Majority

A majority is a subset of a group that is more than half of the entire group. This should not be confused with a plurality, which is a subset having the largest number of parts. A plurality is not necessarily a majority, as the largest subset may be less than half of the entire group.

Related Topics:
Subset - Plurality

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For example, in a hypothetical group of 40 athletes there are:

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• 15 association football players
• 10 sprinters
• 9 marathon runners
• 6 table tennis players

In this group, a majority would consist of more than half the total number of athletes, or 21 athletes. The group of all ball sport players together (15 football players + 6 table tennis players = 21) comprise a majority. However, football players, 15 in number, comprise a plurality, not a majority.

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Majority: Parliamentary rules ►