Topic: Is poverty a lack of money? - page 6. (Read 1603 times)

Not having access to good education, proper and good healthcare, a good living standard, and much other stuff probably falls under the category of poverty. Those who only have their basic needs fulfilled are not out of poverty unless they have access to all the things I've mentioned and many more that a poor cannot have access to, and none of these things can be accessed without money these days, so directly or indirectly, lack of money should be considered poverty.

We can see a lot of people who earn a very minimum wage, but with that wage, they get the basic needs of their household fulfilled, can we say that they are not poor? When someone in their household gets sick, they can't go to a good hospital, their children can't get proper education, why? Because they don't have money and all these things are only accessible if you have money.

Are you sure you don't need a house, car, or expensive clothes?  i don't believe anyone in the world who doesn't need these unless you're very old and don't have much time left to live. most people say they don't need those because they can't afford them.  I have a younger brother, he said he doesn't want to be rich, he just wants enough money to live.  i disagree with what he said because I know that he is having a hard time making money.  if there were a chance to make money, he would never say it.

That's right, it is impossible to provide yourself with everything you need alone, especially since a person who is already accustomed to the benefits of civilization cannot simply refuse them. Moreover, even the most necessary food should be varied, you need not only rice, but also other products that you will need to buy. Without work, you can achieve how to earn money in the village, but it will not be as easy as it seems and the money will be small. You will either have to earn extra money in the village, or make do with what you have, but these will be restrictions.

I think not, if we can get everything we need, of course we are not poor, poor people are people who cannot buy the things they need, the necessities in question are basic needs such as food, electricity, and so on, when I can't buy a new car , apartments, expensive clothes, and so on then I'm not poor because those things are not needed.

From the economic perspective, poverty simply means not able to afford the common basic needs like food, water and shelter which is very necessary for human survival. And the only way anyone can afford these basic needs is by having a source of income that generates money so when you ask the question is poverty a lack of money, yes poverty is as a result of lack of money to afford common basic needs. But there are broader view on this topic which i don't think is the target of this post.  

In concluding poverty is indeed different for each person. As you said Poverty can not only be measured by lack of money alone. But if we have access to the availability of resources and access to a decent life. then according to you this can not say poor.

However, in my opinion, a person's poverty can be seen from a lack of money that is not enough to meet basic needs, such as food, proper housing, education, health care and so on. What you say is not poor as long as you have sufficient resources even if you don't have money, in some contexts this could be true. For example, a person living in a village with sufficient access to agricultural land, clean water, and other natural resources may not face excessive economic problems. Even though you may have little money, you can still meet their basic needs and live a decent life. But what needs to be underlined in many human cases is that lack of money is the main factor for someone to become poor.

But again, in village life, it is still poverty if you can't buy your clothes or, like other foods, rice. Let's say you can't buy rice without money unless you have a rice plantation. If it is only about vegetables, then that is one of your dishes paired with rice, and there is no need to buy it in the market. But right now, those who live in villages are also in poverty and struggling. I've seen a lot of people going to cities and selling some vegetables or their products so that they can earn money and purchase food and basic necessities. They may grow their own food, but not all of it, so they still need money to purchase other things and foods.

I agree with you OP. I am pretty sure most of fellow forum users are living in urban regions so not working and not having any wages basically mean you can't buy products and services provided. So its nearly automatical to be at poverty levels in cities if you don't have money. But village life can differ a lot. Most of people there learn how to produce necessary foods and clothes. Water is like nearly free from rivers and such. But I think second group also has many disadvantages.

how can you have everything you need without money? even every year from that you need to pay taxes, and how to have everything we need if we don't have money ? in general, basic necessities or things that we need will not come directly to someone's house without the effort they put in, and it is all related to money.
Personally, I see that poverty is someone who is unable to meet his own basic needs or even very lacking in meeting his personal needs in a continuous period of time. This has a lot to do with money. With money, people can meet their primary, secondary, and tertiary needs. Therefore, money is very important in overcoming this problem.

For some people who live in rural areas, they can indeed use the land they own to be used as agricultural land and livestock as a source of food security, but of course all this cannot meet all their needs. Of course, money can complement it, because in this day and age the barter system using goods is no longer valid because it is quite complicated and not necessarily many people are willing to accept it.
However, someone who doesn't have money isn't necessarily said to be poor as long as he can survive in his own way unless he can't get food and doesn't have anything around him.

Well said mate. Money should not be seen as intended for only current reasons but even for future plans and bills. And that’s why we are working so hard so we can provide for our current needs and necessities, and try to save as much as possible so we can also prepare for our future. But if all these things are already on hand, then just work still as there’s more advantage if you have extra money than just having enough money to sustain your needs. Poverty is not just about money matters, if you live with lack of other resources to sustain your future, then  you are still living in poverty.

Poverty is inability to provide or afford your needs, but in this global time I believe that poverty has been eliminated because of internet method of earning money through social media and varieties of technology which is attached to it, so I believe that such kind of poverty where people can not afford three meals a day has gone out, it's no longer into existence.

I believe poverty means you lack all the resources not just money to make yourself profitable. So if you are living in line with poverty, most likely you cannot afford to sustain your life at its best. However, when asked if you have no money but you have all the necessities around you, then you are not living ultimately poor. You just lack some money but when it comes to resources, you have everything you need and that is the most important thing, being satisfied on what you have and don’t look for what you lack.

It depends on the view, someone might say poverty could be when you don't have resources for the most basic - eating, sleeping, drinkable water. I think that poverty starts from some kind of line where you can't provide to have some kind of average life, like the stuff beforementioned and some stuff thought as normal today - having a smartphone, a car or anything making your life not be a struggle for the basic needs which are much bigger than years before. As we evolve in technology, average living standards are raised and more people could be in the poverty range. You have made a good point for mentioning agrarian life(or not using money), but that shows that everything is relative as well. At the end of the day, there is always worse and always better, but basic needs should be fulfilled for every human being.

On other notes, poverty could also be lack of understanding, good will, information, knowledge and education but that is another topic which should also be questioned, especially today.

Depends on the situation. I agree that if the taxes are high, then those taxes should be used to provide something to the public, which would mean that there should be no people dying of poverty, I understand they can't live a luxurious life, but the key point here is "dying" of poverty, if someone dies because they were too poor to save themselves, that's the problem of the government, we shouldn't allow something like that, why am I paying taxes if that's still going on.

At the same time, if taxes are not high and it's a liberal nation with low taxes and individualistic on economy, then I could see how government may not be responsible of anyone, because they are not taking much taxes, so why would they be responsible for anything at all.

First of all it depends on how you define poor, there is being poor in monetary terms and then there is being poor in emotional terms. If someone has no family, no friends, no social life then I would also say he has a poor life, even if he is a millionaire. Money doesn't mean everything in life, health and love is more important. Having all the money in the world and being ill where you can't leave the bad, does it really make you rich? Because you can't do anything to enjoy your money. Of course we need money to survive, but that's only the bare minimum. It's not a black and white line where you are either poor or not. I think to not count as poor we need at least enough money to have all the things we need and also some money left to treat us from time to time. This doesn't mean going out for dinner 3 times a week, but rather a vacation from time to time. It's good to calculate a minimum salary we need to survive each month and then everything we can get on top will be a good bonus.

In my Opinion Lack of money is a common misconception about poverty but it also includes other factors. The inability to meet one basic requirements is a common definition of true poverty. Is someone still considered poor if they have all they need to survive without depending on money though? Some rural villages where self sufficiency is the norm and resources are plentiful allow residents to enjoy happy lives free from financial restrictions.

The COVID-19 shutdown demonstrated how some people were resilient and adaptable enough to exist without depending on money. It is encouraging to see people embracing a natural lifestyle and relocating to rural places where they can find peace and contentment. I think the idea of poverty goes beyond material concerns and encompasses a variety of approaches to meet one basic needs.

Completely wrong , how can a people not needing money but can have everything to survive? do you have any idea how can this be happening ? even not in fiat form (E.I crypto or gold) still those are considered as wealth so yet not being poor right?

The the main thing about your question is how money means to each person and how this conclude being poverty .

back in the days when everyone is using bartering none of them considered poor unless they own nothing and that is what poverty completely mean for me.

I think your statement above is still relevant if your point of view only understands limited financial resources, I don't think this is enough to fully understand one's poverty status.


Poverty is often defined in relative terms, comparing individuals or communities to the prevailing standard of living in a particular community or area. Even if individuals in an agrarian community met their basic needs without needing money, they might still be considered poor relative to the overall standard of living in more developed or affluent areas. So. The absence of monetary wealth can limit access to opportunities, education, health care, and other resources that contribute to overall well-being and quality of life.


I think the perception of poverty can vary among individuals. Some may feel poor even if their basic needs are met, while others may not consider themselves poor despite their limited financial means.

Even if a person has everything needed to survive without needing money, they may still face limitations in terms of access to opportunities and resources. For example, they may lack educational opportunities, job prospects, social support networks, or the ability to participate fully in society. These factors can affect their overall well-being and quality of life, even if their basic needs are met.

Don't mistake poverty as lack of money. It's not just money that makes people poor. You don't get anything, that means you're in need. When you're in need, you'll realize that you're in need in every way Again. If you don't have money, poverty will come. If you don't have money, you can't do anything in life. If you like something, you can't buy it, then you will understand your poverty. Many people have hereditary poverty. Because of that he cannot advance his future. He does not apply his right knowledge in the right place that's why he remains poor.