Calling the US a failed state is pretty hyperbolic. There are many, many countries in the world where a much larger fraction of the population is living in muc

Calling the US a failed state is pretty hyperbolic. There are many, many countries in the world where a much larger fraction of the population is living in much poorer material conditions than in the US, and not just places like Syria or Somalia. Actually, taking this study at face value, I'd guess that the fact that the poorest students only miss on average of 1 extra day of school per year due to illness is evidence that the US is not a failed state by any sort of global standard. I'd wager that that number is a lot higher in a lot of places.