diff --git a/substrate/client/rpc-api/src/system/helpers.rs b/substrate/client/rpc-api/src/system/helpers.rs
index dd3294c243..c5dddedef9 100644
--- a/substrate/client/rpc-api/src/system/helpers.rs
+++ b/substrate/client/rpc-api/src/system/helpers.rs
@@ -86,6 +86,18 @@ pub enum NodeRole {
 	Sentry,
 }
 
+/// The state of the syncing of the node.
+#[derive(Debug, PartialEq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+#[serde(rename_all = "camelCase")]
+pub struct SyncState<Number> {
+	/// Height of the block at which syncing started.
+	pub starting_block: Number,
+	/// Height of the current best block of the node.
+	pub current_block: Number,
+	/// Height of the highest block learned from the network. Missing if no block is known yet.
+	#[serde(default = "Default::default", skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+	pub highest_block: Option<Number>,
+}
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
 	use super::*;
@@ -114,4 +126,25 @@ mod tests {
 			r#"{"peerId":"2","roles":"a","bestHash":5,"bestNumber":6}"#,
 		);
 	}
+
+	#[test]
+	fn should_serialize_sync_state() {
+		assert_eq!(
+			::serde_json::to_string(&SyncState {
+				starting_block: 12u32,
+				current_block: 50u32,
+				highest_block: Some(128u32),
+			}).unwrap(),
+			r#"{"startingBlock":12,"currentBlock":50,"highestBlock":128}"#,
+		);
+
+		assert_eq!(
+			::serde_json::to_string(&SyncState {
+				starting_block: 12u32,
+				current_block: 50u32,
+				highest_block: None,
+			}).unwrap(),
+			r#"{"startingBlock":12,"currentBlock":50}"#,
+		);
+	}
 }
diff --git a/substrate/client/rpc-api/src/system/mod.rs b/substrate/client/rpc-api/src/system/mod.rs
index a7b746ee1b..fbeec23ea5 100644
--- a/substrate/client/rpc-api/src/system/mod.rs
+++ b/substrate/client/rpc-api/src/system/mod.rs
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ use futures::{future::BoxFuture, compat::Compat};
 
 use self::error::Result as SystemResult;
 
-pub use self::helpers::{SystemInfo, Health, PeerInfo, NodeRole};
+pub use self::helpers::{SystemInfo, Health, PeerInfo, NodeRole, SyncState};
 pub use self::gen_client::Client as SystemClient;
 
 /// Substrate system RPC API
@@ -103,4 +103,9 @@ pub trait SystemApi<Hash, Number> {
 	/// Returns the roles the node is running as.
 	#[rpc(name = "system_nodeRoles", returns = "Vec<NodeRole>")]
 	fn system_node_roles(&self) -> Receiver<Vec<NodeRole>>;
+
+	/// Returns the state of the syncing of the node: starting block, current best block, highest
+	/// known block.
+	#[rpc(name = "system_syncState", returns = "SyncState<Number>")]
+	fn system_sync_state(&self) -> Receiver<SyncState<Number>>;
 }
diff --git a/substrate/client/rpc/Cargo.toml b/substrate/client/rpc/Cargo.toml
index 70d0005351..021c795fe5 100644
--- a/substrate/client/rpc/Cargo.toml
+++ b/substrate/client/rpc/Cargo.toml
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ lazy_static = { version = "1.4.0", optional = true }
 [dev-dependencies]
 assert_matches = "1.3.0"
 futures01 = { package = "futures", version = "0.1.29" }
+lazy_static = "1.4.0"
 sc-network = { version = "0.8.0", path = "../network" }
 sp-io = { version = "2.0.0", path = "../../primitives/io" }
 substrate-test-runtime-client = { version = "2.0.0", path = "../../test-utils/runtime/client" }
diff --git a/substrate/client/rpc/src/system/mod.rs b/substrate/client/rpc/src/system/mod.rs
index 4b8abbe144..17fb6b77a5 100644
--- a/substrate/client/rpc/src/system/mod.rs
+++ b/substrate/client/rpc/src/system/mod.rs
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ use sp_runtime::traits::{self, Header as HeaderT};
 use self::error::Result;
 
 pub use sc_rpc_api::system::*;
-pub use self::helpers::{SystemInfo, Health, PeerInfo, NodeRole};
+pub use self::helpers::{SystemInfo, Health, PeerInfo, NodeRole, SyncState};
 pub use self::gen_client::Client as SystemClient;
 
 macro_rules! bail_if_unsafe {
@@ -66,7 +66,9 @@ pub enum Request<B: traits::Block> {
 	/// Must return any potential parse error.
 	NetworkRemoveReservedPeer(String, oneshot::Sender<Result<()>>),
 	/// Must return the node role.
-	NodeRoles(oneshot::Sender<Vec<NodeRole>>)
+	NodeRoles(oneshot::Sender<Vec<NodeRole>>),
+	/// Must return the state of the node syncing.
+	SyncState(oneshot::Sender<SyncState<<B::Header as HeaderT>::Number>>),
 }
 
 impl<B: traits::Block> System<B> {
@@ -189,4 +191,10 @@ impl<B: traits::Block> SystemApi<B::Hash, <B::Header as HeaderT>::Number> for Sy
 		let _ = self.send_back.unbounded_send(Request::NodeRoles(tx));
 		Receiver(Compat::new(rx))
 	}
+
+	fn system_sync_state(&self) -> Receiver<SyncState<<B::Header as HeaderT>::Number>> {
+		let (tx, rx) = oneshot::channel();
+		let _ = self.send_back.unbounded_send(Request::SyncState(tx));
+		Receiver(Compat::new(rx))
+	}
 }
diff --git a/substrate/client/rpc/src/system/tests.rs b/substrate/client/rpc/src/system/tests.rs
index f16d7da5b1..61f1940dc2 100644
--- a/substrate/client/rpc/src/system/tests.rs
+++ b/substrate/client/rpc/src/system/tests.rs
@@ -104,6 +104,13 @@ fn api<T: Into<Option<Status>>>(sync: T) -> System<Block> {
 				Request::NodeRoles(sender) => {
 					let _ = sender.send(vec![NodeRole::Authority]);
 				}
+				Request::SyncState(sender) => {
+					let _ = sender.send(SyncState {
+						starting_block: 1,
+						current_block: 2,
+						highest_block: Some(3),
+					});
+				}
 			};
 
 			future::ready(())
@@ -291,6 +298,18 @@ fn system_node_roles() {
 	);
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn system_sync_state() {
+	assert_eq!(
+		wait_receiver(api(None).system_sync_state()),
+		SyncState {
+			starting_block: 1,
+			current_block: 2,
+			highest_block: Some(3),
+		}
+	);
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn system_network_add_reserved() {
 	let good_peer_id = "/ip4/198.51.100.19/tcp/30333/p2p/QmSk5HQbn6LhUwDiNMseVUjuRYhEtYj4aUZ6WfWoGURpdV";
diff --git a/substrate/client/service/src/lib.rs b/substrate/client/service/src/lib.rs
index 1c67d3865f..cb741c2920 100644
--- a/substrate/client/service/src/lib.rs
+++ b/substrate/client/service/src/lib.rs
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ pub use sc_tracing::TracingReceiver;
 pub use task_manager::SpawnTaskHandle;
 pub use task_manager::TaskManager;
 pub use sp_consensus::import_queue::ImportQueue;
-use sc_client_api::BlockchainEvents;
+use sc_client_api::{blockchain::HeaderBackend, BlockchainEvents};
 
 const DEFAULT_PROTOCOL_ID: &str = "sup";
 
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ pub struct PartialComponents<Client, Backend, SelectChain, ImportQueue, Transact
 /// The `status_sink` contain a list of senders to send a periodic network status to.
 async fn build_network_future<
 	B: BlockT,
-	C: BlockchainEvents<B>,
+	C: BlockchainEvents<B> + HeaderBackend<B>,
 	H: sc_network::ExHashT
 > (
 	role: Role,
@@ -212,6 +212,9 @@ async fn build_network_future<
 ) {
 	let mut imported_blocks_stream = client.import_notification_stream().fuse();
 
+	// Current best block at initialization, to report to the RPC layer.
+	let starting_block = client.info().best_number;
+
 	// Stream of finalized blocks reported by the client.
 	let mut finality_notification_stream = {
 		let mut finality_notification_stream = client.finality_notification_stream().fuse();
@@ -323,6 +326,15 @@ async fn build_network_future<
 
 						let _ = sender.send(vec![node_role]);
 					}
+					sc_rpc::system::Request::SyncState(sender) => {
+						use sc_rpc::system::SyncState;
+
+						let _ = sender.send(SyncState {
+							starting_block: starting_block,
+							current_block: client.info().best_number,
+							highest_block: network.best_seen_block(),
+						});
+					}
 				}
 			}