The term is most commonly used to refer to an ethnic group that is defined along racial, national, religious, cultural or tribal lines and that holds a disproportionate amount of power and wealth compared to the rest of the population.
In contrast, minority rule, of less permanency and with no basis in race or ethnicity, is often seen when a political party holds a majority in political structures and decisions, but receiving less than the majority of votes in an election.
A notable example is that of South Africa during the apartheid regime, where white South Africans, more specifically Afrikaners, wielded predominant control of the country, despite never composing more than 22 percent of the population.
[1] African-American-descended nationals in Liberia, white Zimbabweans in Rhodesia,[2] and the Tutsi in Rwanda since the 1990s also have been cited as current or recent examples.
[3] In Brazil, despite forming the plurality of its population (45.3%),[4] pardos are more affected by poverty, have a higher illiteracy rate, are more likely to be murdered,[5] and are most likely to live in favelas (Brazilian Portuguese slang for a slum).