The 1981 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship (known at that time as 1981 European Championship for Cadets) was the 6th edition of the FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship. The cities of Thessaloniki and Katerini, in Greece, hosted the tournament. The Soviet Union won the trophy for the third time and became the most winning country in the tournament.
The twelve teams were allocated in two groups of six teams each.