The first Miss Universe Pageant was held in Long Beach, California in 1952. The first Miss Universe pageant was won by Armi Kuusela from Finland. Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. In 2002 Oxana Fedorova from Russia was dethroned. Subsequently the first runner up Justine Pasek from Panama city became the Miss Universe.
Miss Universe title winners
| Title holder | Country | Year | Age |
| Armi Kuusela | Finland | 1952 | 17 |
| Christiane Martel | France | 1953 | 21 |
| Miriam Stevenson | United States | 1954 | 21 |
| Hillevi Rombin | Sweden | 1955 | 21 |
| Carol Morris | United States | 1956 | 20 |
| Gladys Zender | Peru | 1957 | 18 |
| Luz Marina Zuluaga | Colombia | 1958 | 19 |
| Akiko Kojima | Japan | 1959 | 22 |
| Linda Bement | United States | 1960 | 18 |
| Marlene Schmidt | Germany | 1961 | 24 |
| Norma Nolan | Argentina | 1962 | 24 |
| Iêda Maria Vargas | Brazil | 1963 | 18 |
| Corinna Tsopei | Greece | 1964 | 20 |
| Apasra Hongsakula | Thailand | 1965 | 18 |
| Margareta Arvidsson | Sweden | 1966 | 18 |
| Sylvia Hitchcock | United States | 1967 | 21 |
| Martha Vasconcellos | Brazil | 1968 | 20 |
| Gloria Diaz | Philippines | 1969 | 18 |
| Marisol Malaret | Puerto Rico | 1970 | 20 |
| Georgina Rizk | Lebanon | 1971 | 18 |
| Kerry Anne Wells | Australia | 1972 | 20 |
| Margarita Moran | Philippines | 1973 | 19 |
| Amparo Muñoz | Spain | 1974 | 20 |
| Anne Marie Pohtamo | Finland | 1975 | 19 |
| Rina Messinger | Israel | 1976 | 20 |
| Janelle Commissiong | Trinidad and Tobago | 1977 | 24 |
| Margaret Gardiner | South Africa | 1978 | 18 |
| Maritza Sayalero | Venezuela | 1979 | 18 |
| Shawn Weatherly | United States | 1980 | 20 |
| Irene Sáez | Venezuela | 1981 | 19 |
| Karen Dianne Baldwin | Canada | 1982 | 18 |
| Lorraine Downes | New Zealand | 1983 | 19 |
| Yvonne Ryding | Sweden | 1984 | 21 |
| Deborah Carthy-Deu | Puerto Rico | 1985 | 19 |
| Bárbara Palacios | Venezuela | 1986 | 22 |
| Cecilia Bolocco | Chile | 1987 | 22 |
| Porntip Nakhirunkanok | Thailand | 1988 | 20 |
| Angela Visser | Netherlands | 1989 | 22 |
| Mona Grudt | Norway | 1990 | 19 |
| Lupita Jones | Mexico | 1991 | 23 |
| Michelle McLean | Namibia | 1992 | 19 |
| Dayanara Torres | Puerto Rico | 1993 | 18 |
| Sushmita Sen | India | 1994 | 18 |
| Chelsi Smith | United States | 1995 | 21 |
| Alicia Machado | Venezuela | 1996 | 19 |
| Brook Lee | United States | 1997 | 26 |
| Wendy Fitzwilliam | Trinidad and Tobago | 1998 | 25 |
| Mpule Kwelagobe | Botswana | 1999 | 19 |
| Lara Dutta | India | 2000 | 22 |
| Denise Quiñones | Puerto Rico | 2001 | 20 |
| Oxana Fedorova(Dethroned) Justine Pasek |
Russia Panama |
2002 | 24 23 |
| Amelia Vega | Dominican Republic | 2003 | 18 |
| Jennifer Hawkins | Australia | 2004 | 20 |
| Natalie Glebova | Canada | 2005 | 23 |
| Zuleyka Rivera | Puerto Rico | 2006 | 18 |
| Riyo Mori | Japan | 2007 | 20 |
| Dayana Mendoza | Venezuela | 2008 | 22 |
| Stefanía Fernández | Venezuela | 2009 | 18 |
| Ximena Navarrete | Mexico | 2010 | 22 |
| Leila Lopes | Angola | 2011 | 25 |
| Olivia Culpo | United States | 2012 | 20 |
| Gabriela Isler | Venezuela | 2013 | 25 |
| Paulina Vega | Colombia | 2014 | 22 |
| Pia Wurtzbach | Philippines | 2015 | 26 |
| Iris Mittenaere | France | 2016 | 24 |
| Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters | South Africa | 2017 | 22 |
| Catriona Gray | Philippines | 2018 | 24 |