| Host city | Lille, France, SFR Yugoslavia |
|---|---|
| Dates | 18–26 September 1982 |
The 1981 Men's World Weightlifting Championships were held in Lille, France, from September 13 to September 20, 1981. There were 194 men in action from 35 nations.
Ranking by Big (Total result) medals
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Soviet Union | 5 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| 2 |  Bulgaria | 4 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| 3 |  East Germany | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 |  Cuba | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Czechoslovakia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
 Poland | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 7 |  France | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Japan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (8 entries) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 | |
Ranking by all medals: Big (Total result) and Small (Snatch and Clean & Jerk)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soviet Union | 15 | 8 | 6 | 29 |
| 2 | Bulgaria | 10 | 7 | 9 | 26 |
| 3 | East Germany | 3 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
| 4 | Cuba | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 5 | France | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | Czechoslovakia | 0 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 7 | Poland | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 8 |  Hungary | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 North Korea | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 10 | Japan | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 |  West Germany | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (11 entries) | 30 | 30 | 30 | 90 | |