The phrase "are close to nonexistent" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that is nearly absent or very rare in a particular context.
Example: "Opportunities for advancement in this company are close to nonexistent, making it difficult for employees to grow their careers."
Alternatives: "are nearly absent" or "are almost nonexistent."
Many of their personal balance sheets are creaking under a load of debt, and savings are close to nonexistent.
While monkey bites can lead to rabies or a fatal form of the herpes virus, documented cases are "close to nonexistent," Dr. Fauci wrote.
"I wear a beard and the Hasidic garb" of long black caftan and broad- brimmed hat, "so for me, the obvious conflicts in keeping kosher, keeping Shabbos are close to nonexistent.
Whether it's Baltimore, Cleveland, Ferguson and St . Louis County or now Chicago, we've consistently seen that the cities in which violent crime remains aberrantly high are also served by police departments with long histories of institutional abuse, bigotry and/or corruption, and where transparency and real accountability are close to nonexistent.
What it has at the moment are demo fleets with manufacturing costs that are impractical and refilling stations that are close to nonexistent.
In the freezing winter, when heating gas was close to nonexistent, bathing was optional.
-- Shot: Trump last night claimed that assimilation among American Muslims is close to "nonexistent": "Assimilation has been very hard," he told Fox News's Sean Hannity.
"In addition, we've improved quality control measures that were close to nonexistent in the past because of a lack of funding".
As he competed against some of the best riders in the world on the Southern California circuit, his opportunities, at least when it came to getting on good horses, were close to nonexistent.
Even when she was alive, communication between her and her husband was close to nonexistent, although he now wonders if the mere fact of her living presence wasn't as close to human connection as life allows.
