The National Statistics Office came into being in March 1947. Official statistics, however, had been compiled and published for many years.  In 1872, an official publication called The Malta Blue Book featured a statistical view of Malta and its Dependencies from 1863 to 1872, covering the relevant time series for population, education, finance, and trade among others. One of the first volumes of The Blue Book of the Colony of Malta was published in 1851 and included a statistical abstract on population emanating from the 1842 Census. 
 
The National Statistics Office (NSO) is the executive arm of the Malta Statistics Authority. It is responsible for the collection, compilation, analysis and publication of a wide range of statistical information and related matters. This does not prevent other government departments or institutions from collecting their own statistical data for internal purposes. 

Information provided to the NSO is treated as  confidential. This information is used solely in the compilation of statistical reports. No information on individual returns can be given to any external public or private entity. 

The NSO and its activities are governed by the Malta Statistics Authority Act, 2000 ​​​​​​​​