The 2019 edition saw the debuts of Bangladesh and Equatorial Guinea and the returns of Lithuania, Romania, Sierra Leone and Tanzania. Lithuania last competed in 2014, Sierra Leone in 2016, and the others in 2017. Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Russia, Sri Lanka, Switzerland and Zambia withdrew. Before the pageant, the Miss Universe Ghana organization was suspended temporarily and will resume operations in 2020. Erika Kolani of Greece was unable to compete for undisclosed reasons. Lebanon withdrew from the competition after the Miss Lebanon 2019 competition was continuously postponed and ultimately canceled due to the 2019–20 Lebanese protests. Alina Sanko, Miss Russia 2019, was originally going to be sent to both Miss Universe and Miss World 2019, but was unable to do so due to overlapping dates. The Miss Russia organization was unable to finalize replacement plans for Miss Universe due to the length of time it took for the Miss Universe Organization to publish details about its date and venue, making it difficult for the Russian entrant to receive an American visa. However, Sanko competed in Miss Universe the following year. Zambia withdrew from the competition after Didia Mukwala, Miss Universe Zambia 2019, and the Miss Universe Zambia organization failed to book Mukwala's trip to Atlanta due to the Miss Universe Zambia organization's financial situation. Guatemala, Hungary, Sri Lanka, and Switzerland withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.
