diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index d7fc0c04ae4..480ed6bed04 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ For semantic convention package changes, see the [semconv CHANGELOG](packages/se
 
 ### :bug: (Bug Fix)
 
+* fix(sdk-metrics): await exports in `PeriodicExportingMetricReader` when async resource attributes have not yet settled [#5119](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-js/pull/5119/) @pichlermarc
+
 ### :books: (Refine Doc)
 
 ### :house: (Internal)
diff --git a/packages/sdk-metrics/src/export/PeriodicExportingMetricReader.ts b/packages/sdk-metrics/src/export/PeriodicExportingMetricReader.ts
index b6730033e03..646c832aa41 100644
--- a/packages/sdk-metrics/src/export/PeriodicExportingMetricReader.ts
+++ b/packages/sdk-metrics/src/export/PeriodicExportingMetricReader.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ import {
 import { MetricReader } from './MetricReader';
 import { PushMetricExporter } from './MetricExporter';
 import { callWithTimeout, TimeoutError } from '../utils';
-import { diag } from '@opentelemetry/api';
 import { MetricProducer } from './MetricProducer';
 
 export type PeriodicExportingMetricReaderOptions = {
@@ -127,25 +126,20 @@ export class PeriodicExportingMetricReader extends MetricReader {
       );
     }
 
-    const doExport = async () => {
-      const result = await internal._export(this._exporter, resourceMetrics);
-      if (result.code !== ExportResultCode.SUCCESS) {
-        throw new Error(
-          `PeriodicExportingMetricReader: metrics export failed (error ${result.error})`
-        );
+    if (resourceMetrics.resource.asyncAttributesPending) {
+      try {
+        await resourceMetrics.resource.waitForAsyncAttributes?.();
+      } catch (e) {
+        api.diag.debug('Error while resolving async portion of resource: ', e);
+        globalErrorHandler(e);
       }
-    };
+    }
 
-    // Avoid scheduling a promise to make the behavior more predictable and easier to test
-    if (resourceMetrics.resource.asyncAttributesPending) {
-      resourceMetrics.resource
-        .waitForAsyncAttributes?.()
-        .then(doExport, err =>
-          diag.debug('Error while resolving async portion of resource: ', err)
-        )
-        .catch(globalErrorHandler);
-    } else {
-      await doExport();
+    const result = await internal._export(this._exporter, resourceMetrics);
+    if (result.code !== ExportResultCode.SUCCESS) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `PeriodicExportingMetricReader: metrics export failed (error ${result.error})`
+      );
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/sdk-metrics/test/export/PeriodicExportingMetricReader.test.ts b/packages/sdk-metrics/test/export/PeriodicExportingMetricReader.test.ts
index d5ab5531267..9210f4622f3 100644
--- a/packages/sdk-metrics/test/export/PeriodicExportingMetricReader.test.ts
+++ b/packages/sdk-metrics/test/export/PeriodicExportingMetricReader.test.ts
@@ -16,12 +16,22 @@
 
 import { PeriodicExportingMetricReader } from '../../src/export/PeriodicExportingMetricReader';
 import { AggregationTemporality } from '../../src/export/AggregationTemporality';
-import { Aggregation, InstrumentType, PushMetricExporter } from '../../src';
+import {
+  Aggregation,
+  CollectionResult,
+  InstrumentType,
+  MetricProducer,
+  PushMetricExporter,
+} from '../../src';
 import { ResourceMetrics } from '../../src/export/MetricData';
 import * as assert from 'assert';
 import * as sinon from 'sinon';
 import { TimeoutError } from '../../src/utils';
-import { ExportResult, ExportResultCode } from '@opentelemetry/core';
+import {
+  ExportResult,
+  ExportResultCode,
+  setGlobalErrorHandler,
+} from '@opentelemetry/core';
 import { assertRejects } from '../test-utils';
 import { emptyResourceMetrics, TestMetricProducer } from './TestMetricProducer';
 import {
@@ -296,6 +306,98 @@ describe('PeriodicExportingMetricReader', () => {
       await reader.shutdown();
     });
 
+    it('should complete actions before promise resolves when async resource attributes are pending', async () => {
+      // arrange
+      const waitForAsyncAttributesStub = sinon.stub().returns(
+        new Promise<void>(resolve =>
+          setTimeout(() => {
+            resolve();
+          }, 10)
+        )
+      );
+      const resourceMetrics: ResourceMetrics = {
+        resource: {
+          attributes: {},
+          merge: sinon.stub(),
+          asyncAttributesPending: true, // ensure we try to await async attributes
+          waitForAsyncAttributes: waitForAsyncAttributesStub, // resolve when awaited
+        },
+        scopeMetrics: [],
+      };
+
+      const mockCollectionResult: CollectionResult = {
+        errors: [],
+        resourceMetrics,
+      };
+      const producerStubs: MetricProducer = {
+        collect: sinon.stub().resolves(mockCollectionResult),
+      };
+
+      const exporter = new TestMetricExporter();
+
+      const reader = new PeriodicExportingMetricReader({
+        exporter: exporter,
+        exportIntervalMillis: MAX_32_BIT_INT,
+        exportTimeoutMillis: 80,
+      });
+
+      reader.setMetricProducer(producerStubs);
+
+      // act
+      await reader.forceFlush();
+
+      // assert
+      sinon.assert.calledOnce(waitForAsyncAttributesStub);
+      assert.strictEqual(
+        exporter.getExports().length,
+        1,
+        'Expected exactly 1 export to happen when awaiting forceFlush'
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('should call global error handler when resolving async attributes fails', async () => {
+      // arrange
+      const expectedError = new Error('resolving async attributes failed');
+      const waitForAsyncAttributesStub = sinon.stub().rejects(expectedError);
+
+      const resourceMetrics: ResourceMetrics = {
+        resource: {
+          attributes: {},
+          merge: sinon.stub(),
+          asyncAttributesPending: true, // ensure we try to await async attributes
+          waitForAsyncAttributes: waitForAsyncAttributesStub, // reject when awaited
+        },
+        scopeMetrics: [],
+      };
+
+      const mockCollectionResult: CollectionResult = {
+        errors: [],
+        resourceMetrics,
+      };
+      const producerStubs: MetricProducer = {
+        collect: sinon.stub().resolves(mockCollectionResult),
+      };
+
+      const exporter = new TestMetricExporter();
+
+      const reader = new PeriodicExportingMetricReader({
+        exporter: exporter,
+        exportIntervalMillis: MAX_32_BIT_INT,
+        exportTimeoutMillis: 80,
+      });
+
+      reader.setMetricProducer(producerStubs);
+      const errorHandlerStub = sinon.stub();
+      setGlobalErrorHandler(errorHandlerStub);
+
+      // act
+      await reader.forceFlush();
+
+      // assert
+      sinon.assert.calledOnce(waitForAsyncAttributesStub);
+      sinon.assert.calledOnceWithExactly(errorHandlerStub, expectedError);
+    });
+
     it('should throw TimeoutError when forceFlush takes too long', async () => {
       const exporter = new TestMetricExporter();
       exporter.forceFlushTime = 60;