Mr Clifford, 71, was arrested on 12 March at Littlehey Prison, in Cambridgeshire, where he is serving a sentence for sex-related offences.
He was arrested as part of Operation Yewtree, the Met Police investigation into sexual abuse allegations.
Mr Clifford will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 21 July.
Baljit Ubhey, chief crown prosecutor for CPS London, said: "We have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest for Mr Clifford to be charged with one offence of indecent assault."
Operation Yewtree is investigating sexual abuse allegations and was launched in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal.
Former celebrity publicist Max Clifford has been charged with an indecent assault allegedly committed in 1981, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.