1981 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships were held in Munich, West Germany on October 17 to 20, 1981.
Bulgarian gymnasts won eleven of the sixteen available medals, including all three individual all-around medals. This was the first World Championships where scores were "open", i.e. judges could see the scores given by other judges. Norma Zabka, a judge from the United States, noted that this reduced the influence of the superior judge when attempting to get judges to change their scores.
The following countries sent competitors: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East Germany, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, USSR, West Germany and Yugoslavia.
Countries who participated in the group competition are as follows.