Which country did the first Miss World winner, Kiki Håkansson, represent in 1951? She represented Sweden.
Kerstin Margareta “Kiki” Håkansson won the first Miss World pageant at London’s Lyceum Ballroom on July 27, 1951. She had already been crowned Miss Sweden World before traveling to Britain for the contest.
The event was originally organized by Eric Morley as the Festival Bikini Contest, connected with the Festival of Britain. Twenty-seven contestants from seven countries took part, and Håkansson became Sweden’s first Miss World winner.
Her victory is also linked to pageant history because she was crowned wearing a bikini. Religious leaders and some participating countries criticized the choice, and bikinis were replaced with more modest swimwear at the 1952 contest. This makes Sweden easy to confuse with neighboring Scandinavian options such as Finland, Denmark, or Norway, but Håkansson’s title was Swedish.