# Method

- Agencies: the body running the main public pension in Germany, Austria, Poland,
  the Netherlands, the United States, Sweden and Japan, where it publishes a staff
  count.
- Staff: latest published figure. Germany is full-time equivalents in post on
  30 June 2025 (DRV Personalstatistik, Tabelle 001.00 P RV, row 160: 63,412.35
  total, 53,391.98 without Eigenbetriebe and Sonderbereiche). Other agencies are
  headcounts or the agency's own rounded figure, labelled in `staff_unit`.
- Pensioners: people paid a pension by the agency on the latest published date.
  Austria publishes pensions, not people.
- Population: World Bank SP.POP.TOTL, 2024.
- Ratios: recipients / staff; staff / recipients x 100,000; staff / population x
  100,000. No other adjustment.
- Scope differs by agency; see the `scope` column. The SSA count excludes about
  15,000 state Disability Determination Services staff. The Japanese recipient
  count includes civil-servant mutual-aid pensions the JPS does not pay.
- The Japanese staff count (22,986) is from the JPS business report as reported
  by Financial Field; the JPS gives about 11,000 regular staff on 1 April 2026.