diff --git a/block/backup.c b/block/backup.c
index 2c05323..bb3bb9a 100644
--- a/block/backup.c
+++ b/block/backup.c
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ typedef struct BackupBlockJob {
     uint64_t sectors_read;
     unsigned long *done_bitmap;
     int64_t cluster_size;
+    bool compress;
     NotifierWithReturn before_write;
     QLIST_HEAD(, CowRequest) inflight_reqs;
 } BackupBlockJob;
@@ -154,7 +155,8 @@ static int coroutine_fn backup_do_cow(BackupBlockJob *job,
                                        bounce_qiov.size, BDRV_REQ_MAY_UNMAP);
         } else {
             ret = blk_co_pwritev(job->target, start * job->cluster_size,
-                                 bounce_qiov.size, &bounce_qiov, 0);
+                                 bounce_qiov.size, &bounce_qiov,
+                                 job->compress ? BDRV_REQ_WRITE_COMPRESSED : 0);
         }
         if (ret < 0) {
             trace_backup_do_cow_write_fail(job, start, ret);
@@ -477,6 +479,7 @@ static void coroutine_fn backup_run(void *opaque)
 void backup_start(const char *job_id, BlockDriverState *bs,
                   BlockDriverState *target, int64_t speed,
                   MirrorSyncMode sync_mode, BdrvDirtyBitmap *sync_bitmap,
+                  bool compress,
                   BlockdevOnError on_source_error,
                   BlockdevOnError on_target_error,
                   BlockCompletionFunc *cb, void *opaque,
@@ -507,6 +510,12 @@ void backup_start(const char *job_id, BlockDriverState *bs,
         return;
     }
 
+    if (compress && target->drv->bdrv_co_pwritev_compressed == NULL) {
+        error_setg(errp, "Compression is not supported for this drive %s",
+                   bdrv_get_device_name(target));
+        return;
+    }
+
     if (bdrv_op_is_blocked(bs, BLOCK_OP_TYPE_BACKUP_SOURCE, errp)) {
         return;
     }
@@ -555,6 +564,7 @@ void backup_start(const char *job_id, BlockDriverState *bs,
     job->sync_mode = sync_mode;
     job->sync_bitmap = sync_mode == MIRROR_SYNC_MODE_INCREMENTAL ?
                        sync_bitmap : NULL;
+    job->compress = compress;
 
     /* If there is no backing file on the target, we cannot rely on COW if our
      * backup cluster size is smaller than the target cluster size. Even for
diff --git a/blockdev.c b/blockdev.c
index 0c5ea25..587d76b 100644
--- a/blockdev.c
+++ b/blockdev.c
@@ -3154,6 +3154,9 @@ static void do_drive_backup(DriveBackup *backup, BlockJobTxn *txn, Error **errp)
     if (!backup->has_job_id) {
         backup->job_id = NULL;
     }
+    if (!backup->has_compress) {
+        backup->compress = false;
+    }
 
     blk = blk_by_name(backup->device);
     if (!blk) {
@@ -3242,8 +3245,8 @@ static void do_drive_backup(DriveBackup *backup, BlockJobTxn *txn, Error **errp)
     }
 
     backup_start(backup->job_id, bs, target_bs, backup->speed, backup->sync,
-                 bmap, backup->on_source_error, backup->on_target_error,
-                 block_job_cb, bs, txn, &local_err);
+                 bmap, backup->compress, backup->on_source_error,
+                 backup->on_target_error, block_job_cb, bs, txn, &local_err);
     bdrv_unref(target_bs);
     if (local_err != NULL) {
         error_propagate(errp, local_err);
@@ -3317,7 +3320,7 @@ void do_blockdev_backup(BlockdevBackup *backup, BlockJobTxn *txn, Error **errp)
         }
     }
     backup_start(backup->job_id, bs, target_bs, backup->speed, backup->sync,
-                 NULL, backup->on_source_error, backup->on_target_error,
+                 NULL, false, backup->on_source_error, backup->on_target_error,
                  block_job_cb, bs, txn, &local_err);
     if (local_err != NULL) {
         error_propagate(errp, local_err);
diff --git a/hmp-commands.hx b/hmp-commands.hx
index 848efee..74f32e5 100644
--- a/hmp-commands.hx
+++ b/hmp-commands.hx
@@ -1182,8 +1182,8 @@ ETEXI
 
     {
         .name       = "drive_backup",
-        .args_type  = "reuse:-n,full:-f,device:B,target:s,format:s?",
-        .params     = "[-n] [-f] device target [format]",
+        .args_type  = "reuse:-n,full:-f,compress:-c,device:B,target:s,format:s?",
+        .params     = "[-n] [-f] [-c] device target [format]",
         .help       = "initiates a point-in-time\n\t\t\t"
                       "copy for a device. The device's contents are\n\t\t\t"
                       "copied to the new image file, excluding data that\n\t\t\t"
@@ -1191,7 +1191,9 @@ ETEXI
                       "The -n flag requests QEMU to reuse the image found\n\t\t\t"
                       "in new-image-file, instead of recreating it from scratch.\n\t\t\t"
                       "The -f flag requests QEMU to copy the whole disk,\n\t\t\t"
-                      "so that the result does not need a backing file.\n\t\t\t",
+                      "so that the result does not need a backing file.\n\t\t\t"
+                      "The -c flag requests QEMU to compress backup data\n\t\t\t"
+                      "(if the target format supports it).\n\t\t\t",
         .mhandler.cmd = hmp_drive_backup,
     },
 STEXI
diff --git a/hmp.c b/hmp.c
index 3c06200..a7dfe6f 100644
--- a/hmp.c
+++ b/hmp.c
@@ -1109,6 +1109,7 @@ void hmp_drive_backup(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict)
     const char *format = qdict_get_try_str(qdict, "format");
     bool reuse = qdict_get_try_bool(qdict, "reuse", false);
     bool full = qdict_get_try_bool(qdict, "full", false);
+    bool compress = qdict_get_try_bool(qdict, "compress", false);
     Error *err = NULL;
     DriveBackup backup = {
         .device = (char *)device,
@@ -1118,6 +1119,8 @@ void hmp_drive_backup(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict)
         .sync = full ? MIRROR_SYNC_MODE_FULL : MIRROR_SYNC_MODE_TOP,
         .has_mode = true,
         .mode = reuse ? NEW_IMAGE_MODE_EXISTING : NEW_IMAGE_MODE_ABSOLUTE_PATHS,
+        .has_compress = !!compress,
+        .compress = compress,
     };
 
     if (!filename) {
diff --git a/include/block/block_int.h b/include/block/block_int.h
index 378c966..da94066 100644
--- a/include/block/block_int.h
+++ b/include/block/block_int.h
@@ -762,6 +762,7 @@ void mirror_start(const char *job_id, BlockDriverState *bs,
 void backup_start(const char *job_id, BlockDriverState *bs,
                   BlockDriverState *target, int64_t speed,
                   MirrorSyncMode sync_mode, BdrvDirtyBitmap *sync_bitmap,
+                  bool compress,
                   BlockdevOnError on_source_error,
                   BlockdevOnError on_target_error,
                   BlockCompletionFunc *cb, void *opaque,
diff --git a/qapi/block-core.json b/qapi/block-core.json
index 44cf9c6..6d98da7 100644
--- a/qapi/block-core.json
+++ b/qapi/block-core.json
@@ -894,6 +894,9 @@
 #          Must be present if sync is "incremental", must NOT be present
 #          otherwise. (Since 2.4)
 #
+# @compress: #optional true to compress data, if the target format supports it.
+#            (default: false) (since 2.7)
+#
 # @on-source-error: #optional the action to take on an error on the source,
 #                   default 'report'.  'stop' and 'enospc' can only be used
 #                   if the block device supports io-status (see BlockInfo).
@@ -911,7 +914,7 @@
 { 'struct': 'DriveBackup',
   'data': { '*job-id': 'str', 'device': 'str', 'target': 'str',
             '*format': 'str', 'sync': 'MirrorSyncMode', '*mode': 'NewImageMode',
-            '*speed': 'int', '*bitmap': 'str',
+            '*speed': 'int', '*bitmap': 'str', '*compress': 'bool',
             '*on-source-error': 'BlockdevOnError',
             '*on-target-error': 'BlockdevOnError' } }
 
diff --git a/qmp-commands.hx b/qmp-commands.hx
index c8d360a..ff72194 100644
--- a/qmp-commands.hx
+++ b/qmp-commands.hx
@@ -1217,7 +1217,8 @@ EQMP
     {
         .name       = "drive-backup",
         .args_type  = "job-id:s?,sync:s,device:B,target:s,speed:i?,mode:s?,"
-                      "format:s?,bitmap:s?,on-source-error:s?,on-target-error:s?",
+                      "format:s?,bitmap:s?,compress:b?,"
+                      "on-source-error:s?,on-target-error:s?",
         .mhandler.cmd_new = qmp_marshal_drive_backup,
     },
 
@@ -1253,6 +1254,8 @@ Arguments:
 - "mode": whether and how QEMU should create a new image
           (NewImageMode, optional, default 'absolute-paths')
 - "speed": the maximum speed, in bytes per second (json-int, optional)
+- "compress": true to compress data, if the target format supports it.
+              (json-bool, optional, default false)
 - "on-source-error": the action to take on an error on the source, default
                      'report'.  'stop' and 'enospc' can only be used
                      if the block device supports io-status.
