diff --git a/compiler/src/yul/runtime/abi_dispatcher.rs b/compiler/src/yul/runtime/abi_dispatcher.rs
index 4690dc593c..5be0f5e36c 100644
--- a/compiler/src/yul/runtime/abi_dispatcher.rs
+++ b/compiler/src/yul/runtime/abi_dispatcher.rs
@@ -16,9 +16,13 @@ pub fn dispatcher(attributes: Vec<FunctionAttributes>) -> yul::Statement {
         .map(|arm| dispatch_arm(arm.to_owned()))
         .collect::<Vec<_>>();
 
-    switch! {
-        switch (cloadn(0, 4))
-        [arms...]
+    if arms.is_empty() {
+        return statement! { pop(0) };
+    } else {
+        switch! {
+            switch (cloadn(0, 4))
+            [arms...]
+        }
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/compiler/tests/evm_contracts.rs b/compiler/tests/evm_contracts.rs
index 3a04be9a29..97a494988d 100644
--- a/compiler/tests/evm_contracts.rs
+++ b/compiler/tests/evm_contracts.rs
@@ -1053,3 +1053,15 @@ fn create_contract() {
         foo_harness.test_function(&mut executor, "get_my_num", &[], Some(&uint_token(42)));
     })
 }
+
+#[rstest(
+    fixture_file,
+    contract_name,
+    case("ownable.fe", "Ownable"),
+    case("empty.fe", "Empty")
+)]
+fn can_deploy_fixture(fixture_file: &str, contract_name: &str) {
+    with_executor(&|mut executor| {
+        deploy_contract(&mut executor, fixture_file, contract_name, &[]);
+    })
+}
diff --git a/compiler/tests/fixtures/empty.fe b/compiler/tests/fixtures/empty.fe
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2dd735eac7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler/tests/fixtures/empty.fe
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+contract Empty:
+  lonely: u256
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/newsfragments/219.bugfix.md b/newsfragments/219.bugfix.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6728952d10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/newsfragments/219.bugfix.md
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+Fix bug where compilation of contracts without public functions would result in illegal YUL.
+
+E.g without this change, the following doesn't compile to proper YUL
+
+```
+contract Empty:
+  lonely: u256
+```
\ No newline at end of file