diff --git a/swig/python/CMakeLists.txt b/swig/python/CMakeLists.txt
index c453a9e5..ee9b0b22 100644
--- a/swig/python/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/swig/python/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -124,8 +124,13 @@ function(BUILD_PYTHON_MODULE PYTHON_VERSION)
     target_include_directories(${SWIG_MODULE_SoapySDR${PYTHON_VERSION}_REAL_NAME} PRIVATE ${python_includes})
     SWIG_LINK_LIBRARIES(SoapySDR${PYTHON_VERSION} ${python_libraries})
 
+    set(get_python_lib ${SOAPYSDR_PYTHON_DIR}/get_python_lib.py)
+    if (${PYTHON_VERSION} EQUAL 2)
+        set(get_python_lib ${SOAPYSDR_PYTHON_DIR}/get_python2_lib.py)
+    endif()
+
     execute_process(
-        COMMAND ${Python${PYTHON_VERSION}_EXECUTABLE} ${SOAPYSDR_PYTHON_DIR}/get_python_lib.py ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}
+        COMMAND ${Python${PYTHON_VERSION}_EXECUTABLE} ${get_python_lib} ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}
         OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
         OUTPUT_VARIABLE PYTHON_INSTALL_DIR)
 
diff --git a/swig/python/get_python2_lib.py b/swig/python/get_python2_lib.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0c716529
--- /dev/null
+++ b/swig/python/get_python2_lib.py
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+import os
+import sys
+import site
+from distutils.sysconfig import get_python_lib
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    prefix = sys.argv[1]
+
+    #ask distutils where to install the python module
+    install_dir = get_python_lib(plat_specific=True, prefix=prefix)
+
+    #use sites when the prefix is already recognized
+    try:
+        paths = [p for p in site.getsitepackages() if p.startswith(prefix)]
+        if len(paths) == 1: install_dir = paths[0]
+    except AttributeError: pass
+
+    #strip the prefix to return a relative path
+    print(os.path.relpath(install_dir, prefix))