How many people survived polio?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 1988, when the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) was launched, wild poliovirus was endemic in 125 countries. By 2018, this number had been reduced to just three: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria. As a result of the GPEI's efforts, an estimated 18 million people are walking today who would otherwise have been paralysed.