diff --git a/.changelog/17.added b/.changelog/17.added
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5cebc765608
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changelog/17.added
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Enforce a default metric aggregation cardinality limit of 2000, folding
+attribute sets beyond the limit into a single `otel.metric.overflow` series
diff --git a/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/metrics/_internal/_view_instrument_match.py b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/metrics/_internal/_view_instrument_match.py
index d9ba05363b1..d8d21085baa 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/metrics/_internal/_view_instrument_match.py
+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/metrics/_internal/_view_instrument_match.py
@@ -22,6 +22,16 @@
 
 _logger = getLogger(__name__)
 
+# Default aggregation cardinality limit as mandated by the specification:
+# https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-specification/blob/main/specification/metrics/sdk.md#cardinality-limits
+_DEFAULT_CARDINALITY_LIMIT = 2000
+
+# Synthetic attribute set used to aggregate measurements whose own attribute set
+# could not be independently aggregated because the cardinality limit was
+# reached.
+_OVERFLOW_ATTRIBUTES = {"otel.metric.overflow": True}
+_OVERFLOW_ATTRIBUTES_KEY = frozenset(_OVERFLOW_ATTRIBUTES.items())
+
 
 class _ViewInstrumentMatch:
     def __init__(
@@ -35,6 +45,7 @@ def __init__(
         self._attributes_aggregation: dict[frozenset, _Aggregation] = {}
         self._lock = Lock()
         self._instrument_class_aggregation = instrument_class_aggregation
+        self._cardinality_limit = _DEFAULT_CARDINALITY_LIMIT
         self._name = self._view._name or self._instrument.name
         self._description = (
             self._view._description or self._instrument.description
@@ -103,6 +114,30 @@ def consume_measurement(
         if aggr_key not in self._attributes_aggregation:
             with self._lock:
                 if aggr_key not in self._attributes_aggregation:
+                    # Enforce the cardinality limit. Once the number of tracked
+                    # attribute sets would exceed the limit, any previously
+                    # unseen attribute set is aggregated into a single overflow
+                    # series instead of allocating a new one. One slot is
+                    # reserved for the overflow series so that the total number
+                    # of metric points never exceeds the limit, matching the
+                    # reference implementations (Go, Java).
+                    if (
+                        len(self._attributes_aggregation)
+                        >= self._cardinality_limit - 1
+                    ):
+                        aggr_key = _OVERFLOW_ATTRIBUTES_KEY
+                        attributes = _OVERFLOW_ATTRIBUTES
+
+                if aggr_key not in self._attributes_aggregation:
+                    if aggr_key is _OVERFLOW_ATTRIBUTES_KEY:
+                        _logger.warning(
+                            "Metric cardinality limit (%s) reached for "
+                            "instrument %s. Further attribute sets are being "
+                            "aggregated under the overflow attribute set "
+                            "{'otel.metric.overflow': True}.",
+                            self._cardinality_limit,
+                            self._name,
+                        )
                     if not isinstance(
                         self._view._aggregation, DefaultAggregation
                     ):
diff --git a/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/metrics/integration_test/test_metric_cardinality_limit.py b/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/metrics/integration_test/test_metric_cardinality_limit.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d694fff7257
--- /dev/null
+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/metrics/integration_test/test_metric_cardinality_limit.py
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+# Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+from unittest import TestCase
+
+from opentelemetry.sdk.metrics import MeterProvider
+from opentelemetry.sdk.metrics._internal._view_instrument_match import (
+    _DEFAULT_CARDINALITY_LIMIT,
+    _OVERFLOW_ATTRIBUTES,
+)
+from opentelemetry.sdk.metrics.export import InMemoryMetricReader
+
+
+class TestCardinalityLimit(TestCase):
+    @staticmethod
+    def _record_distinct_attribute_sets(count):
+        reader = InMemoryMetricReader()
+        meter_provider = MeterProvider(metric_readers=[reader])
+        meter = meter_provider.get_meter("testmeter")
+        counter = meter.create_counter("testcounter")
+
+        for index in range(count):
+            counter.add(1, {"index": index})
+
+        metrics_data = reader.get_metrics_data()
+        return (
+            metrics_data.resource_metrics[0]
+            .scope_metrics[0]
+            .metrics[0]
+            .data.data_points
+        )
+
+    def test_no_overflow_below_limit(self):
+        # One slot is reserved for the overflow series, so up to
+        # ``limit - 1`` distinct attribute sets are aggregated independently
+        # without producing an overflow series.
+        data_points = self._record_distinct_attribute_sets(
+            _DEFAULT_CARDINALITY_LIMIT - 1
+        )
+
+        self.assertEqual(len(data_points), _DEFAULT_CARDINALITY_LIMIT - 1)
+        self.assertNotIn(
+            _OVERFLOW_ATTRIBUTES,
+            [dict(data_point.attributes) for data_point in data_points],
+        )
+
+    def test_overflow_at_limit(self):
+        # At and beyond the limit, the total number of metric points stays
+        # capped at the limit and the excess is folded into a single overflow
+        # series.
+        excess = 500
+        data_points = self._record_distinct_attribute_sets(
+            _DEFAULT_CARDINALITY_LIMIT + excess
+        )
+
+        self.assertEqual(len(data_points), _DEFAULT_CARDINALITY_LIMIT)
+
+        overflow_points = [
+            data_point
+            for data_point in data_points
+            if dict(data_point.attributes) == _OVERFLOW_ATTRIBUTES
+        ]
+        self.assertEqual(len(overflow_points), 1)
+
+    def test_no_measurement_dropped_during_overflow(self):
+        # Every measurement must be reflected in exactly one aggregator, so the
+        # summed value across all series (including overflow) equals the total
+        # number of measurements recorded.
+        total_measurements = _DEFAULT_CARDINALITY_LIMIT + 500
+        data_points = self._record_distinct_attribute_sets(total_measurements)
+
+        self.assertEqual(
+            sum(data_point.value for data_point in data_points),
+            total_measurements,
+        )