Final answer:
Absolute poverty is a severe state of deprivation where basic necessities like food, water, housing, and healthcare are beyond reach. This is contrasted with relative poverty, which is based on societal standards. The World Bank defines extreme poverty as living on less than $1.90 a day.
Step-by-step explanation:
Absolute poverty refers to an extreme state of deprivation, where individuals or families lack the basic necessities required for physical survival. These necessities often include adequate food, clean water, safe housing, and access to healthcare. While relative poverty defines a situation where people fall below the average standard of living in their society, absolute poverty is much more severe and involves the struggle to meet fundamental needs that are essential for one's well-being and existence.
Contrary to this, in countries like the United States, poverty is usually measured on a relative scale, indicating the inability to attain a standard of living that is considered average within the country. Nonetheless, absolute poverty does exist and is often characterized by the inability or near-inability to afford even the most basic necessities. The World Bank has set an international poverty line, which considers individuals living on less than $1.90 a day to be experiencing extreme poverty.