← → The following lists events that happened during 1881 in Australia.

[1] This was part of a census of the British Empire.

[2] Northern Territory was counted within South Australia (286,211) and was 3,451 plus 6,346 Aboriginals in settled districts.

The population of Western Australia did not include full-blood Aborigines.

[2] The population of greater Melbourne was 282,947 and of Sydney was 224,939.