What is Global Majority?

The term ‘global majority’ is increasingly being used in educational, workplace, and policy settings to reframe how we think about race, representation, and inclusion. Rather than defining people by what they are not—such as “non-white” or “minority”—the phrase centres the fact that over 80% of the world’s population is made up of Black, Asian, Indigenous, and other racially and ethnically diverse communities.

This term challenges Eurocentric language that often positions white populations as the default. Instead, “global majority” offers a more empowering and accurate representation of the world’s demographic reality. It also encourages a shift in thinking about equity and leadership—not from a deficit model, but from one that recognises the richness, innovation, and cultural capital present within these communities.

In the UK and elsewhere, organisations and institutions are adopting this term to build more inclusive policies and to ensure that leadership reflects the true diversity of the global population.

To support this shift, a new Apprenticeship standard has been developed to nurture the next generation of leaders from the global majority. This initiative is aimed at providing structured pathways for emerging talent to step into senior roles, bringing new perspectives, lived experience, and transformative leadership to sectors that have historically lacked diverse representation at the top.

As this standard rolls out, it represents a tangible step toward creating a more equitable and representative leadership landscape.