diff --git a/src/bin/pg_dump/pg_backup_custom.c b/src/bin/pg_dump/pg_backup_custom.c
index f7c3af56304c..087b1c81e7fb 100644
--- a/src/bin/pg_dump/pg_backup_custom.c
+++ b/src/bin/pg_dump/pg_backup_custom.c
@@ -629,7 +629,11 @@ _skipData(ArchiveHandle *AH)
 	blkLen = ReadInt(AH);
 	while (blkLen != 0)
 	{
-		if (ctx->hasSeek)
+		/*
+		 * Sequential access is usually faster, so avoid seeking if the jump
+		 * forward is 32KB or less.
+		 */
+		if (ctx->hasSeek && blkLen > 32 * 1024)
 		{
 			if (fseeko(AH->FH, blkLen, SEEK_CUR) != 0)
 				pg_fatal("error during file seek: %m");