The 1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Madrid, Spain, at the Hipódromo de la Zarzuela on March 28, 1981.

A report on the event was given in the Glasgow Herald.

[1] Complete results for men,[2] junior men,[3] women,[4] medallists, [5] and the results of British athletes[6] were published.

An unofficial count yields the participation of 460 athletes from 39 countries.

This is in agreement with the official numbers as published.