Absolute and Comparative Advantage
In trade, absolute advantage is when a country can produce a greater quantity of a good or service with the same input (typically labor) at a lower cost. The theory of absolute advantage was developed by the Scottish economist Adam Smith in his book The Wealth of Nations.
Comparative advantage is a theory developed by the English political economist David Ricardo in his book On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation. Comparative advantage, also called Ricardian advantage, describes one country's ability to produce a good or service at a lower opportunity cost than another country. Opportunity cost is the idea that making and selling one product or service is a trade-off, since you forfeit the opportunity to produce another product instead.
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Key Concepts and Summary
A country has an absolute advantage in those products in which it has a productivity edge over other countries; it takes fewer resources to produce a product. A country has a comparative advantage when a good can be produced at a lower cost in terms of other goods. Countries that specialize based on comparative advantage gain from trade.