The dividend yield ratio of South Korea’s top 10 business groups averaged 0.8 percent last year, delivering even less than interest on bank deposits, industry data showed Wednesday.

The 92 affiliates of the country’s top 10 conglomerates paid 7.29 trillion won ($7.13 billion) in dividends in fiscal 2013, posting a 0.82 percent dividend yield ratio, according to Chaebul.com, which tracks the country’s conglomerates.

The dividend yield ratio, a percentage of the share price a company returns to investors in dividends, is less than half of the one-year fixed deposit rate, which has fallen to 1.9 percent, the data showed.

The ratio for South Korea’s listed firms is low overall, measuring 1.1 percent compared to 2.7 percent in other countries. (Yonhap)