/hist.c
index 073642a63cc9480292ad3e8637833dcddecd5be4..543d7137cc0c4b5f68623dfdecc9059c9ab8893f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/ui/stdio/hist.c
+++ b/tools/perf/ui/stdio/hist.c
@@ -412,7 +412,7 @@ static int hist_entry__snprintf(struct hist_entry *he, struct perf_hpp *hpp)
 
 static int hist_entry__hierarchy_fprintf(struct hist_entry *he,
 					 struct perf_hpp *hpp,
-					 int nr_sort_key, struct hists *hists,
+					 struct hists *hists,
 					 FILE *fp)
 {
 	const char *sep = symbol_conf.field_sep;
@@ -453,7 +453,7 @@ static int hist_entry__hierarchy_fprintf(struct hist_entry *he,
 
 	if (!sep)
 		ret = scnprintf(hpp->buf, hpp->size, "%*s",
-				(nr_sort_key - 1) * HIERARCHY_INDENT, "");
+				(hists->nr_hpp_node - 2) * HIERARCHY_INDENT, "");
 	advance_hpp(hpp, ret);
 
 	printed += fprintf(fp, "%s", buf);
@@ -504,12 +504,8 @@ static int hist_entry__fprintf(struct hist_entry *he, size_t size,
 	if (size == 0 || size > bfsz)
 		size = hpp.size = bfsz;
 
-	if (symbol_conf.report_hierarchy) {
-		int nr_sort = hists->nr_sort_keys;
-
-		return hist_entry__hierarchy_fprintf(he, &hpp, nr_sort,
-						     hists, fp);
-	}
+	if (symbol_conf.report_hierarchy)
+		return hist_entry__hierarchy_fprintf(he, &hpp, hists, fp);
 
 	hist_entry__snprintf(he, &hpp);
 
@@ -521,29 +517,29 @@ static int hist_entry__fprintf(struct hist_entry *he, size_t size,
 	return ret;
 }
 
-static int print_hierarchy_indent(const char *sep, int nr_sort,
+static int print_hierarchy_indent(const char *sep, int indent,
 				  const char *line, FILE *fp)
 {
-	if (sep != NULL || nr_sort < 1)
+	if (sep != NULL || indent < 2)
 		return 0;
 
-	return fprintf(fp, "%-.*s", (nr_sort - 1) * HIERARCHY_INDENT, line);
+	return fprintf(fp, "%-.*s", (indent - 2) * HIERARCHY_INDENT, line);
 }
 
 static int print_hierarchy_header(struct hists *hists, struct perf_hpp *hpp,
 				  const char *sep, FILE *fp)
 {
 	bool first = true;
-	int nr_sort;
+	int indent;
 	int depth;
 	unsigned width = 0;
 	unsigned header_width = 0;
 	struct perf_hpp_fmt *fmt;
 
-	nr_sort = hists->nr_sort_keys;
+	indent = hists->nr_hpp_node;
 
 	/* preserve max indent depth for column headers */
-	print_hierarchy_indent(sep, nr_sort, spaces, fp);
+	print_hierarchy_indent(sep, indent, spaces, fp);
 
 	hists__for_each_format(hists, fmt) {
 		if (perf_hpp__is_sort_entry(fmt) || perf_hpp__is_dynamic_entry(fmt))
@@ -582,7 +578,7 @@ static int print_hierarchy_header(struct hists *hists, struct perf_hpp *hpp,
 	fprintf(fp, "\n# ");
 
 	/* preserve max indent depth for initial dots */
-	print_hierarchy_indent(sep, nr_sort, dots, fp);
+	print_hierarchy_indent(sep, indent, dots, fp);
 
 	first = true;
 	hists__for_each_format(hists, fmt) {
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/hist.h b/tools/perf/util/hist.h
index 2209188d729c83295045eac8f0233b6a8bcd14b1..2cb017f28f9ec98a5cae6c7dc41dbfe308fa7aa9 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/hist.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/hist.h
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ struct hists {
 	struct perf_hpp_list	*hpp_list;
 	struct list_head	hpp_formats;
 	int			nr_sort_keys;
+	int			nr_hpp_node;
 };
 
 struct hist_entry_iter;