diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cdk-toolkit.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cdk-toolkit.ts
index 52b458f692ffa..85079f6a0c0dd 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cdk-toolkit.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cdk-toolkit.ts
@@ -558,16 +558,22 @@ export class CdkToolkit {
     // The stacks will have been ordered for deployment, so reverse them for deletion.
     stacks = stacks.reversed();
 
+    const artifacts = stacks.stackArtifacts;
+
     if (!options.force) {
       // eslint-disable-next-line max-len
-      const confirmed = await promptly.confirm(`Are you sure you want to delete: ${chalk.blue(stacks.stackArtifacts.map(s => s.hierarchicalId).join(', '))} (y/n)?`);
+      const confirmed = await promptly.confirm(`Are you sure you want to delete: ${chalk.blue(artifacts.map(s => s.hierarchicalId).join(', '))} (y/n)?`);
       if (!confirmed) {
         return;
       }
     }
 
+    if (artifacts.length === 0) {
+      throw new Error('Stack does not exist');
+    }
+
     const action = options.fromDeploy ? 'deploy' : 'destroy';
-    for (const [index, stack] of stacks.stackArtifacts.entries()) {
+    for (const [index, stack] of artifacts.entries()) {
       success('%s: destroying... [%s/%s]', chalk.blue(stack.displayName), index+1, stacks.stackCount);
       try {
         await this.props.deployments.destroyStack({
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/test/cdk-toolkit.test.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/test/cdk-toolkit.test.ts
index bb84e0fd6b4a7..f661d2b579d3c 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/test/cdk-toolkit.test.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/test/cdk-toolkit.test.ts
@@ -602,6 +602,19 @@ describe('destroy', () => {
       });
     }).resolves;
   });
+
+  test('fail on non-existent stack', async () => {
+    const toolkit = defaultToolkitSetup();
+
+    await expect(() => {
+      return toolkit.destroy({
+        selector: { patterns: ['Test-Stack-X'] },
+        exclusively: true,
+        force: true,
+        fromDeploy: true,
+      });
+    }).rejects.toThrowError('Stack does not exist');
+  });
 });
 
 describe('watch', () => {