Business sentiment among local manufacturers declined to the lowest in three months in December amid lingering economic uncertainty, the central bank said Wednesday.

The index that gauges manufacturers' outlook on business conditions reached 78 for December, down from a 17-month high of 83 recorded for November, according to a monthly survey from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The index measures manufacturers' expectations for the coming month.

The December data marked the lowest level since 77 tallied in September, the central bank said.

A reading below the benchmark 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists. The index is based on a nationwide survey of 2,518 companies that was conducted Nov. 13-20.

The index gauging manufacturers' assessment of current business conditions came in at 78 in November, down from 81 in October, it added.

A BOK official attributed the decline in the business sentiment index for next month mainly to a high comparison base logged in November.

The index measuring business sentiment among exporters for December reached 75, down from 86 tallied in November, mainly due to business difficulties faced by display makers.

The index gauging larger firms' outlook for next month came in at 81, compared with 86 for November, the BOK added. (Yonhap News)