Miss Universe 1955 Hillevi Rombin, 21, of Sweden will crown her successor at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, United States on July 20, 1956. It is the fifth edition of the international beauty pageant organized by Catalina Swimwear manufacturer Pacific Knitting Mills, which is based in California.

Originally, Edith Noble Nakpil was the representative of the Philippines but she was replaced by Isabel Escobar Rodriguez. Mirva Orvokki Arvinen was supposed to represent Finland but she withdrew from the competition.

Including Rodriguez, 30 women are competing for the Miss Universe 1956 title. Here is the list of candidates:

1. Barbara Maria Sellar (Alaska)
2. Ileana Carré (Argentina)
3. Lucienne Auquier (Belgium)
4. Maria José Cardoso (Brazil)
5. Rosalind Iva Joan Fung (British Guiana)
6. Elaine Evelyn Bishenden (Canada)
7. Concepción Obach Chacana (Chile)
8. Anabella Granados (Costa Rica)
9. Marcia Rodríguez Echevarría (Cuba)
10. Olga Fernánda Fiallo Oliva de los Rosario (Dominican Republic)
11. Maria Mercedes Flores Espín (Ecuador)
12. Iris Alice Kathleen Waller (England)
13. Anita Treyens (France)
14. Marina Orschel (Germany)
15. Rita Gouma (Greece)
16. Ileana Garlinger Díaz (Guatemala)
17. Rita Schmidt (Holland)
18. Guðlaug Guðmundsdóttir (Iceland)
19. Sara Tal (Israel)
20. Rossana Galli (Italy)
21. Yoshie Baba (Japan)
22. Erna Marta Bauman (Mexico)
23. Lola Sabogal Morzán (Peru)
24. Isabel Escobar Rodriguez (Philippines)
25. Paquita Vivo (Puerto Rico)
26. Ingrid Goude (Sweden)
27. Can Uysaloglu (Turkey)
28. Titina Aguirre (Uruguay)
29. Carol Laverne Morris (USA)
30. Blanca Heredia Osío (Venezuela)