diff --git a/Changelog.md b/Changelog.md
index 23ba9867..62d7ea9d 100644
--- a/Changelog.md
+++ b/Changelog.md
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 **latest**
 - gitlab-shell: upgrade to v.2.6.0
 - gitlab: upgrade to CE v.7.9.0
+- init: set default value of `UNICORN_WORKERS` to `3`
 
 **7.8.4**
 - gitlab: upgrade to CE v.7.8.4
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 746fdd57..db116518 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -751,7 +751,7 @@ Below is the complete list of available options that can be used to customize yo
 - **NGINX_X_FORWARDED_PROTO**: Advanced configuration option for the `proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto` setting in the gitlab nginx vHost configuration. Defaults to `https` when `GITLAB_HTTPS` is `true`, else defaults to `$scheme`.
 - **REDIS_HOST**: The hostname of the redis server. Defaults to `localhost`
 - **REDIS_PORT**: The connection port of the redis server. Defaults to `6379`.
-- **UNICORN_WORKERS**: The number of unicorn workers to start. Defaults to `2`.
+- **UNICORN_WORKERS**: The number of unicorn workers to start. Defaults to `3`.
 - **UNICORN_TIMEOUT**: Sets the timeout of unicorn worker processes. Defaults to `60` seconds.
 - **SIDEKIQ_CONCURRENCY**: The number of concurrent sidekiq jobs to run. Defaults to `25`
 - **DB_TYPE**: The database type. Possible values: `mysql`, `postgres`. Defaults to `mysql`.
diff --git a/assets/init b/assets/init
index 88391384..a52063a1 100755
--- a/assets/init
+++ b/assets/init
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ esac
 REDIS_HOST=${REDIS_HOST:-}
 REDIS_PORT=${REDIS_PORT:-}
 
-UNICORN_WORKERS=${UNICORN_WORKERS:-2}
+UNICORN_WORKERS=${UNICORN_WORKERS:-3}
 UNICORN_TIMEOUT=${UNICORN_TIMEOUT:-60}
 SIDEKIQ_CONCURRENCY=${SIDEKIQ_CONCURRENCY:-25}