Miss World 1981, the 31st edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 12 November 1981 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, United Kingdom. The winner was Pilín León of Venezuela, the country's first Miss World since 1955. She was crowned by Miss World 1980, Kimberley Santos of Guam. The Continental Queens of Beauty were awarded for the first time. The edition featured 67 contestants, with returns from Suriname (last competed in 1966), Chile, El Salvador, French Polynesia (as Tahiti), and Iceland (last competed in 1979), while Mauritius, Panama, Paraguay, Swaziland, and the United States Virgin Islands withdrew.