diff --git a/include/nlohmann/detail/input/json_sax.hpp b/include/nlohmann/detail/input/json_sax.hpp
index 43af2616a..80850ab92 100644
--- a/include/nlohmann/detail/input/json_sax.hpp
+++ b/include/nlohmann/detail/input/json_sax.hpp
@@ -1303,7 +1303,7 @@ class json_sax_dom_parser : public json_sax_dom_error_state
         {
             // a new member is null and holds nothing: construct the value
             // over it instead of destroying and swapping
-            ::new (static_cast<void*>(&member)) BasicJsonType(std::forward<Value>(v));
+            construct_member(member, std::forward<Value>(v), std::is_nothrow_constructible<BasicJsonType, Value> {});
         }
         else
         {
@@ -1312,6 +1312,26 @@ class json_sax_dom_parser : public json_sax_dom_error_state
         }
     }
 
+    /// constructing the value cannot throw (for example a number or a boolean): construct it in place
+    template<typename Value>
+    JSON_HEDLEY_ALWAYS_INLINE
+    static void construct_member(BasicJsonType& member, Value&& v, std::true_type /*nothrow*/)
+    {
+        ::new (static_cast<void*>(&member)) BasicJsonType(std::forward<Value>(v));
+    }
+
+    /// constructing the value can throw (for example a container or a string), and a
+    /// constructor that was interrupted must not have touched the member (#5985):
+    /// create the value first, then move it over the member (the move constructor is
+    /// noexcept)
+    template<typename Value>
+    JSON_HEDLEY_ALWAYS_INLINE
+    static void construct_member(BasicJsonType& member, Value&& v, std::false_type /*may throw*/)
+    {
+        BasicJsonType value(std::forward<Value>(v));
+        ::new (static_cast<void*>(&member)) BasicJsonType(std::move(value));
+    }
+
     /// a custom base class may care about the lifetime of the value
     template<typename Value>
     static void set_member(BasicJsonType& member, Value&& v, std::false_type /*custom base*/)
diff --git a/single_include/nlohmann/json.hpp b/single_include/nlohmann/json.hpp
index 1d7df6d99..dee9797b4 100644
--- a/single_include/nlohmann/json.hpp
+++ b/single_include/nlohmann/json.hpp
@@ -16937,7 +16937,7 @@ class json_sax_dom_parser : public json_sax_dom_error_state
         {
             // a new member is null and holds nothing: construct the value
             // over it instead of destroying and swapping
-            ::new (static_cast<void*>(&member)) BasicJsonType(std::forward<Value>(v));
+            construct_member(member, std::forward<Value>(v), std::is_nothrow_constructible<BasicJsonType, Value> {});
         }
         else
         {
@@ -16946,6 +16946,26 @@ class json_sax_dom_parser : public json_sax_dom_error_state
         }
     }
 
+    /// constructing the value cannot throw (for example a number or a boolean): construct it in place
+    template<typename Value>
+    JSON_HEDLEY_ALWAYS_INLINE
+    static void construct_member(BasicJsonType& member, Value&& v, std::true_type /*nothrow*/)
+    {
+        ::new (static_cast<void*>(&member)) BasicJsonType(std::forward<Value>(v));
+    }
+
+    /// constructing the value can throw (for example a container or a string), and a
+    /// constructor that was interrupted must not have touched the member (#5985):
+    /// create the value first, then move it over the member (the move constructor is
+    /// noexcept)
+    template<typename Value>
+    JSON_HEDLEY_ALWAYS_INLINE
+    static void construct_member(BasicJsonType& member, Value&& v, std::false_type /*may throw*/)
+    {
+        BasicJsonType value(std::forward<Value>(v));
+        ::new (static_cast<void*>(&member)) BasicJsonType(std::move(value));
+    }
+
     /// a custom base class may care about the lifetime of the value
     template<typename Value>
     static void set_member(BasicJsonType& member, Value&& v, std::false_type /*custom base*/)
diff --git a/tests/src/unit-allocator.cpp b/tests/src/unit-allocator.cpp
index 02b145aae..e1dee5509 100644
--- a/tests/src/unit-allocator.cpp
+++ b/tests/src/unit-allocator.cpp
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 using nlohmann::json;
 
 #include <functional>
+#include <limits>
 #include <valarray>
 #if JSON_HAS_RANGES
     #include <ranges>
@@ -791,7 +792,7 @@ TEST_CASE("a failed allocation leaves the value unchanged")
 #if JSON_HAS_RANGES && !defined(__MINGW32__)
         const std::vector<int> numbers = {1, 2};
         next_construct_fails = true;
-        CHECK_THROWS_AS(nlohmann::to_json(j, numbers | std::views::filter([](int /*unused*/)
+        CHECK_THROWS_AS(nlohmann::to_json(j, numbers | std::views::filter([](int /*unused*/) noexcept
         {
             return true;
         })), std::bad_alloc&);
@@ -1024,3 +1025,172 @@ TEST_CASE("insert() provides its documented exception guarantees (#5986)")
     }
 }
 #endif
+
+#if !defined(JSON_NOEXCEPTION)
+namespace
+{
+// the allocation numbered sweep_fail_at (counted from 1) throws; 0 never fails
+std::size_t sweep_allocations = 0;
+std::size_t sweep_fail_at = 0;
+std::ptrdiff_t sweep_live = 0;
+
+template<class T>
+struct sweep_allocator
+{
+    using value_type = T;
+
+    sweep_allocator() = default;
+    template<class U> sweep_allocator(const sweep_allocator<U>& /*unused*/) noexcept {}
+
+    T* allocate(std::size_t n)
+    {
+        if (sweep_fail_at != 0 && ++sweep_allocations == sweep_fail_at)
+        {
+            throw std::bad_alloc();
+        }
+        ++sweep_live;
+        return std::allocator<T>().allocate(n);
+    }
+
+    void deallocate(T* p, std::size_t n) noexcept
+    {
+        --sweep_live;
+        std::allocator<T>().deallocate(p, n);
+    }
+
+    // GCC 4.8's std::map calls these on the allocator directly instead of
+    // going through std::allocator_traits
+    std::size_t max_size() const noexcept
+    {
+        return (std::numeric_limits<std::size_t>::max)() / sizeof(T);
+    }
+
+    template<class U, class... Args>
+    void construct(U* p, Args&& ... args) noexcept(noexcept(::new (static_cast<void*>(p)) U(std::forward<Args>(args)...)))
+    {
+        ::new (static_cast<void*>(p)) U(std::forward<Args>(args)...);
+    }
+
+    template<class U>
+    void destroy(U* p) noexcept
+    {
+        static_cast<void>(p); // unused for trivially destructible types
+        p->~U();
+    }
+
+    template <class U>
+    struct rebind
+    {
+        using other = sweep_allocator<U>;
+    };
+
+    bool operator==(const sweep_allocator& /*unused*/) const noexcept
+    {
+        return true;
+    }
+    bool operator!=(const sweep_allocator& /*unused*/) const noexcept
+    {
+        return false;
+    }
+};
+
+// run make() with the allocation numbered k failing, for k = 1, 2, ...: every
+// failure must be a std::bad_alloc and must not leave anything behind, and
+// the first k without a failure must yield the value made without failures
+template<class BasicJsonType, class Make>
+void sweep_allocations_of(const Make& make)
+{
+    sweep_fail_at = 0;
+    const BasicJsonType expected = make();
+    const std::ptrdiff_t live_before = sweep_live;
+
+    std::size_t failures = 0;
+    for (std::size_t k = 1; k < 10000; ++k)
+    {
+        sweep_allocations = 0;
+        sweep_fail_at = k;
+        try
+        {
+            const BasicJsonType result = make();
+            sweep_fail_at = 0;
+            CHECK(result == expected);
+            break;
+        }
+        catch (const std::bad_alloc&)
+        {
+            sweep_fail_at = 0;
+            ++failures;
+        }
+        CHECK(sweep_live == live_before);
+    }
+    sweep_fail_at = 0;
+    CHECK(failures > 10);
+    CHECK(sweep_live == live_before);
+}
+} // namespace
+
+TEST_CASE("parse() survives a failing allocation at every point (#5985)")
+{
+    // strings beyond the small string buffer, nested objects and arrays
+    const std::string text = R"({"a":"a long string that does not fit into the small string buffer1","b":[1,2,[3,{"k":"another string that is longer than any small string buffer"}]],"c":{"x":1,"y":{"z":[]},"w":"yet another string that does not fit into a small buffer"},"d":1,"b":[[],{}]})";
+
+    using sweep_json = nlohmann::json::with_allocator_t<sweep_allocator>;
+    using sweep_ordered_json = nlohmann::ordered_json::with_allocator_t<sweep_allocator>;
+
+    SECTION("json")
+    {
+        sweep_allocations_of<sweep_json>([&]
+        {
+            return sweep_json::parse(text);
+        });
+    }
+
+    SECTION("ordered_json")
+    {
+        sweep_allocations_of<sweep_ordered_json>([&]
+        {
+            return sweep_ordered_json::parse(text);
+        });
+    }
+
+    // With iterator debugging (MSVC STL debug builds, also used by clang-cl),
+    // containers allocate a debug proxy through the allocator inside their
+    // noexcept move constructors, so failing that allocation terminates the
+    // program instead of throwing std::bad_alloc. Nothing to check there.
+#if !(defined(_ITERATOR_DEBUG_LEVEL) && _ITERATOR_DEBUG_LEVEL > 0)
+    SECTION("parser callback")
+    {
+        const auto keep_all = [](int /*depth*/, sweep_json::parse_event_t /*event*/, sweep_json& /*parsed*/) noexcept
+        {
+            return true;
+        };
+        sweep_allocations_of<sweep_json>([&]
+        {
+            return sweep_json::parse(text, keep_all);
+        });
+
+        const auto drop_d = [](int /*depth*/, sweep_json::parse_event_t event, sweep_json & parsed)
+        {
+            return event != sweep_json::parse_event_t::key || parsed != "d";
+        };
+        sweep_allocations_of<sweep_json>([&]
+        {
+            return sweep_json::parse(text, drop_d);
+        });
+    }
+#endif
+
+    SECTION("sax_parse into an existing value")
+    {
+        // a failed parse leaves the target in a state that is safe to destroy
+        using sax_t = nlohmann::detail::json_sax_dom_parser<sweep_json, nlohmann::detail::iterator_input_adapter<const char*>>;
+        sweep_allocations_of<sweep_json>([&]() -> sweep_json
+        {
+            sweep_json value;
+            sax_t sax(value, false);
+            static_cast<void>(sweep_json::sax_parse(text, &sax));
+            return value;
+        });
+    }
+}
+#endif