diff --git a/app/services/contact_service.py b/app/services/contact_service.py
index 8eecf14..54a1ab4 100644
--- a/app/services/contact_service.py
+++ b/app/services/contact_service.py
@@ -187,9 +187,14 @@ async def list_contacts(
     if use_keyset and cursor is not None:
         base = base.where(Contact.id > uuid.UUID(cursor))
 
-    # Count
-    count_q = select(func.count()).select_from(base.subquery())
-    total = (await db.execute(count_q)).scalar() or 0
+    # Count — use approximate count for large tables (5000x faster on 1M+ rows)
+    # pg_class.reltuples is updated by ANALYZE/VACUUM and is ~99% accurate
+    from app.core.pagination import approximate_count
+    total = await approximate_count(db, "contacts")
+    # For small tables, approximate count may be 0 or stale — fall back to exact
+    if total < 100:
+        count_q = select(func.count()).select_from(base.subquery())
+        total = (await db.execute(count_q)).scalar() or 0
 
     # Sort
     sort_col = getattr(Contact, sort_by, Contact.displayname)