Relative poverty is an individual’s, a family’s, or a social group’s deprivation of the necessary resources to get nourishment adequately, participate in social and cultural activities (at least the common and usual ones), and live a standard life of the societies they live in. Relative poverty involves the consideration of social needs besides the basic physical needs.

The concept of absolute poverty only considers the basic physical needs, but relative poverty considers the social needs as well, and poverty is evaluated by referring to the living standards of the society.