Global dividends hit Q1 record of $326.7bn

12% increase

Global dividends rose 12% in the first three months of 2023 to reach $326.7bn, a first quarter record, according to the latest Janus Henderson Global Dividend index.

The increase was largely driven by the booming of special dividends over the period, the company said. However, underlying growth - which strips out special dividends, exchange rate effects and other technical factors - was significantly slower at 3%. Global dividends hit record $1.6trn in 2022 One-off special dividends hit the second highest level on record - only behind Q1 2014 - at $28.8bn, with Ford and Volkswagen accounting for almost a third of the world's Q1 special dividends, Janus Henderson found. In terms of geographies, the US dominated Q1 dividends, with headline gro...