National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), as a Government Executive Agency, was established in 26^th March, 1999 under the Executive Agencies Act No. 30,1997. Previously, it was Central Bureau of Statistics established through Statistics Ordinance Cap. 443 of 1961 repealing the Statistics Ordinance of 1949- Chapter 443 which was governing statistics operations in the then British colonial territories of East Africa namely Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

As an executive agency, NBS functioned under the authority of the Statistics Act No. 1 of 2002. This transformation aimed at enhancing effectiveness and efficiency in the overall process of statistical production and coordination of National Statistical System (NSS) in the country.

NBS became an autonomous public office under Ministry of Finance through the Statistics Act No. 9 of 2015 (R.E. 2019) and has the mandate to collect, produce and disseminate official statistics and coordinate the National Statistical System (NSS).  

VISION

To become a one-stop centre for official statistics in Tanzania.

MISSION

To produce quality official statistics and services that meet needs of national and international stakeholders for evidence based planning and decision making.