绝对贫困

绝对贫困

绝对贫困的“绝对”有两个方面的含义:一是指界定贫困的尺度是绝对的,它以维持或满足人的基本生存或基本需要为参照标准;二是指贫困的程度较深,处于绝对匮乏或剥夺状态。在发展中国家,绝对贫困一般又称为生存贫困或基本需要贫困,或者说,绝对贫困包含生存贫困或基本需要贫困两个层次。度量个人或家庭是否处于绝对贫困状态,其基本方法是由国家或社会设定一条民众可接受的能满足最低限度基本生存或基本需要的物质福利标准(即绝对贫困线),然后将个人或家庭的实际福利水平(收入或消费)与绝对贫困线相比较,处于贫困线下的个人或家庭就确定为绝对贫困人口或家庭。确定绝对贫困线的方法,主要有标准预算法、恩格尔系数法、马丁法等。

Absolute Poverty

Absolute poverty has two criteria: First, the baseline for poverty is absolute; it refers to the basic living standards or basic needs for human subsistence. Second, it means a condition of extreme poverty, with a severe shortage of basic necessities of life or extreme deprivation of basic human needs. Absolute poverty is also called “subsistence poverty” or “basic needs poverty” in some developing countries.

To determine whether an individual or family is living under absolute poverty, an acceptable wellbeing line (absolute poverty line) is set for basic needs or minimum living conditions for subsistence, and the individual or family will be defined as suffering absolute poverty if their wellbeing (income or consumption) falls below this line.

There are a number of ways to define the absolute poverty line, such as the Market Basket Method, Engle’s Ratio Method and Martin Method.