diff --git a/core/includes/bootstrap.inc b/core/includes/bootstrap.inc
index bfee3a2..5dee0a0 100644
--- a/core/includes/bootstrap.inc
+++ b/core/includes/bootstrap.inc
@@ -28,6 +28,14 @@
 const DRUPAL_MINIMUM_PHP = '7.0.0';
 
 /**
+ * Updates cannot be run on versions of PHP older than this version.
+ *
+ * @todo Move this to an appropriate autoloadable class. See
+ *   https://www.drupal.org/project/drupal/issues/2908079
+ */
+const DRUPAL_MINIMUM_UPDATE_PHP = '5.5.9';
+
+/**
  * Minimum recommended version of PHP.
  *
  * Sites installing Drupal on PHP versions lower than this will see a warning
diff --git a/core/includes/install.inc b/core/includes/install.inc
index 70c82b4..13f0372 100644
--- a/core/includes/install.inc
+++ b/core/includes/install.inc
@@ -1116,7 +1116,7 @@ function install_profile_info($profile, $langcode = 'en') {
       'description' => '',
       'version' => NULL,
       'hidden' => FALSE,
-      'php' => DRUPAL_MINIMUM_PHP,
+      'php' => DRUPAL_MINIMUM_UPDATE_PHP,
       'config_install_path' => NULL,
     ];
     $profile_path = drupal_get_path('profile', $profile);
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Extension/ModuleExtensionList.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Extension/ModuleExtensionList.php
index c8f492b..07a1d83 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Extension/ModuleExtensionList.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Extension/ModuleExtensionList.php
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ class ModuleExtensionList extends ExtensionList {
     'description' => '',
     'package' => 'Other',
     'version' => NULL,
-    'php' => DRUPAL_MINIMUM_PHP,
+    'php' => DRUPAL_MINIMUM_UPDATE_PHP,
   ];
 
   /**
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Extension/ProfileExtensionList.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Extension/ProfileExtensionList.php
index 7c41516..bb054d0 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Extension/ProfileExtensionList.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Extension/ProfileExtensionList.php
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ class ProfileExtensionList extends ExtensionList {
     'description' => '',
     'package' => 'Other',
     'version' => NULL,
-    'php' => DRUPAL_MINIMUM_PHP,
+    'php' => DRUPAL_MINIMUM_UPDATE_PHP,
   ];
 
   /**
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Extension/ThemeEngineExtensionList.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Extension/ThemeEngineExtensionList.php
index c4d39ef..aef0d4e 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Extension/ThemeEngineExtensionList.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Extension/ThemeEngineExtensionList.php
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ class ThemeEngineExtensionList extends ExtensionList {
     'description' => '',
     'package' => 'Other',
     'version' => NULL,
-    'php' => DRUPAL_MINIMUM_PHP,
+    'php' => DRUPAL_MINIMUM_UPDATE_PHP,
   ];
 
   /**
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Extension/ThemeExtensionList.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Extension/ThemeExtensionList.php
index 07a2f3f..5468c3f 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Extension/ThemeExtensionList.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Extension/ThemeExtensionList.php
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ class ThemeExtensionList extends ExtensionList {
       'comment_user_verification',
     ],
     'screenshot' => 'screenshot.png',
-    'php' => DRUPAL_MINIMUM_PHP,
+    'php' => DRUPAL_MINIMUM_UPDATE_PHP,
     'libraries' => [],
     'libraries_extend' => [],
     'libraries_override' => [],