diff --git a/gdal/nmake.opt b/gdal/nmake.opt
index b25e46c7be2f..17f252e44b50 100644
--- a/gdal/nmake.opt
+++ b/gdal/nmake.opt
@@ -41,6 +41,14 @@
 MSVC_VER=1900
 !ENDIF
 
+###############################################################################
+# Allow setting of parallel compilation number of processors with CPU_COUNT 
+# variable
+
+!IFNDEF CPU_COUNT
+CPU_COUNT=%NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS%
+!ENDIF
+
 ###############################################################################
 # Optional use of Visual Leak Detector (VLD) by Dan Moulding, available at
 # http://vld.codeplex.com/
@@ -134,9 +142,9 @@ CXX_PDB_FLAGS=
 
 !IFNDEF OPTFLAGS
 !IF "$(DEBUG)" == "0"
-OPTFLAGS= $(CXX_ANALYZE_FLAGS) $(CXX_PDB_FLAGS) /nologo /MP /MD /EHsc /Ox /FC /D_CRT_SECURE_NO_DEPRECATE /D_CRT_NONSTDC_NO_DEPRECATE /DNDEBUG
+OPTFLAGS= $(CXX_ANALYZE_FLAGS) $(CXX_PDB_FLAGS) /nologo /MP$(CPU_COUNT) /MD /EHsc /Ox /FC /D_CRT_SECURE_NO_DEPRECATE /D_CRT_NONSTDC_NO_DEPRECATE /DNDEBUG
 !ELSE
-OPTFLAGS= $(CXX_ANALYZE_FLAGS) $(CXX_PDB_FLAGS) /nologo /MP /MD /EHsc /FC /D_CRT_SECURE_NO_DEPRECATE /D_CRT_NONSTDC_NO_DEPRECATE /DDEBUG
+OPTFLAGS= $(CXX_ANALYZE_FLAGS) $(CXX_PDB_FLAGS) /nologo /MP$(CPU_COUNT) /MD /EHsc /FC /D_CRT_SECURE_NO_DEPRECATE /D_CRT_NONSTDC_NO_DEPRECATE /DDEBUG
 !ENDIF
 !ENDIF  # OPTFLAGS