981
| Years | 
|---|
| Millennium | 
| 1st millennium | 
| Centuries | 
| Decades | 
| Years | 
| 981 by topic | 
|---|
| Leaders | 
| Categories | 
| 
 | 
| Gregorian calendar | 981 CMLXXXI | 
| Ab urbe condita | 1734 | 
| Armenian calendar | 430 ԹՎ ՆԼ | 
| Assyrian calendar | 5731 | 
| Balinese saka calendar | 902–903 | 
| Bengali calendar | 387–388 | 
| Berber calendar | 1931 | 
| Buddhist calendar | 1525 | 
| Burmese calendar | 343 | 
| Byzantine calendar | 6489–6490 | 
| Chinese calendar | 庚辰年 (Metal Dragon) 3678 or 3471 — to — 辛巳年 (Metal Snake) 3679 or 3472 | 
| Coptic calendar | 697–698 | 
| Discordian calendar | 2147 | 
| Ethiopian calendar | 973–974 | 
| Hebrew calendar | 4741–4742 | 
| Hindu calendars | |
| - Vikram Samvat | 1037–1038 | 
| - Shaka Samvat | 902–903 | 
| - Kali Yuga | 4081–4082 | 
| Holocene calendar | 10981 | 
| Iranian calendar | 359–360 | 
| Islamic calendar | 370–371 | 
| Japanese calendar | Tengen 4 (天元4年) | 
| Javanese calendar | 882–883 | 
| Julian calendar | 981 CMLXXXI | 
| Korean calendar | 3314 | 
| Minguo calendar | 931 before ROC 民前931年 | 
| Nanakshahi calendar | −487 | 
| Seleucid era | 1292/1293 AG | 
| Thai solar calendar | 1523–1524 | 
| Tibetan calendar | 阳金龙年 (male Iron-Dragon) 1107 or 726 or −46 — to — 阴金蛇年 (female Iron-Snake) 1108 or 727 or −45 | 
Year 981 (CMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.