diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/core/ml/utils/PhaseProgress.java b/x-pack/plugin/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/core/ml/utils/PhaseProgress.java
index 0f9617bceb1..0eaeff4fac0 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/core/ml/utils/PhaseProgress.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/core/ml/utils/PhaseProgress.java
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 package org.elasticsearch.xpack.core.ml.utils;
 
 import org.elasticsearch.common.ParseField;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.Strings;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.StreamInput;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.StreamOutput;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.Writeable;
@@ -80,4 +81,9 @@ public class PhaseProgress implements ToXContentObject, Writeable {
         PhaseProgress that = (PhaseProgress) o;
         return Objects.equals(phase, that.phase) && progressPercent == that.progressPercent;
     }
+
+    @Override
+    public String toString() {
+        return Strings.toString(this);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/ml/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/dataframe/stats/ProgressTracker.java b/x-pack/plugin/ml/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/dataframe/stats/ProgressTracker.java
index f46e588facc..c8ce57e3bb4 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/ml/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/dataframe/stats/ProgressTracker.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/ml/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/dataframe/stats/ProgressTracker.java
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ public class ProgressTracker {
     }
 
     public void updateReindexingProgress(int progressPercent) {
-        progressPercentPerPhase.put(REINDEXING, progressPercent);
+        updatePhase(REINDEXING, progressPercent);
     }
 
     public int getReindexingProgressPercent() {
@@ -62,11 +62,15 @@ public class ProgressTracker {
     }
 
     public void updateLoadingDataProgress(int progressPercent) {
-        progressPercentPerPhase.put(LOADING_DATA, progressPercent);
+        updatePhase(LOADING_DATA, progressPercent);
+    }
+
+    public int getLoadingDataProgressPercent() {
+        return progressPercentPerPhase.get(LOADING_DATA);
     }
 
     public void updateWritingResultsProgress(int progressPercent) {
-        progressPercentPerPhase.put(WRITING_RESULTS, progressPercent);
+        updatePhase(WRITING_RESULTS, progressPercent);
     }
 
     public int getWritingResultsProgressPercent() {
@@ -74,7 +78,11 @@ public class ProgressTracker {
     }
 
     public void updatePhase(PhaseProgress phase) {
-        progressPercentPerPhase.computeIfPresent(phase.getPhase(), (k, v) -> phase.getProgressPercent());
+        updatePhase(phase.getPhase(), phase.getProgressPercent());
+    }
+
+    private void updatePhase(String phase, int progress) {
+        progressPercentPerPhase.computeIfPresent(phase, (k, v) -> Math.max(v, progress));
     }
 
     public List<PhaseProgress> report() {
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/ml/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/dataframe/stats/ProgressTrackerTests.java b/x-pack/plugin/ml/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/dataframe/stats/ProgressTrackerTests.java
index 0706a5dbee8..c0890f59e23 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/ml/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/dataframe/stats/ProgressTrackerTests.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/ml/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/dataframe/stats/ProgressTrackerTests.java
@@ -79,4 +79,56 @@ public class ProgressTrackerTests extends ESTestCase {
         assertThat(phases.stream().map(PhaseProgress::getPhase).collect(Collectors.toList()),
             contains("reindexing", "loading_data", "foo", "writing_results"));
     }
+
+    public void testUpdateReindexingProgress_GivenLowerValueThanCurrentProgress() {
+        ProgressTracker progressTracker = ProgressTracker.fromZeroes(Collections.singletonList("foo"));
+
+        progressTracker.updateReindexingProgress(10);
+
+        progressTracker.updateReindexingProgress(11);
+        assertThat(progressTracker.getReindexingProgressPercent(), equalTo(11));
+
+        progressTracker.updateReindexingProgress(10);
+        assertThat(progressTracker.getReindexingProgressPercent(), equalTo(11));
+    }
+
+    public void testUpdateLoadingDataProgress_GivenLowerValueThanCurrentProgress() {
+        ProgressTracker progressTracker = ProgressTracker.fromZeroes(Collections.singletonList("foo"));
+
+        progressTracker.updateLoadingDataProgress(20);
+
+        progressTracker.updateLoadingDataProgress(21);
+        assertThat(progressTracker.getLoadingDataProgressPercent(), equalTo(21));
+
+        progressTracker.updateLoadingDataProgress(20);
+        assertThat(progressTracker.getLoadingDataProgressPercent(), equalTo(21));
+    }
+
+    public void testUpdateWritingResultsProgress_GivenLowerValueThanCurrentProgress() {
+        ProgressTracker progressTracker = ProgressTracker.fromZeroes(Collections.singletonList("foo"));
+
+        progressTracker.updateWritingResultsProgress(30);
+
+        progressTracker.updateWritingResultsProgress(31);
+        assertThat(progressTracker.getWritingResultsProgressPercent(), equalTo(31));
+
+        progressTracker.updateWritingResultsProgress(30);
+        assertThat(progressTracker.getWritingResultsProgressPercent(), equalTo(31));
+    }
+
+    public void testUpdatePhase_GivenLowerValueThanCurrentProgress() {
+        ProgressTracker progressTracker = ProgressTracker.fromZeroes(Collections.singletonList("foo"));
+
+        progressTracker.updatePhase(new PhaseProgress("foo", 40));
+
+        progressTracker.updatePhase(new PhaseProgress("foo", 41));
+        assertThat(getProgressForPhase(progressTracker, "foo"), equalTo(41));
+
+        progressTracker.updatePhase(new PhaseProgress("foo", 40));
+        assertThat(getProgressForPhase(progressTracker, "foo"), equalTo(41));
+    }
+
+    private static int getProgressForPhase(ProgressTracker progressTracker, String phase) {
+        return progressTracker.report().stream().filter(p -> p.getPhase().equals(phase)).findFirst().get().getProgressPercent();
+    }
 }