Catriona Gray from the Philippines has crowned Miss Universe on Monday, the fourth time the Southeast Asian country has won the international beauty pageant.

Axar.az reports that Gray, a 24-year-old Filipino-Australian model, won the title in the Thai capital Bangkok where the pageant included for the first time a transgender contestant.

"My heart is filled with so much gratitude. There were moments of doubt where I felt overwhelmed and I felt the pressure," said Gray, who wore a red and orange dress that was inspired by Mount Mayon, a volcano that erupted this year.

After she was crowned, Gray told reporters the question was "definitely relevant" and "an active topic", in an apparent reference to the war on drugs in the Philippines that has killed thousands of Filipinos and caused international alarm.