70th Miss World: meet the Top 40 quarter-finalists
The official announcement of the Top 40 quarter-finalists who remain in the competition at the 70th Miss World contest happened on January 21st, on the social media of the international competition. Only the 40 announced women will return to Puerto Rico in March to be on stage at Miss World´s final event.
The 70th Miss World will be crowned on March 16th, at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, in San Juan.
Initially, the final world telecast was scheduled to happen on December 16th. The Miss World organizers decided to postpone it when several candidates and staff members were infected with the omicron Covid-19 variant, as Puerto Rico was hit by a wave that gained intensity in most parts of the globe last December..
The final event will showcase images of all 97 participants and the several activities they took part in during the month-long festival held in Puerto Rico.
Julia Morley, CEO of the Miss World Organization, thanked the 97 contestants for having contributed so much with this year´s special edition, not only the festival´s 70th edition but also the first edition since 2019 and the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The current Miss World is Jamaica´s Toni-Ann Singh, who now holds the longest reigning by a Miss World.
Meet the 40 quarter-finalists and discover some trivia information about each, in addition to statistics on their countries´ participation in Miss World over the last 7 decades:
Argentina
Amira Hidalgo
Debut: 1959
Best placement: 2 Winners (1960 and 78)
Placements: 14
Previous placement: 2017
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 20%
Amina is a journalist who´s been working as a news anchor for the last 5 years in her country. She won her national pageant in a contest conducted 100% online! She advances to the quarter-finals as a judges´ choice.
Bahamas
Sienna Evans
Debut: 1966
Best placement: semi-finalist
Placements: 3
Previous placement: 2010
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 10%
Having completed her studies in Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Sienna is the CEO of a network of bio-medical laboratories that provide Covid-19 tests. She also sits on the Board of the National Brain Injury Foundation in the Bahamas. She advances to the quarter-finals as a judges´ choice.
Botswana
Palesa Mofele
Debut: 1972
Best placement: 2nd (2010)
Placements: 4
Previous placement: 2017
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 30%
Palesa is an actress, writer, and producer who has created her own NGO agency - the Botswana United Artists, which supports local artists and discusses mental health issues. She advances to the quarter-finals as a head-to-head challenge winner.
Brazil
Caroline Teixeira
Debut: 1958
Best placement: Winner (1971)
Previous placement: 2019
Placements: 28
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 90%
Caroline is a Law graduate from Brasília who has played basketball in the United States and with her national team. Miss Brazil is an ambassador for the fight against Hansen´s Disease who has launched the worldwide campaign “Don´t Forget Hansen´s Disease”. She advances to the quarter-finals as a judges´ choice.
Cameroon
Audrey Monkam
Debut: 2013
Best placement: TBA on March 16th
Previous placement: none
Placements: 1
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 10%
Audrey has a degree in Banking and Finance and is currently working as a model. Miss World Cameroon would one day like to own her own cosmetic or clothing line. She advances to the quarter-finals as a head-to-head winner.
Canada
Svetlana Mamaeva
Debut: 1957
Best placement: 2nd (1983, 89, 2003)
Previous placement: 2013
Placements: 15
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 30%
For her Beauty with a Purpose project, Miss World Canada, Svetlana Mamaeva, has created a free financial education program aimed at empowering women. She advances to the quarter-finals as a judges´ choice.
Chile
Carol Drpic
Debut: 1963
Best placement: semi-finalist
Previous placement: 2018
Placements: 6
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 30%
Carol is a 4th-year student at Kinesiology University and a ballet dancer, having danced since the age of five. She comes from Patagonia. Miss World Chile advances to the quarter-finals as a judges´ choice.
China
Jiang Siqi
Debut: 1994
Best placement: 2 Winners (2007 and 12)
Previous placement: 2019
Placements: 14
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 80%
An actress and model, Jiang Siqi is currently one of the hot faces on China´s TikTok, with more than 13 million followers. She advances to the quarter-finals as a judges´ choice.
Colombia
Andrea Aguilera
Debut: 1963
Best placement: 2nd (1981, 83, 1996 and 2002)
Previous placement: 2017
Placements: 16
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 30%
A professional model and presenter, Andrea Aguilera hails from Medellin, Antioquia. Miss World Colombia has a diploma in neuro-linguistic programming and is a trained vocalist. She advances to the quarter-finals as a judges´ choice.
Côte d´Ivoire
Olivia Yacé
Debut: 1985
Best placement: TBA on March 16th
Previous placement: none
Placements: 1
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 10%
Olivia has a degree in Marketing and Management and would like to continue her studies with a Masters Degree. She enjoys singing, dancing, and traveling. She is the first woman from Côte d´Ivoire to advance to the quarter-finals of Miss World after a record-breaking three fast-track events victories: head-to-head, Top Model, and Social Media!
Czech Republic
Karolina Kopincova
Debut: 1967 (as Czechoslovakia, until 1992)
Best placement: Winner (2006)
Previous placement: 2006
Placements: 6
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 10%
Karolina hails from Vrbno pod Pradědem and is a student of Media Communication at Masaryk University. Miss World Czech Republic believes that her duties as a national titleholder will help her to succeed even further in her future career in journalism. She advances to the quarter-finals as a judges´ choice.
Dominican Republic
Emmy Pena
Debut: 1966
Best placement: Winner (1982)
Previous placement: 2017
Placements: 13
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 60%
Emmy hails from Duarte and currently works as a model at EMG Models, in New York, United States. Miss World Dominican Republic has played Camila in the Spanish film “Donde Quiera Que Vayas” (Wherever You Go), which was filmed in New York and released in 2016. She advances to the quarter-finals as a judges´ choice.
Ecuador
Amar Pacheco
Debut: 1960
Best placement: 6th (1986)
Previous placement: 2015
Placements: 5
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 20%
Amar is the daughter of the singer Silvana Ibarra and the renowned musician Gustavo Pacheco. She has been singing since she was two years old and her voice was her best asset during the talent test of the “Reina de Guayaquil “ traditional contest, in which she performed songs by the late artist Whitney Houston and Silvana. She advances to the quarter-finals as a judges´ choice.
England
Rehema Muthamia
Debut: 1951 (Great Britain from 1952 to 57;
UK from 1958 to 99; England since 2000)
Best placement: 4 Winners (1961, 64, 65, 83.
The 1974 original winner stepped down)
Previous placement: 2019
Placements: 44
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 70%
Muthamia studied at the University of Sussex, graduating in 2020 with an integrated Master in Science (MSci) degree in Genetics. She is British, with Kenyan heritage, having spent part of her childhood in Kenya. She advances to the quarter-finals as a Beauty With a Purpose finalist.
France
April Benayoum
Debut: 1951
Best placement: Winner (1953)
Previous placement: 2019
Placements: 30
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 70%
April Benayoum, Miss Provence and vice-Miss France 2021, has been subjected to a torrent of anti-Semitic abuse on social media, prompting outrage and a police investigation. It happened after she revealed her Israeli origins in an interview at the event. April is a model and a student who completed her bachelor’s in Business. She advances to the quarter-finals as a judges´ choice.
Guinea
Nene Bah
Debut: 2013
Best placement: undefined
Previous placement: none
Placements: none
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 10%
Nene Bah has raised awareness campaigns against genital mutilation and violence against women, in addition to continuing working to provide help to disadvantaged children. Guinea started competing in Miss World only in 2013 and Nene is the first Guinean representative to place in the competition. She advances as a quarter-finalist as a judges´ choice.
Hungary
Lili Totpeti
Debut: 1989
Best placement: 2nd (2014)
Previous placement: 2016
Placements: 4
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 40%
Lili Totpeti is a student at the Budapest Business School. Her hobby is horseback riding, and she likes to spend her free time in contact with nature. She advances to the quarter-finals as a judges´ choice.
Iceland
Hugrún Birta Egilsdóttir
Debut: 1955
Best placement: 3 Winners (1985, 88, 2005)
Previous placement: 2008
Placements: 8
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 10%
Also a candidate and a quarter-finalist in Miss Supranational 2019, Hugrún Birta Egilsdóttir has done it again for Iceland, advancing to the next round of competition in Miss World 2021. Miss World Iceland is a jiu-jitsu practitioner who hails from Gardabaer. She advances to the quarter-finalists as a judges´ choice.
India
Manasi Varnasi
Debut: 1959
Best placement: 6 Winners (1966, 94, 97, 99, 2000, 17)
Previous placement: 2019
Placements: 29
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 90%
Manasi is an aspiring data scientist and model from Telangana who has worked as a financial information exchange analyst at FactSet Fix Certification Engineers. She advances as a Beauty With a Purpose finalist.
Indonesia
Carla Yules
Debut: 1982
Best placement: 3rd (2015 and 16)
Previous placement: 2019
Placements: 10
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 100%
Carla got her Hospitality and Pastry Cookery in Australia. She believes that cooking, one of her greatest passion, promotes harmony and results in smiles on people´s faces. Indonesia has placed in Miss World a total of 10 times, all in the last 10 years! She advances as a judges´ choice.
Ireland
Pamela Uba
Debut: 1952
Best placement: Winner (2003)
Previous placement: 2010
Placements: 17
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 10%
Pamela is a part-time model, and a medical scientist who has become the first black woman to be crowned Miss Ireland since the event was established, in 1947. Uba, originally from South Africa, moved to Ireland with her family when she was 8 years old. At the time, they were seeking asylum from their home city of Johannesburg. She advances to the quarter-finals as a judges´ choice.
Kenya
Sharon Obara
Debut: 1960
Best placement: Top 5 (2016 and 17)
Previous placement: 2019
Placements: 10
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 60%
Obara is a Kenyan special education professional and a model. She advances to the quarter-finals as a Beauty With a Purpose finalist.
Madagascar
Nellie Anjaratiana
Debut: 1960
Best placement: TBA on March 16th
Previous placement: none
Placements: 1
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 10%
After studying Science and Customer Relations, Nellie is currently working in the insurance sector, hoping to eventually move to the health sector. She was a Beauty With a Purpose semi-finalist and advanced to the quarter-finals as a judges´ choice. It´s the first time Madagascar placed in Miss World.
Malaysia
Lavanya Sivaji
Debut: 1963
Best placement: 3rd (1998)
Previous placement: 2019
Placements: 10
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 40%
Lavanya is a doctor and a Selangor native. After graduating from Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia, Sivaji completed her training at Hospital Angkatan Tentera Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin. She has also participated in a health initiative by NGO Doctors On Ground, where she conducted health checkups on Rohingya refugees in Selayang. She advances to the quarter-finals as a judges´ choice.
Mexico
Karolina Vidales
Debut: 1951
Best placement: Winner (2018)
Previous placement: 2019
Placements: 19
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 60%
Karolina holds a degree in International Relations and is a fluent speaker of English, French, and German. Miss Mexico has also completed her further studies in Business Administration at the Hochschule Osnabruck University, in Germany. She advances to the quarter-finals as the Sports´ Challenge winner.
Mongolia
Burte-Ujin Anu
Debut: 2005
Best placement: semi-finalist
Previous placement: 2019
Placements: 5
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 40%
At the age of eight, Burte-Ujin Anu performed as a contortionist in several cities in Germany. Her talent was good enough to take her to the quarter-finals of Miss World 2021, as the Talent Competition winner.
Nepal
Namrata Shrestha
Debut: 1997
Best placement: semi-finalist
Previous placement: 2019
Placements: 6
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 60%
Hailing from Kathmandu, Namrata has a degree in Sociology and is a certified kindergarten teacher. Besides she has been studying to get a Master’s degree in Sociology. She advances as head-to-head challenge winner.
Nicaragua
Sheynnis Palacios
Debut: 1960
Best placement: 4th (2001)
Previous placement: 2001
Placements: 3
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 10%
Palacios was born in Managua, Nicaragua. She studied at the Universidad Centroamericana and pursued a degree in Mass Communication. She has also played volleyball for the university. Miss World Nicaragua advances to the quarter-finals as a Head-to-Head Challenge winner.
Northern Ireland
Anna Leitch
Debut: 2000
Best placement: semi-finalist
Previous placement: 2018
Placements: 7
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 40%
Anna is a full-time teacher and model from Cookstown. Miss Northern Ireland has done charitable work at the Northern Ireland Hospice and has become an Ambassador for the children’s hospice. She advances as a quarter-finalist as a judges´ choice.
Paraguay
Bethania Borba
Debut: 1959
Best placement: semi-finalist
Previous placement: 2019
Placements: 5
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 30%
Bethania is a Marketing student who´s among the youngest contestants in this years´ pageant: she´s 18. Miss World Paraguay has advanced to the quarter-finals as a Head-to-Head challenge winner.
Philippines
Tracy Maureen Perez
Debut: 1966
Best placement: Winner (2013)
Previous placement: 2019
Placements: 21
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 90%
Tracy is a model and industrial engineer from Cebu City. Miss World Philippines is the daughter of a beauty queen - a Binibining Pilipinas 1979 candidate named Chona Asibal Perez. She advances to the quarter-finals as a Head-to-Head challenge winner.
Poland
Karolina Bielawska
Debut: 1983
Best placement: Winner (1989)
Previous placement: 2019
Placements: 11
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 40%
Karolina hails from Łódź, where she still lives and studies Management in English, at Łódź University of Technology. She also works as a model and is a full-time volunteer engaged in a variety of charitable events. Miss World Poland has advanced to the quarter-finals as a judges´ choice.
Puerto Rico
Aryam Diaz
Debut: 1959
Best placement: 2 Winners (1975 and 2016)
Previous placement: 2019
Placements: 17
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 50%
The host delegate for the 70th Miss World edition, Aryam is a television host and model from the city of Naranjito. When a teenager, she won a teen international beauty contest in Brazil. She advances to the quarter-finals as a judges´ choice.
Somalia
Khadija Omar
Debut: 2021
Best placement: undefined
Previous placement: first participation
Placements: 1
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 10%
Khadija Omar made headlines by becoming the first woman wearing hijab to compete in Miss World, as well as being the first Somalian representative at the prestigious Grand Slam pageant. As a child, she grew up in a refugee camp in Nairobi, Kenya, before emigrating to Canada. Today she studies Psychology. Miss World Somalia advanced to the quarter-finals (also a first for Somalia in Miss World and in Grand Slam pageants) as a judges´ choice.
South Africa
Shudufhadzo Musida
Debut: 1956
Best placement: 3 Winner (1958, 1974*, 2014)
* originally the 1st runner-up, became Miss World
after the winner, from the UK, abdicated.
Previous placement: 2019
Placements: 36
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 70%
Shudufhadzo is the first Miss South Africa winner from the province of Limpopo and whose first language is Tshivenda (Venda). The South African representative is a dedicated advocate and spokeswoman for mental health awareness and empowering women and children. She advances to the quarter-finals as a Beauty With a Purpose finalist.
Sri Lanka
Sade Greenwood
Debut: 1953
*Ceylon until 1971
Best placement: 4th (1953, as Miss Ceylon)
Previous placement: 1978
Placements: 5
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 10%
Sade, the first woman from Sri Lanka to advance in the Miss World competition in 43 years, is an animal activist who took part in an Animal Rights Silent Protest for the government to pass the Animal Welfare Bill. She advances to the quarter-finals as a judges´ choice.
Trinidad and Tobago
Jeanine Brandt
Debut: 1966
Best placement: Winner (1986)
Previous placement: 2019
Placements: 14
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 40%
With a degree in Business Management, Jeanine is the lead make-up artist and beauty consultant in her own beauty clinic. She wants to expand her business to include holistic health, including meditation and yoga. She advances to the quarter-finals as a judges´ choice.
United States
Shree Saini
Debut: 1951
Best placement: 3 Winners (1973, 90 and 2010)
Previous placement: 2019
Placements: 50
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 80%
Shree is the first Indian-American to represent the United States in Miss World. A true survivor, she has overcome a serious heart condition and suffering facial burns from a car accident. Miss World USA advances to the quarter-finals as a Beauty With a Purpose finalist.
Venezuela
Alejandra Conde
Debut: 1955
Best placement: 6 Winners (1955, 81, 84, 91, 95, 2011)
Previous placement: 2019
Placements: 34
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 50%
Alejandra is a tv host and model from Cagua, Aragua, who is currently studying Medicine at the Central University of Venezuela. She advances to the quarter-finals as a Head-to-Head Challenge winner.
Vietnam
Đỗ Thị Hà
Debut: 2002
Best placement: semi-finalist
Previous placement: 2018
Placements: 9
Last 10 editions´ placement rate: 50%
Đỗ Thị Hà was born in Cầu Village, Thanh Hóa Province. She is currently studying Business Marketing at the National Economics University, in Hanoi, and works as a part-time model. She advances to the quarter-finals as a judges´ choice.
GB comment: In overall terms, it´s a very good and fair list. Nonetheless, we miss a few names who we thought were shoo-ins, such as Costa Rica, Tamara Dal Maso, Estonia, Karolin Kippasto, Guadeloupe, Prescilla Larose, Guinea-Bissau, Itchacénia Da Costa, Italy, Claudia Motta, Jamaica, Tamaki Hoshi, Japan, Tamaki Hoshi (we honestly thought she was fighting for the title!), Peru, Paula Montes, Scotland, Claudia Todd, Slovakia, Leona Novoberdaliu, Turkey, Dílara Korkmaz, and Uganda, Elizabeth Bagaya (the face of the competition!). On the other hand, it´s absolutely exciting and refreshing to see African women finally taking center stage in Miss World or in any Grand Slam contest!
Check out the current GB Miss World Ranking (1951-2019):
We congratulate and wish the best of luck to all 40 Miss World quarter-finalists and their countries/territories!