[7][8] It was announced November 3, 2016, that the Philippines would host the pageant,[2] at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay on January 30, 2017.

[26] The 2016 edition saw the debut of Sierra Leone[27] and the returns of Barbados, Belize, Guam, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malta, Namibia, Romania, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, and the United States Virgin Islands.

El Salvador, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, Ireland, Lebanon, Montenegro, and Serbia withdrew.

Adela Zoranic of Montenegro and Bojana Bojanic of Serbia withdrew from the competition due to unknown reasons.

[29][30] El Salvador, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, Ireland, and Lebanon withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.

§ – Voted in the Top 13 by viewers The Miss Universe Organization introduced several specific changes to the format for this edition.

The results of the preliminary competition— which consisted of the swimsuit and evening gown competition, and the closed-door interview, determined the twelve semifinalists.