The 68th Miss Universe pageant took place on December 8, 2019, at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. This marked the 68th edition of the competition.
This year marked South Africa's first Miss Universe win.
Seoul, South Korea previously hosted the Miss Universe pageant in 1980.
Leila Lopes from Angola was crowned Miss Universe in 2011, the last time a black woman won the title before Zozibini Tunzi in 2019.
Olivia Culpo was crowned Miss Universe in 2012. She later served as a backstage correspondent for the 2019 pageant.
Lithuania made its last appearance at the Miss Universe pageant in 2014 before returning in 2019.
Vartika Singh represented India at Miss Grand International in 2015.
Chavit Singson, through his company LCS Group, financed the Miss Universe pageant in 2016.
Pia Wurtzbach, Miss Universe 2016, crowned her successor in her home country, the Philippines, setting a precedent for Catriona Gray.
Sierra Leone's last participation in Miss Universe before 2019 was in 2016.
Hoàng Thị Thùy, the first runner-up at Miss Universe Vietnam 2017, was appointed to represent Vietnam in the 2019 Miss Universe pageant.
Lithuania, Romania, and Tanzania last participated in Miss Universe in 2017 before returning in 2019.
South Africa won its second Miss Universe crown this year.
In December 2018, Filipino businessman Chavit Singson suggested Seoul, South Korea as the host city for Miss Universe 2019.
The 2018 Miss Universe pageant saw changes to the format, including the introduction of the opening statement round and the continental format for selecting semifinalists.
Catriona Gray from the Philippines was crowned Miss Universe in 2018, sparking interest in the Philippines to host the following year's pageant.
In April 2019, both the Philippines and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil expressed interest in hosting the Miss Universe competition.
Richelle Singson-Michael confirmed in May 2019 that the Philippines was officially bidding to host the 2019 Miss Universe competition.
Israel showed interest in hosting the Miss Universe competition in August 2019.
The Miss Universe Organization officially announced Atlanta, Georgia as the host city for the 2019 competition in October 2019.
The 68th Miss Universe pageant took place in December 2019 at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Miss Universe Organization confirmed December 8, 2019, as the date for the pageant in Atlanta.
Seoul, South Korea was considered as a potential host city for Miss Universe 2019.
Zozibini Tunzi from South Africa was crowned Miss Universe in 2019, marking South Africa's third win and the first black woman from the country to win the title.
Miss Peru 2019, Anyella Grados, was dethroned after videos of her intoxicated in public surfaced. Kelin Rivera was crowned the new Miss Peru 2019.
Rio de Janeiro was set to be declared the World Capital of Architecture in 2020, prompting them to seek opportunities to host international events like Miss Universe.
The Miss Universe Ghana organization, suspended before the 2019 pageant, resumed operations in 2020.
Israel eventually went on to host the Miss Universe competition in Eilat in 2021.