---
title: Frankfurt is Investing in Education, and Your City Should Too
date: 06/12/2023
authors: ['Michael Polidori']
---

_Note: The currency in this post has been converted to USD using an average exchange rate of 1 EUR = 1.20 USD._

Between 2008 and 2016, the population of Frankfurt, Germany grew from approximately 670k to 740k[^1], while
its spending on education climbed from \$465 million to a staggering \$814 million, a 75% increase. That's a
significant surge, bumping education to around 20% of the total budget, only second to social issues.

The stacked bar chart below (using the [City of Frankfurt Expenditure dataset](https://www.openspending.org/@os-data/city-of-frankfurt-expenditure))
helps to bring this data to life. It maps out the city's annual spending across various areas. As you can see,
the education slice has grown noticeably over the years, indicating Frankfurt's intention to prioritize this space.
The city's commitment to education is abundantly clear.

<VegaLite
  spec={{
    $schema: 'https://vega.github.io/schema/vega-lite/v5.json',
    data: {
      url: 'https://storage.openspending.org/city-of-frankfurt-expenditure/frankfurt-sums.csv',
    },
    transform: [
      {
        calculate: "format(datum.amount / 1e6 * 1.20, '$,.1f') + 'M'",
        as: 'formattedAmountMillion',
      },
      { calculate: 'datum.amount / 1e9 * 1.20', as: 'amountBillion' },
    ],
    mark: 'bar',
    width: 350,
    height: 400,
    encoding: {
      x: {
        field: 'date',
        type: 'ordinal',
        title: 'Year',
      },
      y: {
        field: 'amount',
        type: 'quantitative',
        title: 'Spending (USD in billions)',
        axis: {
          format: '~s',
          labelExpr: "format(datum.value / 1e9 * 1.20, '$,.0f') + 'B'",
        },
      },
      color: {
        field: 'label',
        type: 'nominal',
        title: 'Area',
        scale: {
          domain: [
            'Building supervision and monument protection',
            'Business development agency',
            'Central finance economy',
            'Central services',
            'Culture, leisure and sport',
            'Education',
            'Elections and superordinate matters',
            'Environment',
            'Finance',
            'Fire protection and emergency services',
            'Geoinformation and property regulations',
            'Head of the city administration',
            'Health',
            'Local transport and public transport',
            'Order and security',
            'Personnel and organization',
            'Property and building management',
            'Reside',
            'Revision and law',
            'Social issue',
            'Town planning',
          ],
          range: [
            '#EF5350',
            '#F06292',
            '#BA68C8',
            '#9575CD',
            '#7986CB',
            '#64B5F6',
            '#4FC3F7',
            '#4DD0E1',
            '#4DB6AC',
            '#81C784',
            '#AED581',
            '#DCE775',
            '#FFF176',
            '#FFD54F',
            '#FFB74D',
            '#FF8A65',
            '#A1887F',
            '#90A4AE',
            '#78909C',
            '#546E7A',
            '#455A64',
          ],
        },
      },
      tooltip: [
        { field: 'label', type: 'nominal', title: 'Area' },
        {
          field: 'formattedAmountMillion',
          type: 'ordinal',
          title: 'Spending (USD in millions)',
        },
        { field: 'date', type: 'ordinal', title: 'Year' },
      ],
    },
  }}
/>

Now, let's look at a line chart that traces only the trajectory of education spending through these eight
years (using the same dataset). It's not just a line; it's a testament to Frankfurt's growing conviction that investing in education is
the key to a prosperous future.

<VegaLite
  spec={{
    $schema: 'https://vega.github.io/schema/vega-lite/v5.json',
    description: 'Frankfurt Education Spending.',
    data: {
      url: 'https://storage.openspending.org/city-of-frankfurt-expenditure/frankfurt-sums.csv',
    },
    transform: [
      { filter: "datum.label==='Education'" },
      {
        calculate: "format(datum.amount / 1e6 * 1.20, '$,.1f') + 'M'",
        as: 'formattedAmountMillion',
      },
    ],
    mark: {
      type: 'area',
      line: true,
      point: true,
    },
    width: 400,
    height: 400,
    encoding: {
      x: {
        field: 'date',
        type: 'ordinal',
        title: 'Year',
      },
      y: {
        field: 'amount',
        type: 'quantitative',
        title: 'Spending (USD in millions)',
        axis: {
          format: '~s',
          labelExpr: "format(datum.value / 1e6 * 1.20, '$,.0f') + 'M'",
        },
      },
      color: {
        title: '',
        field: 'label',
        scale: {
          domain: ['Education'],
          range: ['#64b5f6'],
        },
      },
      tooltip: [
        { field: 'label', type: 'nominal', title: 'Area' },
        {
          field: 'formattedAmountMillion',
          type: 'ordinal',
          title: 'Spending (USD in millions)',
        },
        { field: 'date', type: 'ordinal', title: 'Year' },
      ],
    },
  }}
/>

Despite Frankfurt's population experiencing an increase of less than 100k during this period, the significant
investment in education tells a different story. It sends a clear message: education isn't merely a line item
in their budget—it's their future.

During this period, it's likely that schools underwent major overhauls, more teachers got hired, new educational
programs launched, etc., to give every child in Frankfurt a chance to have an impactful and quality education.

The beauty of good data is that it's not just numbers—it's narratives. And the narrative here is that Frankfurt
is leveraging the power of long-term investment in education for a better, brighter future. This investment in
education is not just about the dollars and cents. It's about recognizing the value of quality education to drive
social and economic progress.

Frankfurt is a city that's recognized the power of education, and it's using that power to redefine its future.
One can only hope that more cities follow suit.

[^1]: https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/frankfurt-population
