The 1981 World Figure Skating Championships was the 71st edition of World Figure Skating Championship, held in Hartford, Connecticut, United States from March 3 to 8.

At the event, sanctioned by the International Skating Union, medals were awarded in men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.

For the singles events, the short program was worth 20% and the free skating 50% while the value of compulsory figures was reduced to 30% of the final result.

The rank in each category was multiplied with a factor and these three numbers were added to the total score.

The factor for the compulsory figures was 0.6, for the short program 0.4 and for the free skating 1.0.