1981 in Turkey

• President – Kenan Evren
• Prime Minister – Bülent Ulusu

• Ruling party – (Technocrat government)

• 44th government of Turkey

• 17 January – Cargo ship Deniz Sönmez sank around Crete, 32 deaths
• 4 March – Two members of Turkish diplomatic mission in Paris were assassinated by an Armenian group.
• 13 May – Assassination attempt on John Paul II by Mehmet Ali Ağca
• 24 May – Turkish airlines DC-9 aircraft was hijacked by a leftist group. The passengers seized the hijackers
• 24 May – Trabzonspor won the championship of the Turkish football league[2]
• 27 July – For the first time 10 state artists were elected
• 22 September – A military aircraft crashed over a military base in Edirne 40 deaths
• 16 October – All former political parties were closed by the military rule
• 23 October – Advisory parliament was opened
• 3 November – Former prime minister Bülent Ecevit was sentenced for making statements.
• 30 November – Ministry of Culture was merged to Ministry of Tourism

• 10 January – Mert Fırat, actor
• 17 February – Songül Öden
• 34 March – Aysun Kayacı, model
• 27 October – Volkan Demirel, footballer
• 20 November – İbrahim Toraman, footballer

• 4 March – Reşat Moralı and Tecelli Arı (assassinated)
• 18 March – Cahide Sonku (born in 1919), artist
• 27 April – Münir Nurettin Selçuk, singer
• 18 May – Fuat Sirmen (born in 1899), former speaker of the parliament
• 26 December – Suat Hayri Ürgüplü (born in 1903), former prime minister (29th government of Turkey)

• 
  Kenan Evren
• 
  Bülent Ecevit
• 
  Songül Öden
• 
  Volkan Demirel
• 
  İbrahim Toraman
• 
  Fuat Sirmen
• 
  Suat Hayri Ürgüplü

• 1980–81 1.Lig
• Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981

Media related to 1981 in Turkey at Wikimedia Commons