What is meant by absolute poverty and analyse how access to clean water, or another essential item, is closely linked to production, income and wealth, within countries and between countries.

Absolute poverty is characterised by acute deprivation of human needs such as: food, safe drinking water, shelter, education and information. Consequently, absolute poverty is seen mostly in low economically developed countries, whereas realative poverty, which refers to the minimum acceptable standards of living within the society a person lives, can be witnessed globally. 

Obviously, access to clean water is closely linked to income and wealth: the greater one's income or wealth is, the more likely they are to receive clean water due to their ability to pay for it. However, it is also closely linked to the availability of infrastructure and the degree it has been implemented. A greater standard of infrastructure, such as pipelines, results in a greater level of production, which in turn, leads to a lower price of water and thus, a greater level of consumption of clean water. Nonetheless, access to clean water is also linked to the relationship between countries. Countries that are dependent on other countries for trade and income are more likely to have less access to clean water since irrigation systems may be applied to exporting goods like fruit and vegetables before they are supplied to citizens.