diff --git a/lib/explorer/backend/lazy_series.ex b/lib/explorer/backend/lazy_series.ex
index d97ea6587..cb955afdb 100644
--- a/lib/explorer/backend/lazy_series.ex
+++ b/lib/explorer/backend/lazy_series.ex
@@ -99,8 +99,8 @@ defmodule Explorer.Backend.LazySeries do
     median: 1,
     mode: 1,
     n_distinct: 1,
-    variance: 1,
-    standard_deviation: 1,
+    variance: 2,
+    standard_deviation: 2,
     quantile: 2,
     rank: 4,
     product: 1,
@@ -152,8 +152,6 @@ defmodule Explorer.Backend.LazySeries do
     :mean,
     :median,
     :mode,
-    :variance,
-    :standard_deviation,
     :count,
     :product,
     :nil_count,
@@ -511,6 +509,22 @@ defmodule Explorer.Backend.LazySeries do
     Backend.Series.new(data, :float)
   end
 
+  @impl true
+  def variance(%Series{} = s, ddof \\ 1) do
+    args = [series_or_lazy_series!(s), ddof]
+    data = new(:variance, args, :float, true)
+
+    Backend.Series.new(data, :float)
+  end
+
+  @impl true
+  def standard_deviation(%Series{} = s, ddof \\ 1) do
+    args = [series_or_lazy_series!(s), ddof]
+    data = new(:standard_deviation, args, :float, true)
+
+    Backend.Series.new(data, :float)
+  end
+
   @impl true
   def coalesce(%Series{} = left, %Series{} = right) do
     args = [series_or_lazy_series!(left), series_or_lazy_series!(right)]
diff --git a/lib/explorer/backend/series.ex b/lib/explorer/backend/series.ex
index 6434194c6..86e2274a0 100644
--- a/lib/explorer/backend/series.ex
+++ b/lib/explorer/backend/series.ex
@@ -81,8 +81,9 @@ defmodule Explorer.Backend.Series do
   @callback mean(s) :: float() | non_finite() | lazy_s() | nil
   @callback median(s) :: float() | non_finite() | lazy_s() | nil
   @callback mode(s) :: s | lazy_s()
-  @callback variance(s) :: float() | non_finite() | lazy_s() | nil
-  @callback standard_deviation(s) :: float() | non_finite() | lazy_s() | nil
+  @callback variance(s, ddof :: non_neg_integer()) :: float() | non_finite() | lazy_s() | nil
+  @callback standard_deviation(s, ddof :: non_neg_integer()) ::
+              float() | non_finite() | lazy_s() | nil
   @callback quantile(s, float()) ::
               number() | non_finite() | Date.t() | NaiveDateTime.t() | lazy_s() | nil
   @callback nil_count(s) :: number() | lazy_s()
diff --git a/lib/explorer/polars_backend/expression.ex b/lib/explorer/polars_backend/expression.ex
index 27dfb9d70..6150b44ef 100644
--- a/lib/explorer/polars_backend/expression.ex
+++ b/lib/explorer/polars_backend/expression.ex
@@ -70,11 +70,11 @@ defmodule Explorer.PolarsBackend.Expression do
     asin: 1,
     acos: 1,
     atan: 1,
-    standard_deviation: 1,
+    standard_deviation: 2,
     subtract: 2,
     sum: 1,
     unordered_distinct: 1,
-    variance: 1,
+    variance: 2,
     skew: 2,
     covariance: 2
   ]
diff --git a/lib/explorer/polars_backend/native.ex b/lib/explorer/polars_backend/native.ex
index 50c030a7a..f2b2a1227 100644
--- a/lib/explorer/polars_backend/native.ex
+++ b/lib/explorer/polars_backend/native.ex
@@ -350,7 +350,7 @@ defmodule Explorer.PolarsBackend.Native do
   def s_slice_by_indices(_s, _indices), do: err()
   def s_slice_by_series(_s, _series), do: err()
   def s_sort(_s, _descending?, _nils_last?), do: err()
-  def s_standard_deviation(_s), do: err()
+  def s_standard_deviation(_s, _ddof), do: err()
   def s_strip(_s, _string), do: err()
   def s_subtract(_s, _other), do: err()
   def s_sum(_s), do: err()
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ defmodule Explorer.PolarsBackend.Native do
   def s_qcut(_s, _quantiles, _labels, _break_point_label, _category_label),
     do: err()
 
-  def s_variance(_s), do: err()
+  def s_variance(_s, _ddof), do: err()
   def s_window_max(_s, _window_size, _weight, _ignore_null, _min_periods), do: err()
   def s_window_mean(_s, _window_size, _weight, _ignore_null, _min_periods), do: err()
   def s_window_median(_s, _window_size, _weight, _ignore_null, _min_periods), do: err()
diff --git a/lib/explorer/polars_backend/series.ex b/lib/explorer/polars_backend/series.ex
index e1432b185..f0cab49db 100644
--- a/lib/explorer/polars_backend/series.ex
+++ b/lib/explorer/polars_backend/series.ex
@@ -202,10 +202,11 @@ defmodule Explorer.PolarsBackend.Series do
   def mode(series), do: Shared.apply_series(series, :s_mode)
 
   @impl true
-  def variance(series), do: Shared.apply_series(series, :s_variance)
+  def variance(series, ddof), do: Shared.apply_series(series, :s_variance, [ddof])
 
   @impl true
-  def standard_deviation(series), do: Shared.apply_series(series, :s_standard_deviation)
+  def standard_deviation(series, ddof),
+    do: Shared.apply_series(series, :s_standard_deviation, [ddof])
 
   @impl true
   def quantile(series, quantile),
diff --git a/lib/explorer/series.ex b/lib/explorer/series.ex
index a5d77b142..8247db60a 100644
--- a/lib/explorer/series.ex
+++ b/lib/explorer/series.ex
@@ -2225,6 +2225,10 @@ defmodule Explorer.Series do
   @doc """
   Gets the variance of the series.
 
+  By default, this is the sample variance. This function also takes an optional
+  delta degrees of freedom (ddof). Setting this to zero corresponds to the population 
+  variance.
+
   ## Supported dtypes
 
     * `:integer`
@@ -2245,15 +2249,21 @@ defmodule Explorer.Series do
       ** (ArgumentError) Explorer.Series.variance/1 not implemented for dtype {:datetime, :microsecond}. Valid dtypes are [:integer, :float]
   """
   @doc type: :aggregation
-  @spec variance(series :: Series.t()) :: float() | non_finite() | nil
-  def variance(%Series{dtype: dtype} = series) when is_numeric_dtype(dtype),
-    do: apply_series(series, :variance)
+  @spec variance(series :: Series.t(), ddof :: non_neg_integer()) :: float() | non_finite() | nil
+  def variance(series, ddof \\ 1)
+
+  def variance(%Series{dtype: dtype} = series, ddof) when is_numeric_dtype(dtype),
+    do: apply_series(series, :variance, [ddof])
 
-  def variance(%Series{dtype: dtype}), do: dtype_error("variance/1", dtype, [:integer, :float])
+  def variance(%Series{dtype: dtype}, _), do: dtype_error("variance/1", dtype, [:integer, :float])
 
   @doc """
   Gets the standard deviation of the series.
 
+  By default, this is the sample standard deviation. This function also takes an optional
+  delta degrees of freedom (ddof). Setting this to zero corresponds to the population 
+  sample standard deviation.
+
   ## Supported dtypes
 
     * `:integer`
@@ -2274,11 +2284,14 @@ defmodule Explorer.Series do
       ** (ArgumentError) Explorer.Series.standard_deviation/1 not implemented for dtype :string. Valid dtypes are [:integer, :float]
   """
   @doc type: :aggregation
-  @spec standard_deviation(series :: Series.t()) :: float() | non_finite() | nil
-  def standard_deviation(%Series{dtype: dtype} = series) when is_numeric_dtype(dtype),
-    do: apply_series(series, :standard_deviation)
+  @spec standard_deviation(series :: Series.t(), ddof :: non_neg_integer()) ::
+          float() | non_finite() | nil
+  def standard_deviation(series, ddof \\ 1)
+
+  def standard_deviation(%Series{dtype: dtype} = series, ddof) when is_numeric_dtype(dtype),
+    do: apply_series(series, :standard_deviation, [ddof])
 
-  def standard_deviation(%Series{dtype: dtype}),
+  def standard_deviation(%Series{dtype: dtype}, _),
     do: dtype_error("standard_deviation/1", dtype, [:integer, :float])
 
   @doc """
diff --git a/native/explorer/src/expressions.rs b/native/explorer/src/expressions.rs
index 989d2b473..a009dee22 100644
--- a/native/explorer/src/expressions.rs
+++ b/native/explorer/src/expressions.rs
@@ -490,17 +490,17 @@ pub fn expr_abs(expr: ExExpr) -> ExExpr {
 }
 
 #[rustler::nif]
-pub fn expr_variance(expr: ExExpr) -> ExExpr {
+pub fn expr_variance(expr: ExExpr, ddof: u8) -> ExExpr {
     let expr = expr.clone_inner();
 
-    ExExpr::new(expr.var(1))
+    ExExpr::new(expr.var(ddof))
 }
 
 #[rustler::nif]
-pub fn expr_standard_deviation(expr: ExExpr) -> ExExpr {
+pub fn expr_standard_deviation(expr: ExExpr, ddof: u8) -> ExExpr {
     let expr = expr.clone_inner();
 
-    ExExpr::new(expr.std(1))
+    ExExpr::new(expr.std(ddof))
 }
 
 #[rustler::nif]
diff --git a/native/explorer/src/series.rs b/native/explorer/src/series.rs
index eb0a36edc..20d2c05b8 100644
--- a/native/explorer/src/series.rs
+++ b/native/explorer/src/series.rs
@@ -955,19 +955,19 @@ pub fn s_product(s: ExSeries) -> Result<ExSeries, ExplorerError> {
 }
 
 #[rustler::nif(schedule = "DirtyCpu")]
-pub fn s_variance(env: Env, s: ExSeries) -> Result<Term, ExplorerError> {
+pub fn s_variance(env: Env, s: ExSeries, ddof: u8) -> Result<Term, ExplorerError> {
     match s.dtype() {
-        DataType::Int64 => Ok(s.i64()?.var(1).encode(env)),
-        DataType::Float64 => Ok(term_from_optional_float(s.f64()?.var(1), env)),
+        DataType::Int64 => Ok(s.i64()?.var(ddof).encode(env)),
+        DataType::Float64 => Ok(term_from_optional_float(s.f64()?.var(ddof), env)),
         dt => panic!("var/1 not implemented for {dt:?}"),
     }
 }
 
 #[rustler::nif(schedule = "DirtyCpu")]
-pub fn s_standard_deviation(env: Env, s: ExSeries) -> Result<Term, ExplorerError> {
+pub fn s_standard_deviation(env: Env, s: ExSeries, ddof: u8) -> Result<Term, ExplorerError> {
     match s.dtype() {
-        DataType::Int64 => Ok(s.i64()?.std(1).encode(env)),
-        DataType::Float64 => Ok(term_from_optional_float(s.f64()?.std(1), env)),
+        DataType::Int64 => Ok(s.i64()?.std(ddof).encode(env)),
+        DataType::Float64 => Ok(term_from_optional_float(s.f64()?.std(ddof), env)),
         dt => panic!("std/1 not implemented for {dt:?}"),
     }
 }