10. United States, 61.3

The United States’ access to basic knowledge index is 61.3, with a (relatively) extremely high secondary school enrollment  at 89.5, an adult literacy index of 57.5, and  a primary school enrollment index of 52.6. The United States’ federal structure is decentralized, meaning that every state handles its affairs individually. This, in turn, means that access to basic education varies from one state to another with local school districts possessing the power to determine their people’s level of access to basic education. Throughout the U.S. there’s compulsory education for children between 5 or 6 years old and 16, 17 or 18 years old depending on the state. In America, education is generally free until the 12th grade level. Yet, in spite of the free access to basic education in the U.S. there is growing illiteracy in the country. Millions of adult Americans can’t read or write, though an even larger number can only read 4th or 5th grade material. There’s also an increase in the number of teenagers who drop out of in high school; so while the U.S. offers a relatively high level of basic education to its citizens, it could be argued that for its level of wealth and development, the U.S. is under-performing in this area when contrasted with comparative nations.