[2] Pascale Taurua was originally crowned as Miss France 1978 and was to compete internationally.

[5] Malek Nemlaghi of Tunisia was initially disqualified after refusing to remove her yashmak and wear boxer shorts for the official photo-call.

[7][8] The 1978 edition saw the debuts of Dominica and Saint Vincent and the returns of India, Italy, Jamaica, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nigeria, Philippines, Singapore, Swaziland, Tunisia, and the Virgin Islands.

Bolivia, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Nicaragua, Panama, Papua New Guinea, and South Africa withdrew in this edition.

Angelyn Tukana of Papua New Guinea withdrew due to lack of funding.