diff --git a/numpy/lib/npyio.py b/numpy/lib/npyio.py
index 640f4fa32d04..ce76f4963bd3 100644
--- a/numpy/lib/npyio.py
+++ b/numpy/lib/npyio.py
@@ -356,6 +356,16 @@ def load(file, mmap_mode=None, allow_pickle=True, fix_imports=True,
 
     """
     import gzip
+    try:
+        from pathlib import Path
+        supports_pathlib = True
+    except:
+        supports_pathlib = False
+
+    if supports_pathlib:
+        if isinstance(file, Path):
+            file = file.__str__()
+
 
     own_fid = False
     if isinstance(file, basestring):
@@ -505,10 +515,11 @@ def savez(file, *args, **kwds):
 
     Parameters
     ----------
-    file : str or file
-        Either the file name (string) or an open file (file-like object)
-        where the data will be saved. If file is a string, the ``.npz``
-        extension will be appended to the file name if it is not already there.
+    file : str, file, or Path (from pathlib library)
+        Either the file name (string), an open file (file-like object)
+        where the data will be saved, or a Path from the pathlib library. 
+        If file is a string, the ``.npz`` extension will be appended to 
+        the file name if it is not already there.
     args : Arguments, optional
         Arrays to save to the file. Since it is not possible for Python to
         know the names of the arrays outside `savez`, the arrays will be saved
@@ -584,7 +595,7 @@ def savez_compressed(file, *args, **kwds):
 
     Parameters
     ----------
-    file : str
+    file : str, file, or Path (from pathlib library)
         File name of ``.npz`` file.
     args : Arguments
         Function arguments.
@@ -606,10 +617,18 @@ def _savez(file, args, kwds, compress, allow_pickle=True, pickle_kwargs=None):
     import zipfile
     # Import deferred for startup time improvement
     import tempfile
+    try:
+        from pathlib import Path
+        supports_pathlib = True
+    except:
+        supports_pathlib = False
 
     if isinstance(file, basestring):
         if not file.endswith('.npz'):
             file = file + '.npz'
+    elif supports_pathlib:
+        if isinstance(file, Path):
+            file = file.__str__()
 
     namedict = kwds
     for i, val in enumerate(args):
diff --git a/numpy/lib/tests/test_format.py b/numpy/lib/tests/test_format.py
index 4f8a651489da..114497c2239c 100644
--- a/numpy/lib/tests/test_format.py
+++ b/numpy/lib/tests/test_format.py
@@ -523,6 +523,19 @@ def test_compressed_roundtrip():
     arr1 = np.load(npz_file)['arr']
     assert_array_equal(arr, arr1)
 
+def test_compressed_roundtrip():
+    arr = np.random.rand(200, 200)
+    npz_file = os.path.join(tempdir, 'compressed.npz')
+    try:
+        import pathlib
+    except:
+        return
+    npz_file = pathlib.Path(npz_file)
+    np.savez_compressed(npz_file, arr=arr)
+    arr1 = np.load(npz_file)['arr']
+    assert_array_equal(arr, arr1)
+
+
 
 def test_python2_python3_interoperability():
     if sys.version_info[0] >= 3: