{{Short description|International beauty pageant}} {{Use British English|date=November 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}} {{Infobox beauty pageant | photo = MW1991 - Worldwide.png | caption = Miss World 1991 Titlecard | winner = [[Ninibeth Leal]]<ref name="google.com">{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19911230&id=frYcAAAAIBAJ&pg=6729,6086736&hl=en|title=Sarasota Herald-Tribune|access-date=26 January 2016}}</ref> | represented = Venezuela | date = 28 December 1991 | presenters = {{Hlist|[[Peter Marshall (UK broadcaster)|Peter Marshall]]|[[Gina Tolleson]]}} | acts = [[Indecent Obsession]] | venue = [[Georgia World Congress Center]], [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], United States | broadcaster = [[E!]] | entrants = 78 | placements = 10 | debuts = {{Hlist|Greenland}} | returns = {{Hlist|Antigua and Barbuda|Ecuador|Lebanon|Malaysia|South Africa|Swaziland|Taiwan}} | withdraws = {{Hlist|Barbados|Canada|Cook Islands|Egypt|Hong Kong|Luxembourg|Madagascar|Papua New Guinea|Peru|Sri Lanka|Union of Soviet Socialist Republics}} | before = [[Miss World 1990|1990]] | next = [[Miss World 1992|1992]] }}

'''Miss World 1991''' was the 41st edition of the [[Miss World]] pageant, at the [[Georgia World Congress Center]] in [[Atlanta]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], the United States, on 28 December 1991.

[[Gina Tolleson]] of the United States crowned [[Ninibeth Leal]] of [[Venezuela]] as her successor at the conclusion of the event. Miss World 1991 was scheduled to be held in the Dominican Republic but, due to scheduling difficulties, Miss World organisers moved the pageant, first to Puerto Rico, then finally settling in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States. Preliminary swimsuits for the 1991 Miss World pageant was held in South Africa.<ref name="google.com1">{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=19920429&id=w7RUAAAAIBAJ&pg=7032,3790737&hl=en|title=New Straits Times|access-date=26 January 2016}}</ref>

== Selection of participants == === Replacements === Antonia Balint of Hungary was stripped of the [[Miss Hungary]] 1991 title, after photographs printed in Hungarian newspapers showed that she had previously appeared in the men's magazine Lui and other publications against Miss World rules.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.blikk.hu/sztarvilag/sztarsztorik/hat-evig-harcolt-a-koronajaert-balint-antonia/gdwbd0p|title = Hat évig harcolt a koronájáért Bálint Antónia|date = 11 November 2015}}</ref> She was replaced by her first runner-up, Timea Raba but Raba couldn't replace her for the same reason. Orsolya Michina represented Hungary instead.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/|title=Turkish News - Latest News from Turkey|website=Hürriyet Daily News|accessdate=29 March 2023}}</ref>

=== Debuts, returns, and, withdrawals === This edition marked the debut of Greenland and the return of South Africa, which last competed [[Miss World 1977|1977]]{{Efn| South Africa returned after the [[Miss World|Miss World Organization]] decided to lift a 14-year [[apartheid]] rule, allowing its contestants to compete.}}, Antigua and Barbuda last competed in [[Miss World 1986|1986]], Lebanon and Swaziland last competed in [[Miss World 1988|1988]] and Ecuador, Malaysia and Taiwan last competed in [[Miss World 1989|1989]].

Barbados, Cook Islands, Egypt, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, Peru and Sri Lanka, withdrew from the competition. Tara Paat of Canada withdrew from the competition{{Efn|She quit from the Pageant few weeks before the finals due to a dispute with pageant officials following a trip to South Africa in which she observed racial discrimination which she felt was tacitly approved by pageant officials}} and Ilmira Shamsutdinova of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, won [[Miss USSR]] 1991 and was invited to compete in this edition, but she was underage to attend.

Muriel Edoukou of Côte d'Ivoire was supposed to compete but withdrew from the competition due to failed to arrive.<ref>{{Cite web|url=/www.elanecdotario.com/2005/feb05/10/feb10ai.html|title=Miss Ivory Coast 1989, Muriel Edou Kou|website=ElAnecdotario.com|accessdate=29 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030182814/www.elanecdotario.com/2005/feb05/10/feb10ai.html |archive-date=30 October 2007 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> Tracy Ann D'Abreu of Guyana also withdrew from the competition due to the controversy over her victory and citizenship, she was declared ineligible to compete at Miss World 1991.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2492&dat=19911116&id=DKZjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2iYMAAAAIBAJ&pg=578,927571&hl=en|title = Stabroek News - Google News Archive Search}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2492&dat=19911011&id=FqZjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2iYMAAAAIBAJ&pg=996,1145672&hl=en|title=Stabroek News - Google News Archive Search|accessdate=29 March 2023}}</ref> Birgit Højgaard of Faroe Islands, was supposed to debut at Miss World 1991, however her separate participation was rejected by the Miss World Organization, because the Faroe Islands are an administrative part of Denmark, then she participated at Miss Denmark World 1991 and was second runner-up.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1382676779637911&set=a.1274371877135069 |access-date=2025-05-04 |website=www.facebook.com}}</ref>

== Results == [[File:Miss World 1991 Map.PNG|thumb|250px|Countries and territories which sent delegates and results for Miss World 1991<ref name="google.com"/><ref name="google.com1"/>]]

=== Placements === {| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%;" |- ! Placement ! Contestant |- | Miss World 1991 | * {{flagu|Venezuela|1954}} – [[Ninibeth Leal]] |- | 1st Runner-Up | * {{flagu|Australia}} – Leanne Buckle |- | 2nd Runner-Up | * {{flagu|South Africa|1928}} – Diana Tilden-Davis |- | Top 5 | * {{flagu|Jamaica}} – Sandra Foster * {{flagu|Namibia}} – [[Michelle McLean]] |- | Top 10 | * {{flagu|France}} – [[Mareva Georges]] * {{flagu|India}} – Ritu Singh * {{flagu|New Zealand}} – Lisa de Montalk * {{flagu|Turkey}} – [[Aslıhan Koruyan Sabancı|Aslıhan Koruyan]] * {{flagu|United States}} – [[Charlotte Ray]] |}

==== Continental Queens of Beauty ==== {| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%;" ! Continent/Region ! Contestant |- | Africa | * {{flagu|South Africa|1928}} – Diana Tilden-Davis |- | Americas | * {{flagu|Venezuela|1954}} – [[Ninibeth Leal]] |- | Asia & Oceania | * {{flagu|Australia}} – Leanne Buckle |- | Caribbean | * {{flagu|Jamaica}} – Sandra Foster |- | Europe | * {{flagu|Turkey}} – [[Aslıhan Koruyan Sabancı|Aslıhan Koruyan]] |}

== Judges == {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * Mike Favre * Brenda McLain * Phil Hayes * Marie DeGeorge * [[Eric Morley]] - Chairman and CEO of Miss World Organization * [[Jarvis Astaire]] * Paul Block * Jane Ambrose * Edgar Botero {{div col end}}

== Contestants == Seventy-eight contestants competed for the title. {| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%;" ! Country/Territory ! Contestant ! Age ! Hometown |- | {{flagdeco|ATG}} [[Miss Antigua & Barbuda|Antigua and Barbuda]] | Joanne Bird | 20 | [[St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda|St. John's]] |- | {{flagicon|ARG}} [[Belleza Argentina|Argentina]] || Marcela Chazarreta || 20 || [[Buenos Aires]] |- | {{flagicon|ARU}} [[Miss Aruba|Aruba]] || Sandra Croes || 23 || [[Santa Cruz, Aruba|Santa Cruz]] |- | {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Miss World Australia|Australia]] || Leanne Buckle || 21 || [[Brisbane]] |- | {{flagicon|AUT}} [[Miss Austria|Austria]] || Andrea Pfeiffer || 18 || [[Graz]] |- | {{flagicon|BAH}} [[Miss Bahamas|Bahamas]] || Tarnia Newton || 19 || [[New Providence]] |- | {{flagicon|BEL}} [[Miss Belgium|Belgium]] || [[Anke Van dermeersch]] || 19 || [[Antwerp]] |- | {{flagicon|BIZ}} [[Miss Belize|Belize]] || Josephine Gault || 21 || [[Belize City]] |- | {{flagicon|BOL}} [[Miss Bolivia|Bolivia]] || Mónica Gamarra || 20 || [[Cochabamba]] |- | {{flagicon|BRA|1968}} [[Miss Brazil World|Brazil]] || Cátia Silene Kupssinskü || 20 || [[São Paulo]] |- |{{flagicon|IVB}} [[Miss British Virgin Islands|British Virgin Islands]] || Marjorie Penn || 18 || [[Tortola]] |- |{{flagicon|BUL}} [[Miss World Bulgaria|Bulgaria]] || Liubomira Slavcheva || 17 || [[Sofia]] |- | {{flagicon|CAY|old}} [[Miss Cayman Islands|Cayman Islands]] || Yvette Peggy Jordison || 19 || [[Grand Cayman]] |- | {{flagicon|CHI}} [[Miss World Chile|Chile]] || Carolina Michelson || 23 || [[Santiago]] |- | {{flagicon|COL}} [[Señorita Colombia|Colombia]] || Adriana Rodríguez || 20 || [[Bogotá]] |- | {{flagicon|CRC|state}} [[Reinas de Costa Rica|Costa Rica]] || Eugenie Jiménez || 20 || [[San Francisco de Heredia]] |- | {{flagicon|CUR}} [[Señorita Curaçao|Curaçao]] || Nashaira Desbarida || 23 || [[Willemstad]] |- | {{flagicon|CYP|1960}} [[Miss Cyprus|Cyprus]] || Anna Margaret Stephanou || 18 || [[Nicosia]] |- | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Miss Czechoslovakia|Czechoslovakia]] || Andrea Tatarkova || 20 || [[Košice]] |- | {{flagicon|DEN}} [[Miss Denmark|Denmark]] || Sharon Givskav || 17 || [[Copenhagen]] |- | {{flagicon|DOM}} [[Miss Dominican Republic|Dominican Republic]] || Rosanna Rodríguez || 21 || [[Concepción de La Vega]] |- | {{flagicon|ECU}} [[Miss Ecuador|Ecuador]] || Sueanny Bejarano || 20 || [[Guayaquil]] |- | {{flagicon|ESA}} [[Reinado de El Salvador|El Salvador]] || Lucía Beatriz López || 22 || [[San Salvador]] |- | {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Miss Finland|Finland]] || Nina Autio || 20 || [[Tampere]] |- | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Miss France|France]] || [[Mareva Georges]] || 22 || [[Punaauia]] |- | {{flagicon|GER}} [[Miss World Germany|Germany]] || Susanne Petry || 18 || [[Saarbrücken]] |- | {{flagicon|GHA}} [[Miss Ghana|Ghana]] || Jamilla Danzuru || 23 || [[Accra]] |- | {{flagicon|GIB}} [[Miss Gibraltar|Gibraltar]] || Ornella Costa || 17 || [[Gibraltar]] |- |{{flagicon|GRE}} [[Star Hellas|Greece]] || Miriam Panagos || 20 || [[Athens]] |- |{{flagicon|GRL}} [[Miss Greenland|Greenland]] || Bibiane Holm || 18 || [[Nuuk]] |- | {{flagicon|GUM}} [[Miss World Guam|Guam]] || Yvonne Limtiaco Speight || 19 || [[Asan]] |- | {{flagicon|GUA}} [[Miss Guatemala|Guatemala]] || Marlyn Magaña || 20 || [[Guatemala City]] |- | {{flagicon|NED}} [[Miss Nederland|Holland]] || Linda Egging || 21 || [[Stramproy]] |- | {{flagicon|HON|1949}} [[Miss Honduras|Honduras]] || Arlene Rauscher || 19 || [[Tegucigalpa]] |- | {{flagicon|HUN}} [[Miss Hungary|Hungary]] || Orsolya Michina || 19 || [[Budapest]] |- | {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Miss Iceland|Iceland]] || Svava Haraldsdóttir || 19 || [[Reykjavík]] |- | {{flagicon|IND}} [[Femina Miss India|India]] || Ritu Singh || 20 || [[Delhi|New Delhi]] |- | {{flagicon|IRL}} [[Miss Ireland|Ireland]] || [[Amanda Brunker]] || 18 || [[Dublin]] |- | {{flagdeco|ISR}} [[Miss Israel|Israel]] || Li'at Ditkovsky || 19 || [[Nordia]] |- | {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Miss World Italy|Italy]] || Sabina Pellati || 19 || [[Reggio Emilia]] |- | {{flagicon|JAM}} [[Miss Jamaica World|Jamaica]] || Sandra Foster || 21 || [[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]] |- | {{flagicon|JPN|1947}} [[Miss World Japan|Japan]] || Junko Tsuda || 21 || [[Tokyo]] |- | {{flagicon|KEN}} [[Miss World Kenya|Kenya]] || N'kirote M'mbijjiwe || 21 || [[Meru, Kenya|Meru]] |- | {{flagicon|LAT}} [[Miss Latvia|Latvia]] || [[Inese Šlesere]]<ref>{{Cite news|date=21 April 2018|last=Tiļļa|first=Andris|title=30 gadi kopš skaistumkonkursā "Mis Rīga". Latvijas šovbiznesa balvas, skandāli, izaicinājumi, etaloni|trans-title=30 years since the beauty contest "Miss Riga". Latvian show business awards, scandals, challenges, benchmarks|url=https://www.la.lv/skaistums-uz-izkersanu|access-date=23 April 2025|website=LA.LV|language=Latvian|archive-date=1 April 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250401173245/https://www.la.lv/skaistums-uz-izkersanu|url-status=live}}</ref> || 19 || [[Riga]] |- | {{flagicon|LIB}} [[Miss Lebanon|Lebanon]] || Diana Begdache || 20 || [[Beirut]] |- | {{flagicon|MAC|municipal}} [[Miss Macau|Macau]] || Cristina Guilherme Lam || 20 || [[Macau]] |- | {{flagicon|MAS}} [[Miss World Malaysia|Malaysia]] || [[Samantha Schubert]] || 22 || [[Kuala Lumpur]] |- | {{flagicon|MLT}} [[Miss World Malta|Malta]] || Romina Genuis || 18 || [[Gżira]] |- | {{flagicon|MRI}} [[Miss Mauritius|Mauritius]] || Marie Geraldine Deville || 18 || [[Centre de Flacq]] |- | {{flagicon|MEX}} [[Miss Mexico Organization|Mexico]] || María Cristina Urrutia || 19 || [[Mexico City]] |- | {{flagicon|NAM}} [[Miss Namibia|Namibia]] || [[Michelle McLean]] || 19 || [[Windhoek]] |- | {{flagicon|NZL}} [[New Zealand at Miss World|New Zealand]] || Lisa de Montalk<ref>{{cite news |title=Miss NZ struggles to find wardrobe |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/press/1991/10/19/7 |work=[[The Press]] |page=7 |access-date=3 January 2026 |date=19 October 1991 |location=[[Christchurch]], New Zealand |via=[[National Library of New Zealand#Papers Past|Papers Past]]}}</ref> || 21 || [[Taupō]] |- |{{flagicon|NGR}} [[Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria|Nigeria]] || [[Nike Oshinowo|Adenike "Nike" Oshinowo]] || 24 || [[Lagos]] |- | {{flagicon|NOR}} [[Norway at Miss World|Norway]] || Anne-Britt Røvik || 18 || [[Molde]] |- | {{flagicon|PAN}} [[Señorita Panamá|Panama]] || Malena Betancourt || 19 || [[Panama City]] |- | {{flagicon|PAR|1990}} [[Miss Paraguay|Paraguay]] || [[Vivian Benítez]] || 21 || [[Asunción]] |- | {{flagicon|PHI|1986}} [[Mutya ng Pilipinas|Philippines]] || Gemith Gemparo || 20 || [[Manila]] |- | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Miss Polski|Poland]] || Karina Wojciechowska || 19 || [[Katowice]] |- | {{flagicon|POR}} [[Miss República Portuguesa|Portugal]] || Maria do Carmo Ramalho || 20 || [[Lisbon]] |- | {{flagicon|PUR}} [[Miss World Puerto Rico|Puerto Rico]] || Johanna Irizarry || 20 || [[Lajas, Puerto Rico|Lajas]] |- | {{flagicon|ROM}} [[List of Romania representatives at international beauty pageants|Romania]] || Gabriela Dragomirescu || 20 || [[Bucharest]] |- | {{flagicon|SIN}} [[Miss Singapore World|Singapore]] || Jasheen Jayakody || 18 || [[Singapore]] |- | {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} [[Miss South Africa|South Africa]] || Diana Tilden-Davis || 22 || [[Johannesburg]] |- | {{flagicon|KOR}} [[Miss Korea|South Korea]]{{Efn|Competed as Korea in the pageant}} || Kim Tae-hwa || 20 || [[Busan]] |- | {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Miss Spain|Spain]] || Catia Moreno || 20 || [[Tenerife]] |- | {{flagdeco|SWZ}} [[Miss Swaziland|Swaziland]] || Jackie Bennett || 20 || [[Manzini, Eswatini|Manzini]] |- | {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Miss Sweden|Sweden]] || Catrin Olsson || 23 || [[Kungsbacka]] |- | {{flagdeco|SUI}} [[Miss Switzerland|Switzerland]] || Sandra Aegerter || 22 || [[Stein, Aargau|Aargau]] |- | {{flagicon|TWN}} [[Miss Taiwan|Taiwan]]{{Efn|Also known as the [[Republic of China]] and competed as [[Chinese Taipei]] in the pageant}} || Rebecca Lin || 23 || [[Taipei]] |- | {{flagdeco|THA}} [[Miss Thailand World|Thailand]] || Rewadee Malaisee || 21 || [[Bangkok]] |- | {{flagicon|TRI}} [[Miss Trinidad and Tobago|Trinidad and Tobago]] || Sastee Bachan || 21 || [[Port of Spain]] |- | {{flagicon|TUR}} [[Miss Turkey|Turkey]] || [[Aslıhan Koruyan Sabancı|Aslıhan Koruyan]] || 19 || [[Istanbul]] |- | {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Miss United Kingdom|United Kingdom]] || Joanne Elizabeth Lewis || 21 || [[Mansfield]] |- | {{flagicon|USA}} [[United States representatives at Miss World|United States]] || [[Charlotte Ray]] || 25 || [[Voorhees, New Jersey|Voorhees]] |- |{{flagicon|ISV}} [[Miss US Virgin Islands|United States Virgin Islands]] || Cheryl Leiba Milligan || 20 || [[Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands|St. Croix]] |- | {{flagicon|URU}} [[Miss Uruguay|Uruguay]] || Andrea Regina Gorrochategui || 23 || [[Montevideo]] |- | {{flagicon|VEN|1954}} [[Miss Venezuela|Venezuela]] || [[Ninibeth Leal]]<ref name="google.com" /> || 20 || [[Maracaibo]] |- | {{flagicon|SFR Yugoslavia}} [[Miss Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] || Slavica Tripunović || 20 || [[Vukovar]] |}

== Notes == {{notelist}}

===Replacements=== * '''{{flagu|Taiwan}}''' – Lu Shu-Fang

===Other notes=== * '''{{flagu|Namibia}}'''– [[Michelle McLean]] eventually competed in [[Miss Universe]] four months after she placed in the top five in Miss World 1991. She emerged victorious of the former pageant, thus making her the first Namibian to claim the Miss Universe crown.

== References == {{reflist}}

{{Miss World}} {{Miss World 1991 delegates}}

[[Category:Miss World]] [[Category:1991 in the United States]] [[Category:1991 beauty pageants]] [[Category:Beauty pageants in the United States]] [[Category:1991 in Georgia (U.S. state)]] [[Category:December 1991 in the United States]]