The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) was established several months after the establishment of the State of Israel, as an autonomous unit within the Prime Minister’s Office. The establishment of the CBS was a direct continuation of the activities of the statistical departments of the British Mandate government, and the Jewish Agency for Israel which operated during the period of the Mandate.

The CBS is headed by the Government Statistician, who also serves as the Director of the CBS, with a Public Council for Statistics accompanying him.

The CBS operates by the power of the Statistics Ordinance (New Version), 5732 - 1972. The Statistics Ordinance defines the tasks of the CBS, its mode of operation, the obligation of the public to provide information to the CBS, the obligation of the CBS to safeguard the confidentiality of the information obtained, and the obligation of the CBS to publish the results of its statistical activities.