Grand Slam Ranking and Country of the Year 1955
The Top 10 ranked nations in the Grand Slam by the end of 1955.
Remaining Countries and Territorries: 10- Denmark; 11- Ceylon; 12-Hong Kong; 13- Switzerland; 14- England / UK; 15- Brazil; 16- Australia; 17- Mexico; 18- Uruguay; 19- Norway; 20- Hawaii and El Salvador; 22- Austria; 23- Israel; 24- South Africa; 25- Cuba; 26- Italy; 27- Canada; 28- Peru and Panama; 30- Argentina; 31- Belgium; 32- Turkey and Philippines; 34- Chile and Honduras; 36- Costa Rica; 37- Guatemala; 38- Netherlands; 39- Ireland, Alaska, and Puerto Rico; 42- Iceland, Korea, New Zealand, West Indies, and Monaco; 47- India, Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, Ecuador, Singapore, Nicaragua, and Thailand.
SWEDEN LEADS THE GRAND SLAM RANKING AGAIN!
In just five years, Sweden already had two Miss World winners, and now, it also has a Miss Universe! It means that it´s not a surprise to see the Swedish back on top, after two years behind France, who´s now 2nd. Greece, up two notches from 1954, is now 5th, while Egypt, though losing one spot and now 6th, manages to remain the most successful African nation up to this point. Venezuela enters the Top 10 for the first time and it is the only country from Latin America in this select group. Ceylon (9th), the country you know as Sri Lanka nowadays, overtakes Hong Kong (10th), and becomes Asia´s top force in the continent.
Miss World Ranking in 1955 (Top 10) - 1) Sweden; 2) France; 3) Egypt; 4) Greece; 5) United States; 6) Venezuela; 7) Switzerland; 8) Germany; 9) UK; 10) Finland.
Miss Universe Ranking in 1955 (Top 10) - 1) USA; 2) Sweden; 3) France; 4) Germany; 5) Finland; 6) Hong Kong; 7) Japan; 8) Brazil; 9) Greece; 10) Mexico.
COUNTRY OF THE YEAR 1955: SWEDEN DOES IT AGAIN!
Anita (left), ranked 5th in Miss World 1955, while Hillevi was the winner in Miss Universe.
Sweden's extraordinary showing in pageants in the 1950's continued in 1955. Hillevi Rombin was elected Miss Universe in Long Beach, while in London, Anita Åstrand ranked 5th in Miss World. It was enough for this Scandinavian nation to be named Country of the Year for the second time in five years.
In 2nd place in the annual dispute was Venezuela. After being a Top 15 semi-finalist in Miss Universe, Carmen Susana Duijm would succeed in London, becoming her country's and Latin America's first Miss World and Grand Slam winner. After that, Venezuela would still wait for two decades until it really took off as a major pageant powerhouse, which means that Carmen's phenomenal 1955 performance served as an "appetizer" for what was still to come in the future!
The USA was the 3rd most successful country of 1955.