Which has higher reported cases of paralytic polio, Sierra Leone or South Africa?

Sierra Leone, at 0 cases against 0 cases in South Africa as of 2023.

What is the difference in reported cases of paralytic polio between Sierra Leone and South Africa?

0 cases, with Sierra Leone ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Sierra Leone and South Africa?

43 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2023.

Where does this data come from?

World Health Organization (2019); World Health Organization (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Reported cases of paralytic polio. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Sierra Leone vs South Africa: Reported cases of paralytic polio

Sierra Leone

0 cases

in 2023

South Africa

0 cases

in 2023

Sierra Leone rank

26th

South Africa rank

26th

Reported cases of paralytic polio over time

Sierra Leone
South Africa

How they compare

Sierra Leone currently reports 0 cases against 0 cases in South Africa, a difference of 0 cases.

The two have swapped places 8 times across 43 shared years of data; in 1980 it was South Africa ahead.

Sierra Leone ranks 26th and South Africa ranks 26th of 199 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Sierra Leone averaged higher in 4 and South Africa in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Sierra Leone	South Africa	Difference	Ahead
1980s	39.3 cases	120.9 cases	81.6 cases	South Africa
1990s	14.33 cases	12.56 cases	1.78 cases	Sierra Leone
2000s	4.5 cases	0 cases	4.5 cases	Sierra Leone
2010s	0.1 cases	0 cases	0.1 cases	Sierra Leone
2020s	3.75 cases	0 cases	3.75 cases	Sierra Leone

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher reported cases of paralytic polio, Sierra Leone or South Africa?: Sierra Leone, at 0 cases against 0 cases in South Africa as of 2023.
What is the difference in reported cases of paralytic polio between Sierra Leone and South Africa?: 0 cases, with Sierra Leone ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Sierra Leone and South Africa?: 43 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2023.
How do Sierra Leone and South Africa rank globally for reported cases of paralytic polio?: Sierra Leone ranks 26th and South Africa ranks 26th of 199 countries.
Where does this data come from?: World Health Organization (2019); World Health Organization (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Reported cases of paralytic polio. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Sierra Leone vs South Africa: Reported cases of paralytic polio. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization (2019); World Health Organization (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/the-number-of-reported-paralytic-polio-cases/sierra-leone/south-africa/

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<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/the-number-of-reported-paralytic-polio-cases/sierra-leone/south-africa/">Sierra Leone vs South Africa: Reported cases of paralytic polio</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Reported cases of paralytic polio
Unit: cases
Source: World Health Organization (2019); World Health Organization (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 199 places, 7,608 data points, 1980–2023
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

Sum of wild poliovirus cases and circulating vaccine derived poliovirus cases.