diff --git a/Lib/test/test_embed.py b/Lib/test/test_embed.py
index 773b97f631f2189..caeebecd99f660c 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_embed.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_embed.py
@@ -2062,6 +2062,24 @@ def test_open_code_hook(self):
     def test_audit(self):
         self.run_embedded_interpreter("test_audit")
 
+    def test_audit_hook_survives_allocator_change(self):
+        # A hook added before Py_Initialize() is freed at finalization, after
+        # PYTHONMALLOC changed the raw allocator: the entry must not be
+        # allocated with one allocator and freed with another.
+        allocators = ['debug']
+        if not support.Py_GIL_DISABLED:
+            allocators.append('malloc_debug')
+        if support.with_mimalloc():
+            allocators.extend(['mimalloc', 'mimalloc_debug'])
+        for allocator in allocators:
+            with self.subTest(allocator=allocator):
+                self.run_embedded_interpreter(
+                    "test_audit", env={'PYTHONMALLOC': allocator})
+        # The development mode installs the debug hooks too
+        with self.subTest(dev_mode=True):
+            self.run_embedded_interpreter(
+                "test_audit", env={'PYTHONDEVMODE': '1'})
+
     def test_audit_tuple(self):
         self.run_embedded_interpreter("test_audit_tuple")
 
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core_and_Builtins/2026-11-05-10-51-17.gh-issue-161407.rVoqaQ.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core_and_Builtins/2026-11-05-10-51-17.gh-issue-161407.rVoqaQ.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000000..421329930f961a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core_and_Builtins/2026-11-05-10-51-17.gh-issue-161407.rVoqaQ.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+Fix a crash at exit when an audit hook was added with :c:func:`PySys_AddAuditHook`
+before :c:func:`Py_Initialize` and the raw memory allocator changed during startup, for
+example with ``PYTHONMALLOC=mimalloc`` or in the :ref:`Python Development Mode <devmode>`.
diff --git a/Python/sysmodule.c b/Python/sysmodule.c
index 6f336dac058379e..036c92ec8f7e41d 100644
--- a/Python/sysmodule.c
+++ b/Python/sysmodule.c
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ Data members:
 #include "pycore_pylifecycle.h"   // _PyErr_WriteUnraisableDefaultHook()
 #include "pycore_pymath.h"        // _PY_SHORT_FLOAT_REPR
 #include "pycore_pymem.h"         // _PyMem_DefaultRawFree()
+#include "pycore_pymem_init.h"    // _PyMem_RawMalloc()
 #include "pycore_pystate.h"       // _PyThreadState_GET()
 #include "pycore_pystats.h"       // _Py_PrintSpecializationStats()
 #include "pycore_runtime.h"       // _PyRuntimeState_Get*()
@@ -448,7 +449,7 @@ _PySys_ClearAuditHooks(PyThreadState *ts)
     runtime->audit_hooks.head = NULL;
     while (e) {
         n = e->next;
-        PyMem_RawFree(e);
+        _PyMem_RawFree(NULL, e);
         e = n;
     }
 }
@@ -496,8 +497,12 @@ PySys_AddAuditHook(Py_AuditHookFunction hook, void *userData)
         }
     }
 
-    _Py_AuditHookEntry *e = (_Py_AuditHookEntry*)PyMem_RawMalloc(
-            sizeof(_Py_AuditHookEntry));
+    /* Use malloc(), not PyMem_RawMalloc(): a hook can be added before
+       Py_Initialize(), and the entry is freed during finalization, after
+       PYTHONMALLOC may have changed the raw allocator (and, in debug builds,
+       the allocator under the debug hooks). */
+    _Py_AuditHookEntry *e = (_Py_AuditHookEntry*)_PyMem_RawMalloc(
+            NULL, sizeof(_Py_AuditHookEntry));
     if (!e) {
         if (tstate != NULL) {
             _PyErr_NoMemory(tstate);