diff --git a/plugins/inputs/net/net.go b/plugins/inputs/net/net.go
index ce0173b28..0c3c4cdcc 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/net/net.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/net/net.go
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ func (n *NetIOStats) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("error getting list of interfaces: %w", err)
 	}
-	interfacesByName := map[string]net.Interface{}
+	interfacesByName := make(map[string]net.Interface, len(interfaces))
 	for _, iface := range interfaces {
 		interfacesByName[iface.Name] = iface
 	}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/netstat/netstat.go b/plugins/inputs/netstat/netstat.go
index 15ed7da8f..18da7083c 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/netstat/netstat.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/netstat/netstat.go
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ func (ns *NetStats) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	counts["UDP"] = 0
 
 	// TODO: add family to tags or else
-	tags := map[string]string{}
+	tags := make(map[string]string)
 	for _, netcon := range netconns {
 		if netcon.Type == syscall.SOCK_DGRAM {
 			counts["UDP"]++
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/nginx_plus/nginx_plus.go b/plugins/inputs/nginx_plus/nginx_plus.go
index e9ba0e283..ed9b450ac 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/nginx_plus/nginx_plus.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/nginx_plus/nginx_plus.go
@@ -345,7 +345,7 @@ func (s *status) gatherRequestMetrics(tags map[string]string, acc telegraf.Accum
 
 func (s *status) gatherZoneMetrics(tags map[string]string, acc telegraf.Accumulator) {
 	for zoneName, zone := range s.ServerZones {
-		zoneTags := map[string]string{}
+		zoneTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+1)
 		for k, v := range tags {
 			zoneTags[k] = v
 		}
@@ -377,7 +377,7 @@ func (s *status) gatherZoneMetrics(tags map[string]string, acc telegraf.Accumula
 
 func (s *status) gatherUpstreamMetrics(tags map[string]string, acc telegraf.Accumulator) {
 	for upstreamName, upstream := range s.Upstreams {
-		upstreamTags := map[string]string{}
+		upstreamTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+1)
 		for k, v := range tags {
 			upstreamTags[k] = v
 		}
@@ -438,7 +438,7 @@ func (s *status) gatherUpstreamMetrics(tags map[string]string, acc telegraf.Accu
 			if peer.MaxConns != nil {
 				peerFields["max_conns"] = *peer.MaxConns
 			}
-			peerTags := map[string]string{}
+			peerTags := make(map[string]string, len(upstreamTags)+2)
 			for k, v := range upstreamTags {
 				peerTags[k] = v
 			}
@@ -453,7 +453,7 @@ func (s *status) gatherUpstreamMetrics(tags map[string]string, acc telegraf.Accu
 
 func (s *status) gatherCacheMetrics(tags map[string]string, acc telegraf.Accumulator) {
 	for cacheName, cache := range s.Caches {
-		cacheTags := map[string]string{}
+		cacheTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+1)
 		for k, v := range tags {
 			cacheTags[k] = v
 		}
@@ -492,7 +492,7 @@ func (s *status) gatherCacheMetrics(tags map[string]string, acc telegraf.Accumul
 
 func (s *status) gatherStreamMetrics(tags map[string]string, acc telegraf.Accumulator) {
 	for zoneName, zone := range s.Stream.ServerZones {
-		zoneTags := map[string]string{}
+		zoneTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+1)
 		for k, v := range tags {
 			zoneTags[k] = v
 		}
@@ -509,7 +509,7 @@ func (s *status) gatherStreamMetrics(tags map[string]string, acc telegraf.Accumu
 		)
 	}
 	for upstreamName, upstream := range s.Stream.Upstreams {
-		upstreamTags := map[string]string{}
+		upstreamTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+1)
 		for k, v := range tags {
 			upstreamTags[k] = v
 		}
@@ -551,7 +551,7 @@ func (s *status) gatherStreamMetrics(tags map[string]string, acc telegraf.Accumu
 			if peer.ResponseTime != nil {
 				peerFields["response_time"] = *peer.ResponseTime
 			}
-			peerTags := map[string]string{}
+			peerTags := make(map[string]string, len(upstreamTags)+2)
 			for k, v := range upstreamTags {
 				peerTags[k] = v
 			}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/nginx_plus_api/nginx_plus_api_metrics.go b/plugins/inputs/nginx_plus_api/nginx_plus_api_metrics.go
index 3f52ff77b..859d216a3 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/nginx_plus_api/nginx_plus_api_metrics.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/nginx_plus_api/nginx_plus_api_metrics.go
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ func (n *NginxPlusAPI) gatherSlabsMetrics(addr *url.URL, acc telegraf.Accumulato
 	tags := getTags(addr)
 
 	for zoneName, slab := range slabs {
-		slabTags := map[string]string{}
+		slabTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+1)
 		for k, v := range tags {
 			slabTags[k] = v
 		}
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ func (n *NginxPlusAPI) gatherSlabsMetrics(addr *url.URL, acc telegraf.Accumulato
 		)
 
 		for slotID, slot := range slab.Slots {
-			slotTags := map[string]string{}
+			slotTags := make(map[string]string, len(slabTags)+1)
 			for k, v := range slabTags {
 				slotTags[k] = v
 			}
@@ -249,9 +249,8 @@ func (n *NginxPlusAPI) gatherHTTPServerZonesMetrics(addr *url.URL, acc telegraf.
 	}
 
 	tags := getTags(addr)
-
 	for zoneName, zone := range httpServerZones {
-		zoneTags := map[string]string{}
+		zoneTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+1)
 		for k, v := range tags {
 			zoneTags[k] = v
 		}
@@ -299,7 +298,7 @@ func (n *NginxPlusAPI) gatherHTTPLocationZonesMetrics(addr *url.URL, acc telegra
 	tags := getTags(addr)
 
 	for zoneName, zone := range httpLocationZones {
-		zoneTags := map[string]string{}
+		zoneTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+1)
 		for k, v := range tags {
 			zoneTags[k] = v
 		}
@@ -345,7 +344,7 @@ func (n *NginxPlusAPI) gatherHTTPUpstreamsMetrics(addr *url.URL, acc telegraf.Ac
 	tags := getTags(addr)
 
 	for upstreamName, upstream := range httpUpstreams {
-		upstreamTags := map[string]string{}
+		upstreamTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+1)
 		for k, v := range tags {
 			upstreamTags[k] = v
 		}
@@ -400,7 +399,7 @@ func (n *NginxPlusAPI) gatherHTTPUpstreamsMetrics(addr *url.URL, acc telegraf.Ac
 			if peer.MaxConns != nil {
 				peerFields["max_conns"] = *peer.MaxConns
 			}
-			peerTags := map[string]string{}
+			peerTags := make(map[string]string, len(upstreamTags)+2)
 			for k, v := range upstreamTags {
 				peerTags[k] = v
 			}
@@ -429,7 +428,7 @@ func (n *NginxPlusAPI) gatherHTTPCachesMetrics(addr *url.URL, acc telegraf.Accum
 	tags := getTags(addr)
 
 	for cacheName, cache := range httpCaches {
-		cacheTags := map[string]string{}
+		cacheTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+1)
 		for k, v := range tags {
 			cacheTags[k] = v
 		}
@@ -483,7 +482,7 @@ func (n *NginxPlusAPI) gatherStreamServerZonesMetrics(addr *url.URL, acc telegra
 	tags := getTags(addr)
 
 	for zoneName, zone := range streamServerZones {
-		zoneTags := map[string]string{}
+		zoneTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+1)
 		for k, v := range tags {
 			zoneTags[k] = v
 		}
@@ -519,7 +518,7 @@ func (n *NginxPlusAPI) gatherResolverZonesMetrics(addr *url.URL, acc telegraf.Ac
 	tags := getTags(addr)
 
 	for zoneName, resolver := range resolverZones {
-		zoneTags := map[string]string{}
+		zoneTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+1)
 		for k, v := range tags {
 			zoneTags[k] = v
 		}
@@ -562,7 +561,7 @@ func (n *NginxPlusAPI) gatherStreamUpstreamsMetrics(addr *url.URL, acc telegraf.
 	tags := getTags(addr)
 
 	for upstreamName, upstream := range streamUpstreams {
-		upstreamTags := map[string]string{}
+		upstreamTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+1)
 		for k, v := range tags {
 			upstreamTags[k] = v
 		}
@@ -602,7 +601,7 @@ func (n *NginxPlusAPI) gatherStreamUpstreamsMetrics(addr *url.URL, acc telegraf.
 			if peer.ResponseTime != nil {
 				peerFields["response_time"] = *peer.ResponseTime
 			}
-			peerTags := map[string]string{}
+			peerTags := make(map[string]string, len(upstreamTags)+2)
 			for k, v := range upstreamTags {
 				peerTags[k] = v
 			}
@@ -632,7 +631,7 @@ func (n *NginxPlusAPI) gatherHTTPLimitReqsMetrics(addr *url.URL, acc telegraf.Ac
 	tags := getTags(addr)
 
 	for limitReqName, limit := range httpLimitReqs {
-		limitReqsTags := map[string]string{}
+		limitReqsTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+1)
 		for k, v := range tags {
 			limitReqsTags[k] = v
 		}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/nginx_sts/nginx_sts.go b/plugins/inputs/nginx_sts/nginx_sts.go
index 2d9c88702..75dddeb9b 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/nginx_sts/nginx_sts.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/nginx_sts/nginx_sts.go
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ func gatherStatusURL(r *bufio.Reader, tags map[string]string, acc telegraf.Accum
 	}, tags)
 
 	for zoneName, zone := range status.StreamServerZones {
-		zoneTags := map[string]string{}
+		zoneTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+1)
 		for k, v := range tags {
 			zoneTags[k] = v
 		}
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ func gatherStatusURL(r *bufio.Reader, tags map[string]string, acc telegraf.Accum
 
 	for filterName, filters := range status.StreamFilterZones {
 		for filterKey, upstream := range filters {
-			filterTags := map[string]string{}
+			filterTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+2)
 			for k, v := range tags {
 				filterTags[k] = v
 			}
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ func gatherStatusURL(r *bufio.Reader, tags map[string]string, acc telegraf.Accum
 
 	for upstreamName, upstreams := range status.StreamUpstreamZones {
 		for _, upstream := range upstreams {
-			upstreamServerTags := map[string]string{}
+			upstreamServerTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+2)
 			for k, v := range tags {
 				upstreamServerTags[k] = v
 			}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/nginx_vts/nginx_vts.go b/plugins/inputs/nginx_vts/nginx_vts.go
index 00a3920d4..2dea49d36 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/nginx_vts/nginx_vts.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/nginx_vts/nginx_vts.go
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ func gatherStatusURL(r *bufio.Reader, tags map[string]string, acc telegraf.Accum
 	}, tags)
 
 	for zoneName, zone := range status.ServerZones {
-		zoneTags := map[string]string{}
+		zoneTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+1)
 		for k, v := range tags {
 			zoneTags[k] = v
 		}
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ func gatherStatusURL(r *bufio.Reader, tags map[string]string, acc telegraf.Accum
 
 	for filterName, filters := range status.FilterZones {
 		for filterKey, upstream := range filters {
-			filterTags := map[string]string{}
+			filterTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+2)
 			for k, v := range tags {
 				filterTags[k] = v
 			}
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ func gatherStatusURL(r *bufio.Reader, tags map[string]string, acc telegraf.Accum
 
 	for upstreamName, upstreams := range status.UpstreamZones {
 		for _, upstream := range upstreams {
-			upstreamServerTags := map[string]string{}
+			upstreamServerTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+2)
 			for k, v := range tags {
 				upstreamServerTags[k] = v
 			}
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ func gatherStatusURL(r *bufio.Reader, tags map[string]string, acc telegraf.Accum
 	}
 
 	for zoneName, zone := range status.CacheZones {
-		zoneTags := map[string]string{}
+		zoneTags := make(map[string]string, len(tags)+1)
 		for k, v := range tags {
 			zoneTags[k] = v
 		}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/nstat/nstat.go b/plugins/inputs/nstat/nstat.go
index d521c4c3e..7f517f7b5 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/nstat/nstat.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/nstat/nstat.go
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ func (ns *Nstat) loadPaths() {
 // loadGoodTable can be used to parse string heap that
 // headers and values are arranged in right order
 func (ns *Nstat) loadGoodTable(table []byte) map[string]interface{} {
-	entries := map[string]interface{}{}
+	entries := make(map[string]interface{})
 	fields := bytes.Fields(table)
 	var value int64
 	var err error
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ func (ns *Nstat) loadGoodTable(table []byte) map[string]interface{} {
 // loadUglyTable can be used to parse string heap that
 // the headers and values are split with a newline
 func (ns *Nstat) loadUglyTable(table []byte) map[string]interface{} {
-	entries := map[string]interface{}{}
+	entries := make(map[string]interface{})
 	// split the lines by newline
 	lines := bytes.Split(table, newLineByte)
 	var value int64
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/nvidia_smi/schema_v11/parser.go b/plugins/inputs/nvidia_smi/schema_v11/parser.go
index 1482d97f4..ae45117d6 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/nvidia_smi/schema_v11/parser.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/nvidia_smi/schema_v11/parser.go
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ func Parse(acc telegraf.Accumulator, buf []byte) error {
 		tags := map[string]string{
 			"index": strconv.Itoa(i),
 		}
-		fields := map[string]interface{}{}
+		fields := make(map[string]interface{}, 39)
 
 		common.SetTagIfUsed(tags, "pstate", gpu.PState)
 		common.SetTagIfUsed(tags, "name", gpu.ProdName)
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/nvidia_smi/schema_v12/parser.go b/plugins/inputs/nvidia_smi/schema_v12/parser.go
index 8109b0aac..4bc88bd01 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/nvidia_smi/schema_v12/parser.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/nvidia_smi/schema_v12/parser.go
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ func Parse(acc telegraf.Accumulator, buf []byte) error {
 		tags := map[string]string{
 			"index": strconv.Itoa(i),
 		}
-		fields := map[string]interface{}{}
+		fields := make(map[string]interface{}, 44)
 
 		common.SetTagIfUsed(tags, "pstate", gpu.PerformanceState)
 		common.SetTagIfUsed(tags, "name", gpu.ProductName)
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ func Parse(acc telegraf.Accumulator, buf []byte) error {
 		acc.AddFields("nvidia_smi", fields, tags, timestamp)
 
 		for _, device := range gpu.MigDevices.MigDevice {
-			tags := map[string]string{}
+			tags := make(map[string]string, 8)
 			common.SetTagIfUsed(tags, "index", device.Index)
 			common.SetTagIfUsed(tags, "gpu_index", device.GpuInstanceID)
 			common.SetTagIfUsed(tags, "compute_index", device.ComputeInstanceID)
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ func Parse(acc telegraf.Accumulator, buf []byte) error {
 			common.SetTagIfUsed(tags, "uuid", gpu.UUID)
 			common.SetTagIfUsed(tags, "compute_mode", gpu.ComputeMode)
 
-			fields := map[string]interface{}{}
+			fields := make(map[string]interface{}, 8)
 			common.SetIfUsed("int", fields, "sram_uncorrectable", device.EccErrorCount.VolatileCount.SramUncorrectable)
 			common.SetIfUsed("int", fields, "memory_fb_total", device.FbMemoryUsage.Total)
 			common.SetIfUsed("int", fields, "memory_fb_reserved", device.FbMemoryUsage.Reserved)
@@ -107,11 +107,11 @@ func Parse(acc telegraf.Accumulator, buf []byte) error {
 		}
 
 		for _, process := range gpu.Processes.ProcessInfo {
-			tags := map[string]string{}
+			tags := make(map[string]string, 2)
 			common.SetTagIfUsed(tags, "name", process.ProcessName)
 			common.SetTagIfUsed(tags, "type", process.Type)
 
-			fields := map[string]interface{}{}
+			fields := make(map[string]interface{}, 2)
 			common.SetIfUsed("int", fields, "pid", process.Pid)
 			common.SetIfUsed("int", fields, "used_memory", process.UsedMemory)
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/openldap/openldap.go b/plugins/inputs/openldap/openldap.go
index 61d44c7ad..81c63d13c 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/openldap/openldap.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/openldap/openldap.go
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ func (o *Openldap) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 }
 
 func gatherSearchResult(sr *ldap.SearchResult, o *Openldap, acc telegraf.Accumulator) {
-	fields := map[string]interface{}{}
+	fields := make(map[string]interface{})
 	tags := map[string]string{
 		"server": o.Host,
 		"port":   strconv.Itoa(o.Port),
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/opensearch_query/aggregation.response.go b/plugins/inputs/opensearch_query/aggregation.response.go
index 20f0e0e12..54c5f173f 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/opensearch_query/aggregation.response.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/opensearch_query/aggregation.response.go
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ func (a *aggregationResponse) GetMetrics(acc telegraf.Accumulator, measurement s
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	return a.Aggregations.GetMetrics(acc, measurement, a.Hits.TotalHits.Value, map[string]string{})
+	return a.Aggregations.GetMetrics(acc, measurement, a.Hits.TotalHits.Value, make(map[string]string))
 }
 
 func (a *aggregation) GetMetrics(acc telegraf.Accumulator, measurement string, docCount int64, tags map[string]string) error {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/openstack/openstack.go b/plugins/inputs/openstack/openstack.go
index c4217ec34..4031ac221 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/openstack/openstack.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/openstack/openstack.go
@@ -233,8 +233,8 @@ func (o *OpenStack) Start(telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	}
 
 	// Prepare cross-dependency information
-	o.openstackFlavors = map[string]flavors.Flavor{}
-	o.openstackProjects = map[string]projects.Project{}
+	o.openstackFlavors = make(map[string]flavors.Flavor)
+	o.openstackProjects = make(map[string]projects.Project)
 	if slices.Contains(o.EnabledServices, "servers") {
 		// We need the flavors to output machine details for servers
 		page, err := flavors.ListDetail(o.compute, nil).AllPages(ctx)
@@ -337,7 +337,7 @@ func (o *OpenStack) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 
 	if o.MeasureRequest {
 		for service, duration := range callDuration {
-			acc.AddFields("openstack_request_duration", map[string]interface{}{service: duration}, map[string]string{})
+			acc.AddFields("openstack_request_duration", map[string]interface{}{service: duration}, make(map[string]string))
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/phpfpm/child.go b/plugins/inputs/phpfpm/child.go
index b1199d92f..3448db40b 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/phpfpm/child.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/phpfpm/child.go
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ type request struct {
 func newRequest(reqID uint16, flags uint8) *request {
 	r := &request{
 		reqID:    reqID,
-		params:   map[string]string{},
+		params:   make(map[string]string),
 		keepConn: flags&flagKeepConn != 0,
 	}
 	r.rawParams = r.buf[:0]
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/ping/ping.go b/plugins/inputs/ping/ping.go
index b2262218b..9f2e692f1 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/ping/ping.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/ping/ping.go
@@ -202,11 +202,11 @@ func (p *Ping) nativePing(destination string) (*pingStats, error) {
 
 func (p *Ping) pingToURLNative(destination string, acc telegraf.Accumulator) {
 	tags := map[string]string{"url": destination}
-	fields := map[string]interface{}{}
 
 	stats, err := p.nativePingFunc(destination)
 	if err != nil {
 		p.Log.Errorf("ping failed: %s", err.Error())
+		fields := make(map[string]interface{}, 1)
 		if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "unknown") {
 			fields["result_code"] = 1
 		} else {
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ func (p *Ping) pingToURLNative(destination string, acc telegraf.Accumulator) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	fields = map[string]interface{}{
+	fields := map[string]interface{}{
 		"result_code":         0,
 		"packets_transmitted": stats.PacketsSent,
 		"packets_received":    stats.PacketsRecv,
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/prometheus/kubernetes.go b/plugins/inputs/prometheus/kubernetes.go
index c3644548d..eefe5a215 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/prometheus/kubernetes.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/prometheus/kubernetes.go
@@ -397,7 +397,7 @@ func registerPod(pod *corev1.Pod, p *Prometheus) {
 	}
 
 	p.Log.Debugf("will scrape metrics from %q", targetURL.String())
-	tags := map[string]string{}
+	tags := make(map[string]string, len(pod.Annotations)+len(pod.Labels)+2)
 
 	// add annotation as metrics tags, subject to include/exclude filters
 	for k, v := range pod.Annotations {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/prometheus/prometheus.go b/plugins/inputs/prometheus/prometheus.go
index 29b26c443..1922407fd 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/prometheus/prometheus.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/prometheus/prometheus.go
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ func (p *Prometheus) Init() error {
 		"Accept":     acceptHeader,
 	}
 
-	p.kubernetesPods = map[PodID]URLAndAddress{}
+	p.kubernetesPods = make(map[PodID]URLAndAddress)
 
 	return nil
 }
@@ -377,7 +377,7 @@ func (p *Prometheus) gatherURL(u URLAndAddress, acc telegraf.Accumulator) (map[s
 	var req *http.Request
 	var uClient *http.Client
 	requestFields := make(map[string]interface{})
-	tags := map[string]string{}
+	tags := make(map[string]string, len(u.Tags)+2)
 	if p.URLTag != "" {
 		tags[p.URLTag] = u.OriginalURL.String()
 	}
@@ -629,8 +629,8 @@ func (p *Prometheus) Stop() {
 func init() {
 	inputs.Add("prometheus", func() telegraf.Input {
 		return &Prometheus{
-			kubernetesPods: map[PodID]URLAndAddress{},
-			consulServices: map[string]URLAndAddress{},
+			kubernetesPods: make(map[PodID]URLAndAddress),
+			consulServices: make(map[string]URLAndAddress),
 			URLTag:         "url",
 		}
 	})
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/ras/ras.go b/plugins/inputs/ras/ras.go
index e47fe7f28..1cf8dda86 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/ras/ras.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/ras/ras.go
@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@ func addServerMetrics(acc telegraf.Accumulator, counters map[string]int64) {
 		fields[errorName] = count
 	}
 
-	acc.AddCounter("ras", fields, map[string]string{})
+	acc.AddCounter("ras", fields, make(map[string]string))
 }
 
 func fetchMachineCheckError(rows *sql.Rows) (*machineCheckError, error) {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/redfish/redfish.go b/plugins/inputs/redfish/redfish.go
index efcadadc7..5db51bfca 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/redfish/redfish.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/redfish/redfish.go
@@ -365,7 +365,7 @@ func (r *Redfish) gatherThermal(acc telegraf.Accumulator, address string, system
 	}
 
 	for _, j := range thermal.Temperatures {
-		tags := map[string]string{}
+		tags := make(map[string]string, 19)
 		tags["member_id"] = j.MemberID
 		tags["address"] = address
 		tags["name"] = j.Name
@@ -392,8 +392,8 @@ func (r *Redfish) gatherThermal(acc telegraf.Accumulator, address string, system
 	}
 
 	for _, j := range thermal.Fans {
-		tags := map[string]string{}
-		fields := make(map[string]interface{})
+		tags := make(map[string]string, 20)
+		fields := make(map[string]interface{}, 5)
 		tags["member_id"] = j.MemberID
 		tags["address"] = address
 		tags["name"] = j.Name
@@ -469,7 +469,7 @@ func (r *Redfish) gatherPower(acc telegraf.Accumulator, address string, system *
 	}
 
 	for _, j := range power.PowerSupplies {
-		tags := map[string]string{}
+		tags := make(map[string]string, 19)
 		tags["member_id"] = j.MemberID
 		tags["address"] = address
 		tags["name"] = j.Name
@@ -496,7 +496,7 @@ func (r *Redfish) gatherPower(acc telegraf.Accumulator, address string, system *
 	}
 
 	for _, j := range power.Voltages {
-		tags := map[string]string{}
+		tags := make(map[string]string, 19)
 		tags["member_id"] = j.MemberID
 		tags["address"] = address
 		tags["name"] = j.Name
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/redis/redis.go b/plugins/inputs/redis/redis.go
index a4142e678..4f31f6dda 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/redis/redis.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/redis/redis.go
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ func (r *Redis) connect() error {
 			},
 		)
 
-		tags := map[string]string{}
+		tags := make(map[string]string, 2)
 		if u.Scheme == "unix" {
 			tags["socket"] = u.Path
 		} else {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/redis_sentinel/redis_sentinel.go b/plugins/inputs/redis_sentinel/redis_sentinel.go
index 3443d736f..cc6a64f7c 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/redis_sentinel/redis_sentinel.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/redis_sentinel/redis_sentinel.go
@@ -77,8 +77,7 @@ func (r *RedisSentinel) Init() error {
 		}
 
 		var address string
-		tags := map[string]string{}
-
+		tags := make(map[string]string, 2)
 		switch u.Scheme {
 		case "tcp":
 			address = u.Host
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/registry.go b/plugins/inputs/registry.go
index 9951cd5cd..98a17b019 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/registry.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/registry.go
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import "github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
 
 type Creator func() telegraf.Input
 
-var Inputs = map[string]Creator{}
+var Inputs = make(map[string]Creator)
 
 func Add(name string, creator Creator) {
 	Inputs[name] = creator
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/riemann_listener/riemann_listener.go b/plugins/inputs/riemann_listener/riemann_listener.go
index 370637ac4..526b7fda6 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/riemann_listener/riemann_listener.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/riemann_listener/riemann_listener.go
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ type riemannListener struct {
 }
 
 func (rsl *riemannListener) listen(ctx context.Context) {
-	rsl.connections = map[string]net.Conn{}
+	rsl.connections = make(map[string]net.Conn)
 
 	wg := sync.WaitGroup{}
 
@@ -208,16 +208,17 @@ func (rsl *riemannListener) read(conn net.Conn) {
 				rsl.riemannReturnErrorResponse(conn, "No Service Name")
 				return
 			}
-			tags := make(map[string]string)
-			fieldValues := map[string]interface{}{}
+			tags := make(map[string]string, len(m.Tags)+3)
 			for _, tag := range m.Tags {
 				tags[strings.ReplaceAll(tag, " ", "_")] = tag
 			}
 			tags["Host"] = m.Host
 			tags["Description"] = m.Description
 			tags["State"] = m.State
-			fieldValues["Metric"] = m.Metric
-			fieldValues["TTL"] = m.TTL.Seconds()
+			fieldValues := map[string]interface{}{
+				"Metric": m.Metric,
+				"TTL":    m.TTL.Seconds(),
+			}
 			singleMetric := metric.New(m.Service, tags, fieldValues, m.Time, telegraf.Untyped)
 			rsl.AddMetric(singleMetric)
 		}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/salesforce/salesforce.go b/plugins/inputs/salesforce/salesforce.go
index 1cc857ac1..e060d7401 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/salesforce/salesforce.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/salesforce/salesforce.go
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ func (s *Salesforce) fetchLimits() (limits, error) {
 		return l, fmt.Errorf("salesforce responded with unexpected status code %d", resp.StatusCode)
 	}
 
-	l = limits{}
+	l = make(limits)
 	err = json.NewDecoder(resp.Body).Decode(&l)
 	return l, err
 }
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/sensors/sensors.go b/plugins/inputs/sensors/sensors.go
index 6a75c378c..443874667 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/sensors/sensors.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/sensors/sensors.go
@@ -72,8 +72,8 @@ func (s *Sensors) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 //
 // and parses the output to add it to the telegraf.Accumulator.
 func (s *Sensors) parse(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
-	tags := map[string]string{}
-	fields := map[string]interface{}{}
+	tags := make(map[string]string)
+	fields := make(map[string]interface{})
 	chip := ""
 	cmd := execCommand(s.path, "-A", "-u")
 	out, err := internal.StdOutputTimeout(cmd, time.Duration(s.Timeout))
@@ -85,8 +85,8 @@ func (s *Sensors) parse(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 		if len(line) == 0 {
 			acc.AddFields("sensors", fields, tags)
 			chip = ""
-			tags = map[string]string{}
-			fields = map[string]interface{}{}
+			tags = make(map[string]string)
+			fields = make(map[string]interface{})
 			continue
 		}
 		if len(chip) == 0 {
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ func (s *Sensors) parse(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 			if len(tags) > 1 {
 				acc.AddFields("sensors", fields, tags)
 			}
-			fields = map[string]interface{}{}
+			fields = make(map[string]interface{})
 			tags = map[string]string{
 				"chip":    chip,
 				"feature": strings.TrimRight(snake(line), ":"),
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/sflow/metricencoder.go b/plugins/inputs/sflow/metricencoder.go
index d657b3907..b06c239e2 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/sflow/metricencoder.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/sflow/metricencoder.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ func makeMetrics(p *v5Format) []telegraf.Metric {
 	tags := map[string]string{
 		"agent_address": p.AgentAddress.String(),
 	}
-	fields := map[string]interface{}{}
+	fields := make(map[string]interface{}, 2)
 	for _, sample := range p.Samples {
 		tags["input_ifindex"] = strconv.FormatUint(uint64(sample.SampleData.InputIfIndex), 10)
 		tags["output_ifindex"] = strconv.FormatUint(uint64(sample.SampleData.OutputIfIndex), 10)
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/sflow/types.go b/plugins/inputs/sflow/types.go
index ea0b0ba19..6a0e2ff6f 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/sflow/types.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/sflow/types.go
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ func (h rawPacketHeaderFlowData) getTags() map[string]string {
 	if h.Header != nil {
 		t = h.Header.getTags()
 	} else {
-		t = map[string]string{}
+		t = make(map[string]string, 1)
 	}
 	t["header_protocol"] = headerProtocolMap[h.HeaderProtocol]
 	return t
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ func (h rawPacketHeaderFlowData) getFields() map[string]interface{} {
 	if h.Header != nil {
 		f = h.Header.getFields()
 	} else {
-		f = map[string]interface{}{}
+		f = make(map[string]interface{}, 3)
 	}
 	f["bytes"] = h.Bytes
 	f["frame_length"] = h.FrameLength
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ func (h ethHeader) getTags() map[string]string {
 	if h.IPHeader != nil {
 		t = h.IPHeader.getTags()
 	} else {
-		t = map[string]string{}
+		t = make(map[string]string, 3)
 	}
 	t["src_mac"] = net.HardwareAddr(h.SourceMAC[:]).String()
 	t["dst_mac"] = net.HardwareAddr(h.DestinationMAC[:]).String()
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ func (h ethHeader) getFields() map[string]interface{} {
 	if h.IPHeader != nil {
 		return h.IPHeader.getFields()
 	}
-	return map[string]interface{}{}
+	return make(map[string]interface{})
 }
 
 type protocolHeader containsMetricData
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ func (h ipV4Header) getTags() map[string]string {
 	if h.ProtocolHeader != nil {
 		t = h.ProtocolHeader.getTags()
 	} else {
-		t = map[string]string{}
+		t = make(map[string]string, 2)
 	}
 	t["src_ip"] = net.IP(h.SourceIP[:]).String()
 	t["dst_ip"] = net.IP(h.DestIP[:]).String()
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ func (h ipV4Header) getFields() map[string]interface{} {
 	if h.ProtocolHeader != nil {
 		f = h.ProtocolHeader.getFields()
 	} else {
-		f = map[string]interface{}{}
+		f = make(map[string]interface{}, 6)
 	}
 	f["ip_dscp"] = strconv.FormatUint(uint64(h.DSCP), 10)
 	f["ip_ecn"] = strconv.FormatUint(uint64(h.ECN), 10)
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ func (h ipV6Header) getTags() map[string]string {
 	if h.ProtocolHeader != nil {
 		t = h.ProtocolHeader.getTags()
 	} else {
-		t = map[string]string{}
+		t = make(map[string]string, 2)
 	}
 	t["src_ip"] = net.IP(h.SourceIP[:]).String()
 	t["dst_ip"] = net.IP(h.DestIP[:]).String()
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ func (h ipV6Header) getFields() map[string]interface{} {
 	if h.ProtocolHeader != nil {
 		f = h.ProtocolHeader.getFields()
 	} else {
-		f = map[string]interface{}{}
+		f = make(map[string]interface{}, 3)
 	}
 	f["ip_dscp"] = strconv.FormatUint(uint64(h.DSCP), 10)
 	f["ip_ecn"] = strconv.FormatUint(uint64(h.ECN), 10)
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/slab/slab.go b/plugins/inputs/slab/slab.go
index 0fa7f8c45..a2fd19faf 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/slab/slab.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/slab/slab.go
@@ -50,8 +50,6 @@ func (ss *SlabStats) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 }
 
 func (ss *SlabStats) getSlabStats() (map[string]interface{}, error) {
-	fields := map[string]interface{}{}
-
 	out, err := ss.runCmd("/bin/cat", []string{ss.statFile})
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -64,6 +62,7 @@ func (ss *SlabStats) getSlabStats() (map[string]interface{}, error) {
 	scanner.Scan() // for "slabinfo - version: 2.1"
 	scanner.Scan() // for "# name <active_objs> <num_objs> <objsize> ..."
 
+	fields := make(map[string]interface{})
 	// Read data rows
 	for scanner.Scan() {
 		line := scanner.Text()
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/smart/smart.go b/plugins/inputs/smart/smart.go
index bb983e8d8..dec5a45bc 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/smart/smart.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/smart/smart.go
@@ -683,12 +683,12 @@ func gatherIntelNVMeDisk(acc telegraf.Accumulator, timeout config.Duration, uses
 
 	for scanner.Scan() {
 		line := scanner.Text()
-		tags := map[string]string{}
 		fields := make(map[string]interface{})
-
-		tags["device"] = path.Base(device.name)
-		tags["model"] = device.model
-		tags["serial_no"] = device.serialNumber
+		tags := map[string]string{
+			"device":    path.Base(device.name),
+			"model":     device.model,
+			"serial_no": device.serialNumber,
+		}
 
 		// Create struct to initialize later with intel attributes.
 		var (
@@ -748,7 +748,7 @@ func (m *Smart) gatherDisk(acc telegraf.Accumulator, device string, wg *sync.Wai
 		return
 	}
 
-	deviceTags := map[string]string{}
+	deviceTags := make(map[string]string)
 	if m.TagWithDeviceType {
 		deviceNode := strings.SplitN(device, " ", 2)
 		deviceTags["device"] = path.Base(deviceNode[0])
@@ -809,7 +809,7 @@ func (m *Smart) gatherDisk(acc telegraf.Accumulator, device string, wg *sync.Wai
 			}
 		}
 
-		tags := map[string]string{}
+		tags := make(map[string]string)
 		fields := make(map[string]interface{})
 
 		if m.Attributes {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/snmp/snmp.go b/plugins/inputs/snmp/snmp.go
index b8886d571..f74e03725 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/snmp/snmp.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/snmp/snmp.go
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ func (s *Snmp) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 				Name:   s.Name,
 				Fields: s.Fields,
 			}
-			topTags := map[string]string{}
+			topTags := make(map[string]string)
 			if err := s.gatherTable(acc, gs, t, topTags, false); err != nil {
 				acc.AddError(fmt.Errorf("agent %s: %w", agent, err))
 			}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/snmp_trap/snmp_trap.go b/plugins/inputs/snmp_trap/snmp_trap.go
index be5ec0e37..c0890a3f4 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/snmp_trap/snmp_trap.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/snmp_trap/snmp_trap.go
@@ -276,11 +276,11 @@ func setTrapOid(tags map[string]string, oid string, e snmp.MibEntry) {
 func makeTrapHandler(s *SnmpTrap) gosnmp.TrapHandlerFunc {
 	return func(packet *gosnmp.SnmpPacket, addr *net.UDPAddr) {
 		tm := s.timeFunc()
-		fields := map[string]interface{}{}
-		tags := map[string]string{}
-
-		tags["version"] = packet.Version.String()
-		tags["source"] = addr.IP.String()
+		fields := make(map[string]interface{}, len(packet.Variables)+1)
+		tags := map[string]string{
+			"version": packet.Version.String(),
+			"source":  addr.IP.String(),
+		}
 
 		if packet.Version == gosnmp.Version1 {
 			// Follow the procedure described in RFC 2576 3.1 to
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/socketstat/socketstat.go b/plugins/inputs/socketstat/socketstat.go
index d12081b99..7bac4ab22 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/socketstat/socketstat.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/socketstat/socketstat.go
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ func socketList(cmdName, proto string, timeout config.Duration) (*bytes.Buffer,
 
 func (ss *Socketstat) parseAndGather(acc telegraf.Accumulator, data *bytes.Buffer, proto string) {
 	scanner := bufio.NewScanner(data)
-	tags := map[string]string{}
+	tags := make(map[string]string)
 	fields := make(map[string]interface{})
 
 	// ss output can have blank lines, and/or socket basic info lines and more advanced
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/sqlserver/sqlserver.go b/plugins/inputs/sqlserver/sqlserver.go
index 237d6aa2f..70906b6a8 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/sqlserver/sqlserver.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/sqlserver/sqlserver.go
@@ -390,7 +390,7 @@ func (s *SQLServer) accRow(query Query, acc telegraf.Accumulator, row scanner) e
 
 	// measurement: identified by the header
 	// tags: all other fields of type string
-	tags := map[string]string{}
+	tags := make(map[string]string, len(columnMap)+1)
 	var measurement string
 	for header, val := range columnMap {
 		if str, ok := (*val).(string); ok {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/supervisor/supervisor.go b/plugins/inputs/supervisor/supervisor.go
index 65341832d..171e7d07e 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/supervisor/supervisor.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/supervisor/supervisor.go
@@ -127,11 +127,14 @@ func (s *Supervisor) parseInstanceData(status supervisorInfo) (map[string]string
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse server string: %w", err)
 	}
-	tags := map[string]string{}
-	tags["id"] = status.Ident
-	tags["source"] = splittedURL[0]
-	tags["port"] = splittedURL[1]
-	fields := map[string]interface{}{"state": status.StateCode}
+	tags := map[string]string{
+		"id":     status.Ident,
+		"source": splittedURL[0],
+		"port":   splittedURL[1],
+	}
+	fields := map[string]interface{}{
+		"state": status.StateCode,
+	}
 	return tags, fields, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/synproxy/synproxy_linux.go b/plugins/inputs/synproxy/synproxy_linux.go
index 8dca0aded..7f3a9928e 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/synproxy/synproxy_linux.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/synproxy/synproxy_linux.go
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ func (k *Synproxy) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	acc.AddCounter("synproxy", data, map[string]string{})
+	acc.AddCounter("synproxy", data, make(map[string]string))
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/sysstat/sysstat.go b/plugins/inputs/sysstat/sysstat.go
index 9deb27669..a26ea6fe5 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/sysstat/sysstat.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/sysstat/sysstat.go
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ func (s *Sysstat) parse(acc telegraf.Accumulator, option, tmpfile string, ts tim
 			return err
 		}
 
-		tags := map[string]string{}
+		tags := make(map[string]string)
 		if device != "-" {
 			tags["device"] = device
 			if addTags, ok := s.DeviceTags[device]; ok {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/vsphere/endpoint.go b/plugins/inputs/vsphere/endpoint.go
index 56a282099..403d103fc 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/vsphere/endpoint.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/vsphere/endpoint.go
@@ -913,7 +913,7 @@ func getDatastores(ctx context.Context, e *Endpoint, resourceFilter *ResourceFil
 
 func (e *Endpoint) loadCustomAttributes(entity mo.ManagedEntity) map[string]string {
 	if !e.customAttrEnabled {
-		return map[string]string{}
+		return make(map[string]string)
 	}
 	cvs := make(map[string]string)
 	for _, v := range entity.CustomValue {