A statistical cell was established within the Ministry of Development in 1971 to support formulation of policies and plans. It was later expanded and upgraded as the Central Statistical Organization (CSO) in 1979 under the Planning Commission. With major changes in the govaernance structure in 2003, the CSO was granted autonomy and it was re-named as the National Statistics Bureau (NSB). The NSB operates under an Executive Order issued in 2006. The executive order designates NSB as the central authority for the collection, compilation and release of any official data and its custodian thereof. NSB is designated as the parent agency for all the statistical officers posted in agencies/Ministries and Dzongkhags in 2017. NSB provides key statistics on economics, environmental, population and social statistics. It also works to promote greater use of statistical information, contributing to informed decision making by the government agencies, businesses, households and individuals, while protecting the confidentiality of the sensitive information collected from respondents. NSB plays an important role in relation to statistical activities both at the national and international level, as provider of data and related services.