Around 86% of listed companies around the world either increased dividends or maintained them at current levels in 2023, Janus Henderson said.
The Global Dividend Index report, published Wednesday, said payouts rose by 5% year-on-year on an underlying basis, with the fourth quarter showing a 7.2% rise from the previous three months. The banking sector contributed almost half of the world's total dividend growth, delivering record payouts as high interest rates boosted lenders' margins, the report found."Emerging market banks made a particularly strong contribution to the increase, though those in China did not participate in the banking-sector's dividend boom."
A total of 22 countries, including the U.S., France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Mexico and Indonesia, saw record payouts last year.