Scarcity in economics refers to the situation where resources are limited in relation to wants, meaning that there is not enough of everything to fulfill all the desires of individuals. This creates a situation where individuals must make choices about how to allocate resources, and in turn, this leads to trade-offs. For example, if someone wants to buy a new car and a new phone, they may have to choose between the two because they do not have enough money to buy both. This is an example of scarcity in action and highlights the idea that people cannot have everything they want because resources are limited.