UK leads the way as global dividends top $1trn for first time

Three of the top ten dividend payers globally in 2013 were British companies, while financials accounted for the greatest proportion of payouts, according to a new study by Henderson Global Investors.

The Henderson Global Dividend Index is a new quarterly study which measures the income paid by the world’s largest companies on a five-year view. Global dividends topped the $1tn mark to hit a new record in 2013, according to the study. Dividends as a whole have grown 43% since 2009, at an average annual rate of 9.4%. However, last year saw global dividend growth "slow to a crawl", up just 2.8%, partly due to the strength of the US dollar. The top ten dividend payers accounted for $97.1bn of payouts in 2013, equivalent to $1 in every $11 (9.4%) of the global total. “Though this ...