diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/46314.yml b/changelogs/fragments/46314.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..9958061e8f6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/46314.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+---
+bugfixes:
+  - apt - report changed=True when some packages are being removed (https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/46314).
diff --git a/lib/ansible/modules/apt.py b/lib/ansible/modules/apt.py
index 0b496dfb89b..59e91949751 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/modules/apt.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/modules/apt.py
@@ -381,8 +381,8 @@ from ansible.module_utils.six import string_types
 from ansible.module_utils.urls import fetch_file
 
 DPKG_OPTIONS = 'force-confdef,force-confold'
-APT_GET_ZERO = "\n0 upgraded, 0 newly installed"
-APTITUDE_ZERO = "\n0 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed"
+APT_GET_ZERO = "\n0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove"
+APTITUDE_ZERO = "\n0 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove"
 APT_LISTS_PATH = "/var/lib/apt/lists"
 APT_UPDATE_SUCCESS_STAMP_PATH = "/var/lib/apt/periodic/update-success-stamp"
 APT_MARK_INVALID_OP = 'Invalid operation'
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/apt/tasks/repo.yml b/test/integration/targets/apt/tasks/repo.yml
index b1d08afa342..70e2e6a286c 100644
--- a/test/integration/targets/apt/tasks/repo.yml
+++ b/test/integration/targets/apt/tasks/repo.yml
@@ -384,6 +384,8 @@
         - { upgrade_type: safe, force_apt_get: True }
         - { upgrade_type: full, force_apt_get: True }
 
+    - include_tasks: "upgrade_autoremove.yml"
+
     - name: (Re-)Install aptitude, run same tests again
       apt:
         pkg: aptitude
@@ -401,6 +403,7 @@
         - { upgrade_type: full, force_apt_get: True }
 
     - include_tasks: "upgrade_scenarios.yml"
+    - include_tasks: "upgrade_autoremove.yml"
 
     - name: Remove aptitude if not originally present
       apt:
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/apt/tasks/upgrade_autoremove.yml b/test/integration/targets/apt/tasks/upgrade_autoremove.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..96e3980a3b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/targets/apt/tasks/upgrade_autoremove.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+# https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/46314
+- block:
+    - name: Remove upgrades from the equation
+      apt:
+        upgrade: true
+        state: present
+        update_cache: true
+
+    - name: Install foobar, installs foo as a dependency
+      apt:
+        name: foobar=1.0.0
+        allow_unauthenticated: true
+
+    - name: Check foobar version
+      shell: dpkg -s foobar | grep Version | awk '{print $2}'
+      register: foobar_version
+
+    - name: Ensure the correct version of foobar has been installed
+      assert:
+        that:
+          - "'1.0.0' in foobar_version.stdout"
+
+    - name: Remove foobar, leaving behind its dependency foo
+      apt:
+        name: foobar=1.0.0
+        state: absent
+
+    - name: Test autoremove + upgrade (check mode)
+      apt:
+        autoremove: true
+        upgrade: true
+      diff: true
+      check_mode: true
+      register: autoremove_check_mode
+
+    - name: Test autoremove + upgrade
+      apt:
+        autoremove: true
+        upgrade: true
+      diff: true
+      register: autoremove
+
+    - name: Check that something is changed
+      assert:
+        that:
+          - autoremove.changed
+          - autoremove_check_mode.changed
+
+    - name: Check foo version
+      shell: dpkg -s foo | grep Version | awk '{print $2}'
+      register: foo_version
+
+    - name: Check that old version removed correctly
+      assert:
+        that:
+          - "'1.0.1' not in foo_version.stdout"
+          - "{{ foo_version.changed }}"
+
+    - name: Test autoremove + upgrade (Idempotant)
+      apt:
+        autoremove: true
+        upgrade: true
+      diff: true
+      register: second_upgrade_result
+
+    - name: Check that nothing has changed (Idempotant)
+      assert:
+        that:
+          - "second_upgrade_result.changed == false"
+
+  always:
+    - name: Clean up
+      apt:
+        pkg: foo,foobar
+        state: absent
+        autoclean: true