diff --git a/lib/tdb/common/freelist.c b/lib/tdb/common/freelist.c
index 2f2a4c379b0..3bc3965141b 100644
--- a/lib/tdb/common/freelist.c
+++ b/lib/tdb/common/freelist.c
@@ -284,6 +284,9 @@ tdb_off_t tdb_allocate(struct tdb_context *tdb, tdb_len_t length, struct list_st
 	if (tdb_lock(tdb, -1, F_WRLCK) == -1)
 		return 0;
 
+	/* over-allocate to reduce fragmentation */
+	length *= 1.25;
+
 	/* Extra bytes required for tailer */
 	length += sizeof(tdb_off_t);
 	length = TDB_ALIGN(length, TDB_ALIGNMENT);