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South Africa

Two directions on one page: the harm recorded where people live and work here, and the supply chains that connect this country to harm recorded somewhere else.

This page shows recorded deaths, production, and shares traced through trade. It does not show the death toll behind what this country uses. That number is calculated, and stays unpublished until it has a range and the model has passed its test on past years.

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Harm counted here, in the products the model covers

Each product whose supply chain counts deaths in South Africa, with its deaths per item and the part of that figure counted here — the other side of the story: harm suffered here, in things mostly bought elsewhere.

Scenario Economic-embedded, using FIGARO 2023.

Harm counted here, in the products the model covers
ProductDeaths per item
Steel
Part from here: <0.1%
3.1 × 10⁻⁹ per item(1.7–6.7 × 10⁻⁹)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Passenger car tyre
Part from here: <0.1%
5.2 × 10⁻¹⁰ per item(0.27–1.1 × 10⁻⁹)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
NMC cathode powder
Part from here: <0.1%
1.4 × 10⁻⁷ per item(0.71–3.2 × 10⁻⁷)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Diamond ring
Part from here: <0.1%
9.2 × 10⁻⁶ per item(0.44–2.0 × 10⁻⁵)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Glass
Part from here: <0.1%
2.2 × 10⁻¹⁰ per item(0.93–4.5 × 10⁻¹⁰)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Lithium-ion cell
Part from here: <0.1%
8.4 × 10⁻⁸ per item(0.50–1.7 × 10⁻⁷)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Lithium-ion battery pack
Part from here: <0.1%
6.9 × 10⁻⁸ per item(0.36–1.4 × 10⁻⁷)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Electric car
Part from here: <0.1%
3.0 × 10⁻⁵ per item(1.8–5.5 × 10⁻⁵)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Printed circuit board assembly
Part from here: <0.1%
1.6 × 10⁻⁶ per item(0.60–3.4 × 10⁻⁶)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Smartphone
Part from here: <0.1%
3.0 × 10⁻⁸ per item(1.2–6.3 × 10⁻⁸)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Laptop
Part from here: <0.1%
5.4 × 10⁻⁷ per item(0.21–1.2 × 10⁻⁶)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Petrol car
Part from here: <0.1%
9.5 × 10⁻⁶ per item(0.55–1.7 × 10⁻⁵)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Refined sugar
Part from here: <0.1%
6.1 × 10⁻⁹ per item(0.24–1.5 × 10⁻⁸)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Pack of cigarettes
Part from here: <0.1%
3.6 × 10⁻¹⁰ per item(1.4–8.8 × 10⁻¹⁰)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Butter
Part from here: <0.1%
3.2 × 10⁻⁷ per item(1.3–7.2 × 10⁻⁷)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Croissant
Part from here: <0.1%
0.42–2.4 × 10⁻⁸ per itemINDICATIVES-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Wheat flour
Part from here: <0.1%
1.1 × 10⁻⁸ per item(0.44–2.6 × 10⁻⁸)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Chocolate bar
Part from here: <0.1%
2.5 × 10⁻⁹ per item(1.2–5.8 × 10⁻⁹)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Cotton fabric
Part from here: <0.1%
3.9 × 10⁻⁸ per item(1.5–9.5 × 10⁻⁸)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Cotton T-shirt
Part from here: <0.1%
6.4 × 10⁻⁹ per item(0.25–1.6 × 10⁻⁸)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Cotton yarn
Part from here: <0.1%
3.8 × 10⁻⁸ per item(1.5–9.3 × 10⁻⁸)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Denim fabric
Part from here: <0.1%
3.8 × 10⁻⁸ per item(1.5–9.8 × 10⁻⁸)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Jeans
Part from here: <0.1%
3.2 × 10⁻⁸ per item(1.2–8.0 × 10⁻⁸)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r
Bag of charcoal
Part from here: <0.1%
1.5 × 10⁻⁷ per item(0.61–3.5 × 10⁻⁷)LOWS-MAX · run 2259 · methodology v1.0 · data dv-20261007-44r

The figure is the product’s own, with its range. The share beside it is a middle estimate only: the calculation stores a range for each figure, not for each part of one.

Recorded here

Deaths recorded for this country, as their publishers counted them: war deaths from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), and deaths at work reported to the International Labour Organization. Both are records, and both are floors, not estimates of the whole. A war death is recorded where it happened, whoever died.

Recorded here
Kind of harm Years Deaths recorded Latest year
War deaths (UCDP) 1989–2025 5,630 17 (2025)
Deaths at work (ILOSTAT, as reported) 1985–2022 12,917 83 (2022)

What it produces

The latest year on record for each material, and this country’s share of the production on record for that year. That is not always a share of the world total: when a publisher lumps small producers together as “other countries”, that group is not a country and is not loaded.

What it produces
Material Produced Share of recorded production Quality
Crude petroleum (2025) 26,568 t 0.0% gap filled
Natural gas (2024) 57,987,511 m3 0.0% reported
Coal and lignite (2024) 237,425,368 t 2.7% reported
Cobalt (2019) 2,100 t 1.5% not stated
Nickel (2017) 48,400 t 2.4% not stated
Gold (2025) 90 t 4.0% estimated
Iron ore (2025) 66,000,000 t 2.6% estimated
Zinc (2023) 198,000 t 1.9% not stated
Manganese (2025) 7,600,000 t 40.3% estimated
Silica sand (2021) 2,080,000 t 0.6% estimated
Natural diamonds (rough) (2025) 1 t 4.8% estimated
Wheat (2024) 1,924,890 t 0.2% reported
Milk (2024) 3,883,000 t 0.4% reported
Maize (2024) 12,850,000 t 1.1% reported
Rice (2024) 3,082 t 0.0% gap filled
Soybeans (2024) 1,848,000 t 0.5% reported
Sugar (2024) 16,741,000 t 0.8% gap filled
Cotton (2024) 48,712 t 0.1% reported
Livestock (2024) 3,563,040 t 1.0% reported
Timber (2024) 16,207,111 m3 0.8% estimated
Tobacco (unmanufactured) (2024) 11,231 t 0.2% gap filled
Wood charcoal (2024) 62,255 t 0.1% gap filled
Agricultural land (2024) 96,341,000 ha 2.1% gap filled
Forest (2025) 22,881,420 ha 0.6% external
Fresh water (2023) 4,231,743,151 m3 0.8% reported

Where what it consumes is produced

For each material, how much of what this country uses was produced in each country. It is traced through trade, so a country that only passes a material on is not counted as its source: it hands on the mix it imported. The largest sources are listed and the rest added together.

Crude petroleum — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
Nigeria 47.6% yes
Saudi Arabia 17.3% —
Angola 14.9% yes
United States 6.7% —
Ghana 6.5% yes
Algeria 1.8% yes
All other countries5.1%
Natural gas — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
Mozambique 49.8% yes
United States 41.9% —
South Africa (at home) 2.7% yes
Iraq 1.1% yes
Equatorial Guinea 1.0% —
Argentina 0.9% yes
All other countries2.5%
Coal and lignite — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
South Africa (at home) 98.5% yes
Australia 0.8% —
United States 0.2% —
Russian Federation 0.1% yes
Eswatini 0.1% —
Botswana 0.1% —
All other countries0.1%
Cobalt — 2019, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
South Africa (at home) 79.8% yes
Madagascar 10.8% yes
Congo, Dem. Rep. 8.9% yes
Russian Federation 0.2% yes
Australia 0.1% —
All other countries0.2%
Copper — 2018, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
Congo, Dem. Rep. 97.3% yes
Zambia 2.5% —
Chile 0.1% —
All other countries0.1%
Lithium — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
Australia 32.1% —
China 26.3% —
Chile 26.0% —
Zimbabwe 7.5% —
Argentina 5.4% yes
Brazil 2.0% yes
All other countries0.7%
Nickel — 2017, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
South Africa (at home) 92.0% —
Australia 4.4% —
Madagascar 0.8% yes
Brazil 0.7% yes
Russian Federation 0.6% yes
New Caledonia 0.4% —
All other countries1.2%
Gold — 2012, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
South Africa (at home) 69.9% —
Ghana 17.7% —
Indonesia 7.6% yes
United States 2.1% —
Brazil 1.0% yes
Peru 0.6% —
All other countries1.1%
Tin — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
Indonesia 29.2% yes
Brazil 17.8% yes
Congo, Dem. Rep. 17.2% yes
Malaysia 13.2% —
Peru 8.6% —
Australia 4.0% —
All other countries10.1%
Tungsten — 2022, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
China 89.4% —
Bolivia 2.5% —
Korea, Dem. People's Rep. 2.0% —
Australia 1.2% —
Spain 1.0% —
Austria 1.0% —
All other countries3.0%
Iron ore — 2021, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
South Africa (at home) 100.0% yes
All other countries0.0%
Bauxite — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
Guinea 48.2% —
China 31.7% —
Australia 12.5% —
Brazil 6.7% yes
Turkiye 0.9% yes
All other countries0.1%
Rare earth elements — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
China 62.8% —
Russian Federation 11.4% yes
United States 9.0% —
Myanmar 6.3% yes
India 5.9% yes
Australia 3.9% —
All other countries0.7%
Zinc — 2023, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
South Africa (at home) 84.4% yes
Peru 7.7% yes
Mexico 3.7% yes
India 1.5% yes
Australia 1.5% —
Bolivia 0.5% yes
All other countries0.8%
Phosphate rock — 2010, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
Egypt, Arab Rep. 41.5% yes
Algeria 38.7% yes
Peru 12.0% yes
Senegal 7.2% yes
Tunisia 0.6% —
All other countries0.0%
Manganese — 2016, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
South Africa (at home) 100.0% yes
All other countries0.0%
Natural graphite — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
China 58.2% —
Mozambique 22.6% yes
Madagascar 12.7% —
Brazil 3.7% yes
Norway 1.6% —
Tanzania 0.5% yes
All other countries0.6%
Salt — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
Pakistan 24.4% yes
Germany 15.9% yes
China 10.5% —
Spain 10.3% —
United Kingdom 9.1% —
Netherlands 6.9% —
All other countries23.0%
Silica sand — 2021, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
South Africa (at home) 96.0% yes
China 2.6% —
Turkiye 0.6% yes
United States 0.2% —
France 0.1% —
Netherlands 0.1% —
All other countries0.3%
Wheat — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
South Africa (at home) 52.1% yes
Russian Federation 15.9% yes
Australia 12.0% —
Lithuania 8.6% —
Poland 5.8% —
Canada 1.4% —
All other countries4.2%
Milk — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
South Africa (at home) 97.7% yes
France 0.7% yes
New Zealand 0.6% —
Uruguay 0.2% —
Germany 0.1% yes
Netherlands 0.1% —
All other countries0.6%
Natural rubber — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
Indonesia 33.4% yes
Thailand 21.9% yes
Cote d'Ivoire 16.8% —
Nigeria 10.0% yes
Ghana 4.0% yes
Viet Nam 3.3% —
All other countries10.5%
Maize — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
South Africa (at home) 96.0% yes
Argentina 2.7% yes
Brazil 0.7% yes
United States 0.4% —
All other countries0.1%
Rice — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
Thailand 76.3% yes
India 20.2% yes
Pakistan 1.4% yes
Viet Nam 1.1% —
South Africa (at home) 0.2% yes
Cambodia 0.1% —
All other countries0.5%
Soybeans — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
South Africa (at home) 97.4% yes
United States 2.5% —
All other countries0.1%
Sugar — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
South Africa (at home) 78.0% yes
Eswatini 16.7% —
Brazil 4.0% yes
France 0.4% yes
India 0.2% yes
Belgium 0.1% —
All other countries0.7%
Coffee — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
Brazil 54.5% yes
Ethiopia 8.8% yes
Uganda 6.0% yes
Colombia 5.3% yes
Tanzania 4.5% yes
Guatemala 3.5% yes
All other countries17.4%
Cocoa — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
Peru 30.3% —
Ghana 21.7% yes
Ecuador 11.7% yes
Cote d'Ivoire 11.4% —
Tanzania 9.9% yes
Panama 4.9% —
All other countries10.1%
Palm oil — 2023, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
Indonesia 80.7% yes
Malaysia 19.0% —
All other countries0.3%
Cotton — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
South Africa (at home) 93.1% yes
Zimbabwe 2.6% —
Togo 1.7% yes
Eswatini 1.1% —
Brazil 1.0% yes
Zambia 0.2% —
All other countries0.3%
Livestock — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
South Africa (at home) 94.8% yes
Brazil 2.4% yes
Namibia 1.1% —
Botswana 0.4% —
Spain 0.3% —
Argentina 0.2% yes
All other countries0.9%
Timber — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
South Africa (at home) 94.1% yes
Eswatini 3.6% —
Malaysia 0.5% —
United States 0.5% —
Indonesia 0.3% yes
Uruguay 0.1% —
All other countries0.9%
Tobacco (unmanufactured) — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
South Africa (at home) 28.9% yes
Zimbabwe 22.3% —
Zambia 15.0% —
Malawi 12.5% —
Tanzania 12.1% yes
India 4.0% yes
All other countries5.2%
Wood charcoal — 2024, by value
Produced in Share War recorded
South Africa (at home) 63.7% yes
Namibia 23.5% —
China 6.8% —
Indonesia 1.7% yes
Zimbabwe 1.3% —
Mozambique 0.8% yes
All other countries2.2%

“War recorded” marks a source country where war deaths were recorded in the same year. It is a fact about that country, not a claim that this material caused them.

Where what it produces is consumed

For each material this country produces, how much of it is used in each country, including at home.

Crude petroleum — 2024, by value
Consumed in Share
South Africa (at home) 98.3%
Zimbabwe 0.0%
Zambia 0.0%
Lesotho 0.0%
Mauritius 0.0%
Botswana 0.0%
All other countries1.7%
Natural gas — 2024, by value
Consumed in Share
South Africa (at home) 78.4%
Zimbabwe 13.4%
Botswana 2.6%
Namibia 1.8%
Lesotho 1.7%
Zambia 0.4%
All other countries1.8%
Coal and lignite — 2024, by value
Consumed in Share
South Africa (at home) 74.5%
India 12.0%
Korea, Rep. 2.7%
Japan 1.6%
Viet Nam 1.5%
Pakistan 1.4%
All other countries6.4%
Cobalt — 2019, by value
Consumed in Share
South Africa (at home) 59.7%
China 12.6%
United States 5.8%
Netherlands 4.7%
Japan 3.5%
Ireland 2.0%
All other countries11.7%
Nickel — 2017, by value
Consumed in Share
China 52.1%
South Africa (at home) 14.2%
United States 6.2%
India 6.1%
Italy 4.5%
Japan 2.6%
All other countries14.4%
Gold — 2024, by value
Consumed in Share
China 34.6%
India 26.6%
United Kingdom 20.3%
Hong Kong SAR, China 4.7%
Italy 2.3%
Turkiye 1.8%
All other countries9.7%
Iron ore — 2024, by value
Consumed in Share
China 53.1%
Mozambique 9.8%
Korea, Rep. 9.8%
Germany 8.7%
Japan 6.5%
Netherlands 4.9%
All other countries7.4%
Zinc — 2023, by value
Consumed in Share
South Africa (at home) 53.0%
China 46.8%
Mozambique 0.0%
Zimbabwe 0.0%
Ethiopia 0.0%
Cambodia 0.0%
All other countries0.2%
Manganese — 2024, by value
Consumed in Share
China 44.8%
India 19.0%
Japan 6.6%
Korea, Rep. 3.9%
Norway 3.6%
Singapore 3.0%
All other countries19.1%
Silica sand — 2021, by value
Consumed in Share
South Africa (at home) 85.4%
China 9.7%
India 0.6%
Botswana 0.3%
Burundi 0.2%
Zambia 0.2%
All other countries3.6%
Natural diamonds (rough) — 2024, by value
Consumed in Share
United States 30.1%
Hong Kong SAR, China 25.1%
China 21.1%
United Arab Emirates 10.6%
Switzerland 2.5%
France 1.9%
All other countries8.7%
Wheat — 2024, by value
Consumed in Share
South Africa (at home) 83.6%
Zimbabwe 4.7%
Zambia 3.9%
Botswana 3.8%
Eswatini 1.9%
Lesotho 1.8%
All other countries0.4%
Milk — 2024, by value
Consumed in Share
South Africa (at home) 92.1%
Botswana 1.5%
Namibia 1.3%
Zambia 1.1%
Mozambique 1.0%
Lesotho 1.0%
All other countries2.0%
Maize — 2024, by value
Consumed in Share
South Africa (at home) 66.8%
Zimbabwe 19.3%
Namibia 3.2%
Botswana 2.6%
Mozambique 2.1%
Eswatini 1.5%
All other countries4.5%
Rice — 2024, by value
Consumed in Share
South Africa (at home) 83.3%
Botswana 7.3%
Eswatini 4.1%
Lesotho 1.2%
All other countries4.1%
Soybeans — 2024, by value
Consumed in Share
South Africa (at home) 90.6%
Zimbabwe 6.1%
Viet Nam 1.6%
Malaysia 1.1%
Eswatini 0.4%
Angola 0.1%
All other countries0.2%
Sugar — 2024, by value
Consumed in Share
South Africa (at home) 54.1%
Namibia 7.6%
Malaysia 6.7%
Korea, Rep. 4.7%
United Kingdom 3.8%
Spain 3.5%
All other countries19.6%
Cotton — 2024, by value
Consumed in Share
Indonesia 22.0%
Bangladesh 20.2%
Lesotho 19.1%
South Africa (at home) 12.5%
Mauritius 6.1%
Germany 1.2%
All other countries18.8%
Livestock — 2024, by value
Consumed in Share
South Africa (at home) 96.8%
Lesotho 0.4%
United Arab Emirates 0.4%
Mozambique 0.4%
Kuwait 0.3%
Jordan 0.3%
All other countries1.4%
Timber — 2024, by value
Consumed in Share
South Africa (at home) 92.2%
China 1.9%
Botswana 1.4%
Namibia 1.0%
India 0.7%
Mozambique 0.5%
All other countries2.2%
Tobacco (unmanufactured) — 2024, by value
Consumed in Share
South Africa (at home) 82.7%
Sweden 1.9%
Korea, Rep. 1.4%
Cambodia 0.8%
Lesotho 0.4%
Nigeria 0.3%
All other countries12.4%
Wood charcoal — 2024, by value
Consumed in Share
South Africa (at home) 34.2%
United Kingdom 16.1%
United States 9.9%
Netherlands 8.0%
Kuwait 4.4%
France 3.9%
All other countries23.5%

The number this page does not show

The harm these supply chains carry is calculated, and not shown.

The model passes the harm counted where a material is produced on to the countries that use it. That is a count of people from a recorded calculation, with no range yet, and nothing of that kind is published before the model passes its test on past years. What this page can show without it is the structure: who produces, who uses, and where harm is recorded along the way.

Sources

Sources
Version of the data Downloaded File fingerprint
ucdp · ged-v26.1 2026-09-10 8c941d84954e555e…
ilostat · fatal-20261006 2026-10-06 700fa580091e41e7…
eia · intl-20261003 2026-10-06 9251a5920ebe7044…
usgs_mcs · MCS2021-PDF 2026-10-06 35645e7c2a975cfd…
usgs_mcs · MCS2019-PDF 2026-10-06 a84bd40f55d775e3…
usgs_mcs · MCS2026-20260206 2026-09-29 582a0aa231aea53d…
usgs_mcs · MCS2025-PDF 2026-10-06 4b3e4e00ed65365e…
usgs_mcs · MCS2023-PDF 2026-10-06 f02c82335ee535b6…
faostat · qcl-20251231 2026-09-29 c5835418c18f9322…
faostat · fo-20260109 2026-09-29 c2f7fc99651f620b…
faostat · rl-20261002 2026-10-06 39b739fbfb694971…
aquastat · ds-20260713 2026-10-06 3bca93e1d4430099…
baci · HS92_V202601-20260130 2026-09-29 43259580059fa83e…

Sources →