1981 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships Medals table Medals table

| Rank_ | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soviet Union | 6 | 4 | 2 | 12 |
| 2 | East Germany | 7 | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| 3 | Hungary | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| 4 | Romania | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 5 | Sweden | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 6 | Poland | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | Norway | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Yugoslavia | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Czechoslovakia | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 10 | Bulgaria | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 11 | United Kingdom | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 12 | West Germany | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 18 | 18 | 18 | 54 |