Which FTSE 100 stocks pay the highest dividends?

The FTSE 100 looks set to generate a record level of dividends this year, with the index’s constituents expected to pay out a combined £88 billion according to analyst estimates.

Most of the top stocks in London’s flagship index are large, well-established companies in sectors like healthcare, financials, oil and gas and consumer staples. Companies like these are in prime position to pay out healthy dividends to income-focused investors.

“Forecasts for aggregate FTSE 100 dividend payments for 2026 are up slightly over the last three months, at £88 billion compared to £86 billion in December, and 2027 estimates are a fraction higher than at the turn of the year as well,” said Russ Mould, investment director at investment platform AJ Bell. “As a result, consensus analysts’ estimates suggest that 2018’s all-time high FTSE 100 dividend payment of £85.2 billion will finally be exceeded in each of this year and next.”

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This is despite the impact of the conflict in the Middle East, which saw the FTSE 100 fall 6.7% in value over the course of March.

Top dividend stocks in the FTSE 100

There is a significant amount of concentration in terms of the FTSE 100’s top dividend payers. “Just 10 companies are expected to pay out 52% of the forecast total for 2025, at £45.7 billion, while the top 20 are expected to chip in £60.8 billion, or 69% of the estimated total,” said Mould.

According to consensus analyst estimates cited in AJ Bell’s latest Dividend Dashboard, these are the 10 FTSE 100 companies expected to pay out the most in dividends to shareholders during 2026:

^{Source: Company accounts, Marketscreener, consensus analysts’ forecasts via AJ Bell. Ordinary dividends only. Data as of 18 March 2026.}

While the figures above show the total amount these companies are expected to pay in dividends this year, it is worth considering the dividend yield – which measures dividends as a percentage of market capitalisation and, therefore, shows what your income from a stock would be based on the price you pay for its shares.

Those ten companies offer the following dividend yields, as of 9 April:

^{Source: LSEG}

According to AJ Bell, the top 10 FTSE 100 stocks based on their forward dividend yields (that is, their expected dividends over the next year as a percentage of their share price) are:

^{Source: Company accounts, Marketscreener, consensus analysts’ forecasts, LSEG Refinitiv data via AJ Bell. Based on ordinary dividends only. Data as of 18 March 2026.}

“For the second quarter in a row, the life insurers Legal & General and Standard Life [formerly Phoenix Group] offer the highest forecast dividend yields within the FTSE 100,” said Mould.

Since dividend yields are a percentage of prices, rising share prices have actually reduced yields over the last year – which has been a strong one for the FTSE 100 index.

“The index has gone up faster than dividends, so the available dividend yield has contracted,” said Mould.

Income-focused investors who favour investment trusts can also look for dividend heroes – trusts with a track record of raising annual dividends consistently for at least 20 years.