Relative vs. Absolute Poverty: Why and How Do We Measure Poverty?

What is absolute poverty?

It's the lack of one or more basic needs over a period long enough that it endangers your
life or can cause it harm. As opposed to relative poverty, it covers vital and biological needs
such as food, water, clothing, basic housing (or anything that looks like a decent roof over
your head), and a minimum of sanitation.
Absolute or extreme poverty?
What's the difference between absolute and extreme poverty? Well, extreme poverty
generally refers to a poverty line.
It's a definition of the amount of income one needs to satisfy the most basic needs: absolute
needs (food, shelter) plus health care, education and specific needs depending on where
people live (e.g. Alaska vs Sahara).
For example, urban residents of capital cities will have greater education, energy and
transportation costs than populations elsewhere. People living in extreme poverty risk from
marginalization to malnutrition and disease infections.
All this causes health damages which are no doubt one of the most striking and universal
effects of poverty. Here's a great video on the numbers of poverty-related deaths, the
difference between absolute and relative poverty, the new causes of poverty and what we
can do about them.