| 1981 Asian Championships | |
|---|---|
 The host stadium | |
| Dates | June 5-7 |
| Host city | Tokyo, Japan |
| Venue | National Olympic Stadium |
| Participation | at least 10 nations |
The 1981 Asian Athletics Championships was the fourth edition of the biennial athletics competition for Asian nations, and was held from June 5-7, 1981 in Tokyo, Japan.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Japan (JPN) | 18 | 19 | 14 | 51 |
| 2 |  China (CHN) | 11 | 4 | 2 | 17 |
| 3 |  India (IND) | 5 | 5 | 9 | 19 |
| 4 |  Thailand (THA) | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| 5 |  Kuwait (KUW) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 |  Malaysia (MAS) | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| 7 |  Philippines (PHI) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 |  Iraq (IRQ) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Saudi Arabia (KSA) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 10 |  South Korea (KOR) | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Totals (10 entries) | 37 | 37 | 37 | 111 | |
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