diff --git a/sdks/python/container/Dockerfile b/sdks/python/container/Dockerfile
index 7bea6229668f..f3d22a4b5bc6 100644
--- a/sdks/python/container/Dockerfile
+++ b/sdks/python/container/Dockerfile
@@ -103,9 +103,33 @@ RUN if [ "$pull_licenses" = "true" ] ; then \
       python /tmp/license_scripts/pull_licenses_py.py ; \
     fi
 
-FROM beam
+FROM beam as base
 ARG pull_licenses
 COPY --from=third_party_licenses /opt/apache/beam/third_party_licenses /opt/apache/beam/third_party_licenses
 RUN if [ "$pull_licenses" != "true" ] ; then \
       rm -rf /opt/apache/beam/third_party_licenses ; \
     fi
+
+ARG TARGETARCH
+FROM gcr.io/distroless/python3-debian12:latest-${TARGETARCH} as distroless
+ARG py_version
+
+# Contains header files needed by the Python interpreter.
+COPY --from=base /usr/local/include /usr/local/include
+
+# Contains the Python interpreter executables.
+COPY --from=base /usr/local/bin /usr/local/bin
+
+# Contains the Python library dependencies.
+COPY --from=base /usr/local/lib /usr/local/lib
+
+# Python standard library modules.
+COPY --from=base /usr/lib/python${py_version} /usr/lib/python${py_version}
+
+# Contains the boot entrypoint and related files such as licenses.
+COPY --from=base /opt /opt
+
+ENV PATH "$PATH:/usr/local/bin"
+
+# Despite the ENTRYPOINT set above, need to reset since deriving the layer derives from a different image.
+ENTRYPOINT ["/opt/apache/beam/boot"]
diff --git a/sdks/python/container/common.gradle b/sdks/python/container/common.gradle
index 0175778a6301..885662362894 100644
--- a/sdks/python/container/common.gradle
+++ b/sdks/python/container/common.gradle
@@ -71,10 +71,16 @@ def copyLauncherDependencies = tasks.register("copyLauncherDependencies", Copy)
 }
 
 def pushContainers = project.rootProject.hasProperty(["isRelease"]) || project.rootProject.hasProperty("push-containers")
+def baseBuildTarget = 'base'
+def buildTarget = project.findProperty('container-build-target') ?: 'base'
+var imageName = project.docker_image_default_repo_prefix + "python${project.ext.pythonVersion}_sdk"
+if (buildTarget != baseBuildTarget) {
+  imageName += "_${buildTarget}"
+}
 
 docker {
   name containerImageName(
-          name: project.docker_image_default_repo_prefix + "python${project.ext.pythonVersion}_sdk",
+          name: imageName,
           root: project.rootProject.hasProperty(["docker-repository-root"]) ?
                   project.rootProject["docker-repository-root"] :
                   project.docker_image_default_repo_root,
@@ -90,6 +96,7 @@ docker {
   platform(*project.containerPlatforms())
   load project.useBuildx() && !pushContainers
   push pushContainers
+  target buildTarget
 }
 
 dockerPrepare.dependsOn copyLauncherDependencies
diff --git a/sdks/python/test-suites/dataflow/build.gradle b/sdks/python/test-suites/dataflow/build.gradle
index 04a79683fd36..4500b395b0a6 100644
--- a/sdks/python/test-suites/dataflow/build.gradle
+++ b/sdks/python/test-suites/dataflow/build.gradle
@@ -60,6 +60,12 @@ task validatesContainerTests {
   }
 }
 
+task validatesDistrolessContainerTests {
+  getVersionsAsList('distroless_python_versions').each {
+    dependsOn.add(":sdks:python:test-suites:dataflow:py${getVersionSuffix(it)}:validatesDistrolessContainer")
+  }
+}
+
 task examplesPostCommit {
   getVersionsAsList('dataflow_examples_postcommit_py_versions').each {
     dependsOn.add(":sdks:python:test-suites:dataflow:py${getVersionSuffix(it)}:examples")
diff --git a/sdks/python/test-suites/dataflow/common.gradle b/sdks/python/test-suites/dataflow/common.gradle
index 6bca904c1a64..3b48d7033233 100644
--- a/sdks/python/test-suites/dataflow/common.gradle
+++ b/sdks/python/test-suites/dataflow/common.gradle
@@ -380,6 +380,51 @@ task validatesContainer() {
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Validates the distroless (https://github.com/GoogleContainerTools/distroless) variant of the Python SDK container
+ * image (sdks/python/container/Dockerfile).
+ * To test a single version of Python:
+ * ./gradlew :sdks:python:test-suites:dataflow:py311:validatesDistrolessContainer
+ * See https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/BEAM/Python+Tips#PythonTips-VirtualEnvironmentSetup
+ * for more information on setting up different Python versions.
+ */
+task validatesDistrolessContainer() {
+  def pyversion = "${project.ext.pythonVersion.replace('.', '')}"
+  def buildTarget = 'distroless'
+  def repository = "us.gcr.io/apache-beam-testing/${System.getenv('USER')}"
+  def tag = java.time.Instant.now().getEpochSecond()
+  def imageURL = "${repository}/beam_python${project.ext.pythonVersion}_sdk_${buildTarget}:${tag}"
+  project.rootProject.ext['docker-repository-root'] = repository
+  project.rootProject.ext['container-build-target'] = buildTarget
+  project.rootProject.ext['docker-tag'] = tag
+  if (project.rootProject.hasProperty('dry-run')) {
+    println "Running in dry run mode: imageURL: ${imageURL}, pyversion: ${pyversion}, buildTarget: ${buildTarget}, repository: ${repository}, tag: ${tag}, envdir: ${envdir}"
+    return
+  }
+  dependsOn 'initializeForDataflowJob'
+  dependsOn ":sdks:python:container:py${pyversion}:docker"
+  dependsOn ":sdks:python:container:py${pyversion}:dockerPush"
+  def testTarget = "apache_beam/examples/wordcount_it_test.py::WordCountIT::test_wordcount_it"
+  def argMap = [
+          "output": "gs://temp-storage-for-end-to-end-tests/py-it-cloud/output",
+          "project": "apache-beam-testing",
+          "region": "us-central1",
+          "runner": "TestDataflowRunner",
+          "sdk_container_image": "${imageURL}",
+          "sdk_location": "container",
+          "staging_location": "gs://temp-storage-for-end-to-end-tests/staging-it",
+          "temp_location": "gs://temp-storage-for-end-to-end-tests/temp-it",
+  ]
+  def cmdArgs = mapToArgString(argMap)
+  doLast {
+    exec {
+      workingDir = "${rootDir}/sdks/python"
+      executable 'sh'
+      args '-c', ". ${envdir}/bin/activate && pytest ${testTarget} --test-pipeline-options=\"${cmdArgs}\""
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 task validatesContainerARM() {
   def pyversion = "${project.ext.pythonVersion.replace('.', '')}"
   dependsOn 'initializeForDataflowJob'
diff --git a/sdks/python/test-suites/gradle.properties b/sdks/python/test-suites/gradle.properties
index d027cd3144d3..08266c4b0dd5 100644
--- a/sdks/python/test-suites/gradle.properties
+++ b/sdks/python/test-suites/gradle.properties
@@ -54,3 +54,6 @@ prism_examples_postcommit_py_versions=3.9,3.12
 
 # cross language postcommit python test suites
 cross_language_validates_py_versions=3.9,3.12
+
+# Python versions to support distroless variants
+distroless_python_versions=3.9,3.10,3.11,3.12