diff --git a/viper.go b/viper.go
index 2d5158cbd..3ce4c6f8f 100644
--- a/viper.go
+++ b/viper.go
@@ -1538,6 +1538,7 @@ func SetDefault(key string, value any) { v.SetDefault(key, value) }
 // SetDefault is case-insensitive for a key.
 // Default only used when no value is provided by the user via flag, config or ENV.
 func (v *Viper) SetDefault(key string, value any) {
+	v.ensureMaps()
 	// If alias passed in, then set the proper default
 	key = v.realKey(strings.ToLower(key))
 	value = toCaseInsensitiveValue(value)
@@ -1561,6 +1562,7 @@ func Set(key string, value any) { v.Set(key, value) }
 // Will be used instead of values obtained via
 // flags, config file, ENV, default, or key/value store.
 func (v *Viper) Set(key string, value any) {
+	v.ensureMaps()
 	// If alias passed in, then set the proper override
 	key = v.realKey(strings.ToLower(key))
 	value = toCaseInsensitiveValue(value)
@@ -1573,6 +1575,41 @@ func (v *Viper) Set(key string, value any) {
 	deepestMap[lastKey] = value
 }
 
+// ensureMaps lazily initialises the internal string-keyed maps that New
+// allocates up front. Callers that construct a Viper via a zero-value
+// struct literal (&Viper{}) rather than viper.New() would otherwise trip
+// an 'assignment to entry in nil map' panic on the first mutating call
+// (#2111). Treating the zero value as a usable instance matches Go
+// conventions for exported struct types (sync.Mutex{}, bytes.Buffer{},
+// and so on) without changing observable behaviour for instances that
+// already went through New.
+func (v *Viper) ensureMaps() {
+	if v.defaults == nil {
+		v.defaults = make(map[string]any)
+	}
+	if v.override == nil {
+		v.override = make(map[string]any)
+	}
+	if v.config == nil {
+		v.config = make(map[string]any)
+	}
+	if v.kvstore == nil {
+		v.kvstore = make(map[string]any)
+	}
+	if v.pflags == nil {
+		v.pflags = make(map[string]FlagValue)
+	}
+	if v.env == nil {
+		v.env = make(map[string][]string)
+	}
+	if v.aliases == nil {
+		v.aliases = make(map[string]string)
+	}
+	if v.keyDelim == "" {
+		v.keyDelim = "."
+	}
+}
+
 // ReadInConfig will discover and load the configuration file from disk
 // and key/value stores, searching in one of the defined paths.
 func ReadInConfig() error { return v.ReadInConfig() }
diff --git a/viper_test.go b/viper_test.go
index 8b0232aee..d6001b716 100644
--- a/viper_test.go
+++ b/viper_test.go
@@ -481,6 +481,32 @@ func TestDefault(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, "leather", v.Get("clothing.jacket"))
 }
 
+// TestZeroValueStructSetDefaultNoPanic is a regression for #2111. A Viper
+// created via a zero-value struct literal (rather than viper.New()) used
+// to panic with `assignment to entry in nil map` on the first SetDefault
+// or Set, because the internal maps were not allocated. Since Viper is an
+// exported type, zero-value instances should be usable or at worst
+// error-return, not runtime-panic.
+func TestZeroValueStructSetDefaultNoPanic(t *testing.T) {
+	v := &Viper{}
+	assert.NotPanics(t, func() {
+		v.SetDefault("a", 1)
+		v.SetDefault("nested.key", "value")
+	})
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, v.Get("a"))
+	assert.Equal(t, "value", v.Get("nested.key"))
+}
+
+func TestZeroValueStructSetNoPanic(t *testing.T) {
+	v := &Viper{}
+	assert.NotPanics(t, func() {
+		v.Set("a", 1)
+		v.Set("nested.key", "value")
+	})
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, v.Get("a"))
+	assert.Equal(t, "value", v.Get("nested.key"))
+}
+
 func TestUnmarshaling(t *testing.T) {
 	v := New()
 	v.SetConfigType("yaml")