Countries with the Most Miss Universe Winners 2025

The Miss Universe Pageant is one of the oldest beauty pageants in the world, having crowned its first winner in 1952. The Miss Universe Pageant typically takes place during the winter, usually in December. It is televised live on a variety of news channels all over the world, and there have been a handful of hosts over the years. Typically, 80 women from all over the world come to the pageant to vie for the crown.

Which Country Has the Most Miss Universe Winners?

The United States has produced the most winners of the Miss Universe Pageant. Since 1953, nine American women have won the title. The most recent woman to win the title for the United States was R’Bonney Gabriel, who won the pageant in 2022. Venezuela is not far behind the United States. Venezuela won its most recent Miss Universe title in 2013, and it has won seven titles throughout the years. Coming in third on the list, Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States, has produced five Miss Universe winners. A number of other countries have won multiple titles, including the Philippines, India, Mexico, South Africa, Sweden, Canada, Japan, Thailand, France, Colombia, and Brazil.

What Are the Other Major Beauty Competitions?

Even though the Miss Universe competition is widely accepted as the most important beauty competition every year, there are a handful of other beauty competitions that are extremely important. They include Miss World, Miss Earth, and Miss International. Taken together with Miss Universe, all these competitions are referred to as the “big four” beauty pageants of the world. When the numbers are expanded to the other beauty competitions, it is clear that Venezuela is an absolute powerhouse. Venezuela has won a total of 16 titles from the other three major beauty pageants. As a result, some people say that Venezuela’s biggest export is beauty, just after oil. Lots of women in Venezuela go to great lengths to try to conform to the highest ideals of the beauty pageant circuit.

How Is the Miss Universe Pageant Judged?

Several important factors go into the judging that takes place during the Miss Universe competition. Even though appearance certainly plays a role, it is not the only criterion. The women appear on stage in evening gowns and swimsuits. In addition, they must answer a wide variety of questions on global topics. Even though they are not expected to answer them like an academic professional, the answers they give play an important role in deciding the winner. The women who participate in the pageant go through a great deal of preparation to do their best.

Which Country Has the Most Miss Universe Winners? The United States

As of 2024, the United States is the country with the most Miss Universe winners. The United States won for the first time in 1954, with the country’s first Miss Universe win going to Miriam Stevenson.

Miss Universe winners from the United States:

• 1954 – Miriam Stevenson
• 1956 – Carol Morris
• 1960 – Linda Bement
• 1967 – Sylvia Louise Hitchcock
• 1980 – Shawn Weatherly
• 1995 – Chelsi Smith
• 1997 – Brook Lee
• 2012 – Olivia Culpo
• 2022 - R’Bonney Nola Gabriel

Which Country Has the Second-Most Miss Universe Winners? Venezuela

The first runner-up for most Miss Universe wins is Venezuela, which has seven Miss Universe titles as of 2024, the second-most of any country in the world. Venezuela is also home to eight Miss International titles, six Miss World titles, and two Miss Earths. It is sometimes jokingly said that beauty queens are Venezuela’s greatest export.

Miss Universe winners from Venezuela:

• 1979 – Maritza Savalero
• 1981 – Irene Saez
• 1986 – Barbara Palacios
• 1996 – Alicia Machado
• 2008 – Dayana Mendoza
• 2009 – Stefania Fernandez
• 2013 – Gabriela Isler

More Runners-Up – Puerto Rico and the Philippines

The runners-up for the most Miss Universe titles are Puerto Rico and the Philippines. Puerto Rico was also the first Latin American country to host the Miss Universe pageant. Puerto Rico won Miss Universe five times.

Miss Universe winners from Puerto Rico:

• 1970 – Marisol Malaret
• 1985 – Deborah Carthy-Deu
• 1993 – Dayanara Torres
• 2001 – Denise M. Quinones
• 2006 – Zuleyka Rivera

Competitors from the Philippines have won the Miss Universe pageant four times, and have also won Miss Earth four times, Miss International six times, and Miss World one time.

Miss Universe winners from the Philippines:

• 1969 – Gloria Diaz
• 1973 – Margarita Moran
• 2015 – Pia Wurtzbach
• 2018 – Catriona Gray

Sweden, South Africa, Mexico, and India

The countries of Sweden, South Africa, Mexico, and India have each had three Miss Universe winners. These countries are among the highest-earning title winners for Miss Universe, which is a big deal to pageant folks and fans.

Miss Universe winners from Sweden:

• 1955 – Hillevi Rombin
• 1966 – Margareta Arvidsson
• 1984 – Yvonne Ryding

South Africa is home to three Miss Universe winners as well:

Miss Universe winners from South Africa:

• 1978 – Margaret Gardiner
• 2017 – Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters
• 2019 – Zozibini Tunzi

Mexico has had three winners even though the country’s first win didn’t come until 1991:

Miss Universe winners from Mexico:

• 1991 – Lupita Jones
• 2010 – Ximena Navarrete
• 2020 – Andrea Meza

India is also home to three Miss Universe titles:

Miss Universe winners from India:

• 1994 – Sushmita Sen
• 2000 – Lara Dutta
• 2021 – Harnaaz Sandhu

In addition, more than a dozen countries have won the Miss Universe title once or twice. This portion of the list has expanded recently, with Nicaragua getting its first win in 2023 and Denmark winning for the first time in 2024.