This research has analysed economy-wide circularity for all flows of materials, energy, waste and emissions in South Africa, for the year 2017. Cornerstones of South Africa’s biophysical economy in 2017 are a domestic extraction of 875 Mt, low imports of 32 Mt dominated by oil, 170 Mt of exports dominated by coal and metal ores, resulting in 496 Mt of total waste and emissions. Processed material is 917 Mt or 16 t/cap (EU27: 16 t/cap). Materials use for stock-building is very low at 130 Mt (2.3 t/cap). Socioeconomic input cycling is only 2 % [1.4–2.8 %] and ecologically sustainable biomass cycling is only 4 % [3.9–6.1 %], totalling 6 % input circularity. Given the low circularity, we conclude on leverage points for a transformation towards increased circularity to yield socio-economic benefits in a highly unequal society.
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