The Headquarters of ISI is located in the northern fringe of the metropolis of Kolkata. Additionally, there are four centres located in Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Tezpur. Research in Statistics and related disciplines is the primary activity of the Institute. Teaching activities are undertaken mainly in Kolkata, Delhi and Bangalore. Offices of the Institute located in several other cities in India are primarily engaged in projects and consultancy in Statistical Quality Control and Operations Research. 

Primary activities of ISI are research and training of Statistics, development of theoretical Statistics and its applications in various natural and social sciences. Originally affiliated with the University of Calcutta, the institute was declared an institute of national importance in 1959, through an act of Indian parliament, Indian Statistical Institute act, 1959. ISI functions under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) of the Government of India.