diff --git a/.chloggen/fix-batch-processor-goroutine-leak.yaml b/.chloggen/fix-batch-processor-goroutine-leak.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c5ce6662b97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.chloggen/fix-batch-processor-goroutine-leak.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+# Use this changelog template to create an entry for release notes.
+
+# One of 'breaking', 'deprecation', 'new_component', 'enhancement', 'bug_fix'
+change_type: bug_fix
+
+# The name of the component, or a single word describing the area of concern, (e.g. otlpreceiver)
+component: processor/batch
+
+# A brief description of the change.  Surround your text with quotes ("") if it needs to start with a backtick (`).
+note: Prevent starting unnecessary goroutines.
+
+# One or more tracking issues or pull requests related to the change
+issues: [9739]
+
+# (Optional) One or more lines of additional information to render under the primary note.
+# These lines will be padded with 2 spaces and then inserted directly into the document.
+# Use pipe (|) for multiline entries.
+subtext:
+
+# Optional: The change log or logs in which this entry should be included.
+# e.g. '[user]' or '[user, api]'
+# Include 'user' if the change is relevant to end users.
+# Include 'api' if there is a change to a library API.
+# Default: '[user]'
+change_logs: []
diff --git a/processor/batchprocessor/batch_processor.go b/processor/batchprocessor/batch_processor.go
index 4853eef524a..60c6fa10ef6 100644
--- a/processor/batchprocessor/batch_processor.go
+++ b/processor/batchprocessor/batch_processor.go
@@ -129,7 +129,9 @@ func newBatchProcessor(set processor.CreateSettings, cfg *Config, batchFunc func
 		metadataLimit:    int(cfg.MetadataCardinalityLimit),
 	}
 	if len(bp.metadataKeys) == 0 {
-		bp.batcher = &singleShardBatcher{batcher: bp.newShard(nil)}
+		s := bp.newShard(nil)
+		s.start()
+		bp.batcher = &singleShardBatcher{batcher: s}
 	} else {
 		bp.batcher = &multiShardBatcher{
 			batchProcessor: bp,
@@ -156,8 +158,6 @@ func (bp *batchProcessor) newShard(md map[string][]string) *shard {
 		exportCtx: exportCtx,
 		batch:     bp.batchFunc(),
 	}
-	b.processor.goroutines.Add(1)
-	go b.start()
 	return b
 }
 
@@ -180,6 +180,11 @@ func (bp *batchProcessor) Shutdown(context.Context) error {
 }
 
 func (b *shard) start() {
+	b.processor.goroutines.Add(1)
+	go b.startLoop()
+}
+
+func (b *shard) startLoop() {
 	defer b.processor.goroutines.Done()
 
 	// timerCh ensures we only block when there is a
@@ -320,6 +325,8 @@ func (mb *multiShardBatcher) consume(ctx context.Context, data any) error {
 		var loaded bool
 		b, loaded = mb.batchers.LoadOrStore(aset, mb.newShard(md))
 		if !loaded {
+			// Start the goroutine only if we added the object to the map, otherwise is already started.
+			b.(*shard).start()
 			mb.size++
 		}
 		mb.lock.Unlock()