diff --git a/src/backend/commands/statscmds.c b/src/backend/commands/statscmds.c
index e24d540cd45b..9b7f27fec289 100644
--- a/src/backend/commands/statscmds.c
+++ b/src/backend/commands/statscmds.c
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 #include "miscadmin.h"
 #include "nodes/nodeFuncs.h"
 #include "optimizer/optimizer.h"
+#include "rewrite/rewriteHandler.h"
 #include "statistics/statistics.h"
 #include "utils/acl.h"
 #include "utils/builtins.h"
@@ -240,28 +241,27 @@ CreateStatistics(CreateStatsStmt *stmt)
 								attname)));
 			attForm = (Form_pg_attribute) GETSTRUCT(atttuple);
 
-			/* Disallow use of system attributes in extended stats */
-			if (attForm->attnum <= 0)
-				ereport(ERROR,
-						(errcode(ERRCODE_FEATURE_NOT_SUPPORTED),
-						 errmsg("statistics creation on system columns is not supported")));
-
-			/* Disallow use of virtual generated columns in extended stats */
 			if (attForm->attgenerated == ATTRIBUTE_GENERATED_VIRTUAL)
-				ereport(ERROR,
-						(errcode(ERRCODE_FEATURE_NOT_SUPPORTED),
-						 errmsg("statistics creation on virtual generated columns is not supported")));
+				selem->expr = build_generation_expression(rel, attForm->attnum);
+			else
+			{
+				/* Disallow use of system attributes in extended stats */
+				if (attForm->attnum <= 0)
+					ereport(ERROR,
+							(errcode(ERRCODE_FEATURE_NOT_SUPPORTED),
+							 errmsg("statistics creation on system columns is not supported")));
 
-			/* Disallow data types without a less-than operator */
-			type = lookup_type_cache(attForm->atttypid, TYPECACHE_LT_OPR);
-			if (type->lt_opr == InvalidOid)
-				ereport(ERROR,
-						(errcode(ERRCODE_FEATURE_NOT_SUPPORTED),
-						 errmsg("column \"%s\" cannot be used in statistics because its type %s has no default btree operator class",
-								attname, format_type_be(attForm->atttypid))));
+				/* Disallow data types without a less-than operator */
+				type = lookup_type_cache(attForm->atttypid, TYPECACHE_LT_OPR);
+				if (type->lt_opr == InvalidOid)
+					ereport(ERROR,
+							(errcode(ERRCODE_FEATURE_NOT_SUPPORTED),
+							 errmsg("column \"%s\" cannot be used in statistics because its type %s has no default btree operator class",
+									attname, format_type_be(attForm->atttypid))));
 
-			attnums[nattnums] = attForm->attnum;
-			nattnums++;
+				attnums[nattnums] = attForm->attnum;
+				nattnums++;
+			}
 			ReleaseSysCache(atttuple);
 		}
 		else if (IsA(selem->expr, Var)) /* column reference in parens */
@@ -269,30 +269,28 @@ CreateStatistics(CreateStatsStmt *stmt)
 			Var		   *var = (Var *) selem->expr;
 			TypeCacheEntry *type;
 
-			/* Disallow use of system attributes in extended stats */
-			if (var->varattno <= 0)
-				ereport(ERROR,
-						(errcode(ERRCODE_FEATURE_NOT_SUPPORTED),
-						 errmsg("statistics creation on system columns is not supported")));
-
-			/* Disallow use of virtual generated columns in extended stats */
-			if (get_attgenerated(relid, var->varattno) == ATTRIBUTE_GENERATED_VIRTUAL)
-				ereport(ERROR,
-						(errcode(ERRCODE_FEATURE_NOT_SUPPORTED),
-						 errmsg("statistics creation on virtual generated columns is not supported")));
+			if (get_attgenerated(relid, var->varattno) != ATTRIBUTE_GENERATED_VIRTUAL)
+			{
+				/* Disallow use of system attributes in extended stats */
+				if (var->varattno <= 0)
+					ereport(ERROR,
+							(errcode(ERRCODE_FEATURE_NOT_SUPPORTED),
+							 errmsg("statistics creation on system columns is not supported")));
 
-			/* Disallow data types without a less-than operator */
-			type = lookup_type_cache(var->vartype, TYPECACHE_LT_OPR);
-			if (type->lt_opr == InvalidOid)
-				ereport(ERROR,
-						(errcode(ERRCODE_FEATURE_NOT_SUPPORTED),
-						 errmsg("column \"%s\" cannot be used in statistics because its type %s has no default btree operator class",
-								get_attname(relid, var->varattno, false), format_type_be(var->vartype))));
+				/* Disallow data types without a less-than operator */
+				type = lookup_type_cache(var->vartype, TYPECACHE_LT_OPR);
+				if (type->lt_opr == InvalidOid)
+					ereport(ERROR,
+							(errcode(ERRCODE_FEATURE_NOT_SUPPORTED),
+							 errmsg("column \"%s\" cannot be used in statistics because its type %s has no default btree operator class",
+									get_attname(relid, var->varattno, false), format_type_be(var->vartype))));
 
-			attnums[nattnums] = var->varattno;
-			nattnums++;
+				attnums[nattnums] = var->varattno;
+				nattnums++;
+			}
 		}
-		else					/* expression */
+
+		if (selem->expr)
 		{
 			Node	   *expr = selem->expr;
 			Oid			atttype;
@@ -302,6 +300,8 @@ CreateStatistics(CreateStatsStmt *stmt)
 
 			Assert(expr != NULL);
 
+			expr = expand_generated_columns_in_expr(expr, rel, 1);
+
 			pull_varattnos(expr, 1, &attnums);
 
 			k = -1;
@@ -314,12 +314,6 @@ CreateStatistics(CreateStatsStmt *stmt)
 					ereport(ERROR,
 							(errcode(ERRCODE_FEATURE_NOT_SUPPORTED),
 							 errmsg("statistics creation on system columns is not supported")));
-
-				/* Disallow use of virtual generated columns in extended stats */
-				if (get_attgenerated(relid, attnum) == ATTRIBUTE_GENERATED_VIRTUAL)
-					ereport(ERROR,
-							(errcode(ERRCODE_FEATURE_NOT_SUPPORTED),
-							 errmsg("statistics creation on virtual generated columns is not supported")));
 			}
 
 			/*