The Department of Economics, Statistics, was initially established as a cell under the Department of Planning & Coordination in the year 1964 and subsequently became a full fledged Directorate in the year 1969 with its headquarter at Kohima. The statistical system of the State functions under three tiers Viz. State Level, Line Department and District Level. At the State level it is headed by a Director and a host of senior and junior level officers with technical staff. Likewise, the line department statistical cells are being headed by either a senior officer or technical staff. The district statistical offices are headed by Class-II (Gazetted) officers and are the backbone of the department, as it acts as feeder branch of the department in getting all relevant district level data.

Government of Nagaland has declared Directorate of Economics and Statistics as Nodal Agency for planning integrated development of the statistical system in the state, laying down and maintaining norms and standards in the field of statistics, evolving concepts, definitions and methodology of data collection, processing of data and dissemination of result, advising Government on statistical methodology and on statistical analysis of data. It also maintains a comprehensive informative system and necessary database to give direction towards consolidation of development process through informed database to achieve the desired results.