Miss Universe by the numbers—from the country with the most number of wins to the most expensive crown, and beyond
The Miss Universe competition has come a long way in its 70-year run.
From merely being a marketing stunt by a California-based clothing company to promote their swimwear collection, the pageant has gone on to become a space where women can celebrate their cultures and stories—and become an inspiration to the whole world.
This Jan. 15 (Philippine time), gorgeous queens from all around the globe will dominate the stage in the 71st Miss Universe coronation night, where the Philippines' bet Celeste Cortesi and 85 other delegates are vying for the highly coveted "Force for Good" crown.
Let’s take a look at some of the most important figures in the pageant's years-long run.
Country with the most number of wins
It seems that the United States and Venezuela have more lucky stars than others as they are almost tied for being the countries with the most number of Miss Universe winners.
According to demographic data site World Population Review, the US boasts the highest number of winning queens with a total of eight, starting with Miriam Stevenson in 1954 and ending with Olivia Culpo in 2012. Venezuela comes on the heels with seven winners, with the latest one being Gabriela Isler in 2013.
Filipina winners
Speaking of countries with the most wins, the Philippines is not so far behind with a total of four queens. Gloria Diaz had the privilege of bringing home the first Miss Universe title for the country when she emerged victorious in the competition in 1969.
During the question and answer portion of the pageant, she was asked how she would entertain a man who landed in her hometown from the moon. To which, she simply answered, "Oh, just the same things I do. I think if he has been on the moon for so long, I think when he comes over he wants to change, I guess."
In just a short time after that, the Philippines was recognized again in 1973 through Margie Moran, who was asked a rather tricky question of what she would buy first if she suddenly had a million dollars. In an honest and practical answer, she said that she would buy a house and a lot as she couldn't afford one.
The country became dry of any winners until 2015's Pia Wurtzbach. The way she won was quite memorable as host Steve Harvey mistakenly announced Miss Colombia as the winner before correcting himself. Nevertheless, Wurtzbach remained graceful as she took the crown, which she mainly earned because of her famous "confidently beautiful with a heart" answer.
The last Filipina beauty to best the other Miss Universe candidates is 2018's Catriona Gray, having captured hearts with her iconic “lava walk” at the preliminary competition and answering confidently when asked about the most important lesson she has learned in her life and how she will apply it to her time as Miss Universe.
Most expensive crown
Subjectively speaking, we cannot put a price on the crowns that have been used to award the winning queen as every single one of them was made with immense meticulousness and passion by its jewelers. But in the objective sense, the title for the most expensive crown crafted so far goes to the new "Force for Good" crown by Mouawad Jewelry.
The dazzling headdress made up of 45.14-carat royal blue sapphire and 48 carats of white diamonds is said to have a whopping price of about $6 million (P332 million).
This beats the previous Power of Unity crown worn by the 69th Miss Universe winner, Mexico’s Andrea Meza, which is reported to be worth around $5 million (over P287 million).
The Force for Good crown is said to represent the "new emblem of beautifully confident" and its gems symbolize goodness and hope and a call for change.
Youngest and oldest beauty queen who won
Competing on the Miss Universe stage is no joke as you have millions of eyes watching and scrutinizing your every step, pose, and grace as you strive for the coveted title. It's safe to say that teenagers wouldn't even dare to swim with older and more experienced beauty queens on the stage, but that didn't stop Finland's Armi Kuusela from winning the crown at only 17 years and 303 days old at the time.
Meanwhile, the oldest beauty queen who competed and emerged victorious is USA's Brook Lee at the age of 26 years and 128 days old. She also became the first from Hawaii and the only native Hawaiian ever to become Miss Universe.
Longest and shortest reign of a queen
In case you didn't know, whenever a candidate is crowned as the new Miss Universe, she doesn't get to take the crown home as they are only on loan and are passed on to the next winner the following year, thus marking the end of her reign.
Miss Universe 2002 Oxana Federova only served 119 days as queen—the shortest one in Miss Universe history—when it was announced that she would be stripped of the title. She revealed in an interview that she decided to step down due to lewd questions that she was asked while on The Howard Stern Show.
The queen with the longest reign in the pageant's history would be South Africa's Zonzibini Tunzi, who won in 2019. Due to the crippling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Miss Universe organization had to postpone the 2020 edition of the pageant, making Tunzi hold her title for 525 days or 17 months before finally passing it on to Mexico's Andrea Meza.
