How do sociologists define relative poverty?

In economics, relative poverty means when the income of a household is a certain percentage lower than the average requirement. This shows that in comparison to a set standard to fulfill basic needs a household with relative poverty is lacking.

From the purview of a sociologist, the concept of relative poverty takes a different stand. George Simmel shares his views on poverty in his social type the poor. Simmel argues that poverty is found in all social strata, as poor is nothing someone who occupies the bottom position in the structure of society. The people in the upper class may feel poor to their peer group compared to the accumulation of wealth. Similarly, a middle-class individual may experience poverty in his/her sense while comparing his situation to the upper-middle-class or middle class. Poverty is relative in this sense and it is present in all social classes.

Amartya Sen, an economist, and philosopher shared a view on poverty that is differently defined from economics. He claimed that poverty expresses a kind of economic un-freedom where the freedom from development is denied. He said development is realized by expanding human choices and capabilities and an individual who is denied these will experience poverty. Poverty becomes relative in this sense where the right to freedom or development is denied to some people is accessible to others.