diff --git a/lib/fluent/plugin/buffer.rb b/lib/fluent/plugin/buffer.rb
index ea50eb3ecb..243065be38 100644
--- a/lib/fluent/plugin/buffer.rb
+++ b/lib/fluent/plugin/buffer.rb
@@ -601,13 +601,19 @@ def purge_chunk(chunk_id)
           metadata = chunk.metadata
           log.on_trace { log.trace "purging a chunk", instance: self.object_id, chunk_id: dump_unique_id_hex(chunk_id), metadata: metadata }
 
+          bytesize = chunk.bytesize
           begin
-            bytesize = chunk.bytesize
             chunk.purge
-            @queue_size_metrics.sub(bytesize)
           rescue => e
             log.error "failed to purge buffer chunk", chunk_id: dump_unique_id_hex(chunk_id), error_class: e.class, error: e
             log.error_backtrace
+          ensure
+            # Always release the queued byte counter, even when purge raises
+            # (e.g. unlink/close failure on the buffer path). Otherwise
+            # @queue_size is never decremented for a dequeued chunk that is
+            # gone from both @queue and @dequeued, so the leak ratchets toward
+            # total_limit_size and storable? becomes permanently false (#5468).
+            @queue_size_metrics.sub(bytesize)
           end
 
           @dequeued_num[chunk.metadata] -= 1
diff --git a/test/plugin/test_buffer.rb b/test/plugin/test_buffer.rb
index 9cb803f2f7..b21145a8a2 100644
--- a/test/plugin/test_buffer.rb
+++ b/test/plugin/test_buffer.rb
@@ -435,6 +435,33 @@ def create_chunk_es(metadata, es)
       assert_equal({}, @p.dequeued)
     end
 
+    test '#purge_chunk releases queue_size even when chunk.purge raises (#5468)' do
+      # Initial queue: [@dm0, @dm1, @dm1]
+      m1 = @p.dequeue_chunk
+      assert_equal @dm0, m1.metadata
+      assert_equal [@dm1, @dm1], @p.queue.map(&:metadata)
+      assert_equal({m1.unique_id => m1}, @p.dequeued)
+
+      queued_before = @p.queue_size
+      assert queued_before > 0
+
+      # Simulate a physical purge failure (unlink/close on the buffer path)
+      # so chunk.purge raises after the chunk is dequeued.
+      # Inject the failure on the single chunk instance under test (the file's
+      # established idiom) rather than mutating a shared class.
+      (class << m1; self; end).module_eval do
+        define_method(:purge) { raise IOError, 'simulated purge failure (unlink EIO)' }
+      end
+
+      # purge_chunk swallows the error but must still decrement queue_size once
+      # (the chunk is gone from both @queue and @dequeued), so the counter does
+      # not leak upward and storable? does not permanently flip to false (#5468).
+      @p.purge_chunk(m1.unique_id)
+
+      assert_equal queued_before - m1.bytesize, @p.queue_size
+      assert @p.storable?
+    end
+
     test '#takeback_chunk returns false if specified chunk_id is already purged' do
       assert_equal [@dm0,@dm1,@dm1], @p.queue.map(&:metadata)
       assert_equal({}, @p.dequeued)