The Department of Statistical Sciences of the University of Padua was established at the beginning of 1984, together with the first group of Departments that actively began in Padua the institutional reform outlined by the DPR 382 of 1980. However, the Department’s roots can be traced back much further. Statistics has been taught in Padua since the beginning of 1800. The Gabinetto di Statistica, which existed from 1889 as part of the Gabinetto di Geografia, began to function autonomously in 1913, under the impetus of the young professor Corrado Gini. The Institute has since then been under the direction of Gaetano Pietra, Albino Uggè, and more recently Bernardo Colombo, Felice Vian, Fortunato Pesarin, Gaetano Panizzon and Ugo Trivellato.
As far as the didactic side was concerned, a Scuola di perfezionamento in Statistica was set up (from 1924, for graduates) and then a School of Statistics (from 1927), offering a two-year Diploma in Statistics. This School ran successfully until the establishment, which was strongly desired by prof. Bernardo Colombo, of the Faculty of Statistical, Demographical and Actuarial Sciences (1968, the second Faculty in Italy after the one at University "La Sapienza" in Rome).

The Department of Statistical Sciences, thanks to the emphasis it places on the quantitative method and how it can be applied to the empirical sciences, such as economics, demographics, social,health and experimental sciences, is, on a scientific level, contiguous to both methodological departments (Mathematics, IT) and to more substantial departments (Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Hygiene, Biology).
It has been directed by Paolo De Sandre (1.1.84-31.10.86), Giancarlo Diana (1.11.86-31.10.89), Luigi Fabbris (1.11.89-31.10.92), Pierantonio Bellini (1.11.92-31.10.95), Silio Rigatti Luchini (1.11.95-31.10.98), Fiorenzo Rossi (1.11.98-30.9.2001), Corrado Provasi (1.10.2001 - 30.9.2004), Silvano Bordignon (1.10.2004 - 30.09.2007).
The current Director is Fausta Ongaro (from 1.10.2007); the Administrative secretary is Mrs Dorina Bertocco, who has held this position since the Department was established.

The Department currently has 13 full professors, 18 associate professors 14 assistant professors.
The technical /administrative staff is made up of 29 members.

The Department has the ‘Sezione Elaborazione Automatica dei Dati’ (SEAD – Automatic Elaboration of Data Section), with which it handles, on behalf of the Faculty of Statistics, Lecture halls and the ‘Aula e i Servizi Informatici per la Didattica’ (IT Services for teaching ) ASID. It is part of the consulting committee of the Faculty of Statistics’ Biblioteca (Library). The Department recently set up a new service called TECHNÈ, for computer assisted telephone interviews. This service became necessary due to the amount of research based primarily on the collection of data via interviews.
Since 1984 the Department has been the seat of the Dottorato (PhD) of Research in Statistics, and the PhD of Research in Statistics applied to Economic and Social Sciences was added in 1994. Both were in conjunction with other Universities, which worked together from 2004-05 (XX cycle) in the PhD School in Statistics. It also took part, as far as the XV cycle, in the PhD Research in Demography, which began in 1999-2000. The collaborating Universities of Padua, Florence and Rome took turns in being the main seat; Padua was the administrative seat for cycles VIII-IX-X.