High-quality international stocks are quietly paying dividend yields well above the S&P 500 average yield of 1.05%.
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You can build wealth in the U.S. stock market, but it’s not always the best source of income. High-quality international stocks are quietly paying dividend yields well above the S&P 500 average yield of 1.05%.
While venturing outside U.S. borders can improve your portfolio’s income, there are added risks. International financial reporting standards differ, exchange rates fluctuate, and political and regulatory environments can be fluid. Your taxes will likely get more complicated, too. And the income could be unpredictable: International dividends tend to be earnings-based and variable. For those reasons, it’s wise to proceed conservatively—with careful research and a commitment to diversification.
6 High-Yield International Dividend Stocks
You can identify international dividend stocks by screening on a range of parameters based on your investment needs. This list is based on these criteria:
- Minimum market capitalization of $10 billion
- Minimum dividend yield of 2.5%
- Minimum 5 years of dividend history
- Minimum of three covering analysts with buy or strong buy average rating
Sorting the conforming stocks by yield revealed these as the six highest-yielding opportunities:
- H World Group Limited of China
- Smurfit Westrock PLC of Ireland
- JD.com of China
- Takeda Pharmaceutical of Japan
- RELX of the U.K.
- Yum China Holdings
Most of these companies trade on U.S. stock exchanges as American Depositary Receipts. ADRs, as they’re known, represent ordinary shares in a foreign company. They’re issued by U.S. banks and priced in U.S. dollars. While there are three levels of ADRs, only Levels II and III are represented here. These trade on major exchanges and have higher disclosure requirements compared to Level I ADRs.
H World Group Limited (HTHT)
- Country: China
- Industry: Lodging
- Market capitalization: $12.9 billion
- Revenue: $3.7 billion
- EPS: $2.35
H World Group Limited is a Chinese hotel operator. The company operates in 21 countries with a large portfolio of recognized hotel brands. About 7% of the properties are leased or owned, and the remainder are franchised. Some of the franchised properties have on-site managers appointed by H World.
H World Group Limited Dividends
HTHT pays variable dividends once or twice annually. There were two dividends paid in 2025, totaling $1.74 per ADR, and one dividend of $1.28 paid in 2026. A second $1.28 dividend this year would bring the yield to above 6%.
Smurfit Westrock PLC (SW)
- Country: Ireland
- Industry: Packaging
- Market capitalization: $23.6 billion
- Revenue: $31.1 billion
- EPS: $1.33
Smurfit Westrock PLC is a leading producer of paper-based packaging from renewable, recyclable materials. The product set includes corrugated boxes, bottle packaging, and folding cartons. The company operates more than 500 facilities across 40 countries.
Smurfit Westrock PLC was formed when Ireland-based Smurfit Kappa merged with Atlanta-based WestRock in 2024. SW trades as ordinary shares in the U.S.
Smurfit Westrock Plc Dividend History
Pre-merger, Smurfit Kappa and WestRock both paid dividends. Post-merger, the combined company has paid quarterly dividends with annual increases. The last dividend, paid in June, was $0.4523 per share, equating to a yield of about 4%.
JD.com (JD)
- Country: China
- Industry: Internet retail
- Market capitalization: $35.9 billion
- Revenue: $192 billion
- EPS: $1.90
JD.com sells owned products online, operates a third-party marketplace, and provides logistics and fulfillment services. The company’s business model is often compared to an earlier Amazon, when direct retail was the focus.
JD Dividend History
JD has paid a once-annual dividend since 2022. The annual payouts have shown some volatility:
- 2022: $1.26
- 2023: $0.62
- 2024: $0.76
- 2025: $1
- 2026: $1
Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK)
- Country: Japan
- Industry: Drugmaker
- Market capitalization: $53 billion
- Revenue: $27.7 billion
- Loss per share: $0.30
Takeda Pharmaceutical is a biopharma company with six areas of focus: gastrointestinal and inflammation, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience, and vaccines. The company’s ADHD medication Vyvanse was very successful prior to losing patent protection in 2023. Today, the company is better known for Entyvio and Ninlaro. Entyvio treats Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and Ninlaro addresses multiple myeloma.
TAK trades on the NYSE as a sponsored ADR. Each ADR represents one-half a share of common stock.
TAK Dividend History
Takeda pays dividends twice annually. The dividends are declared in Japanese yen and ADR shareholders receive half the declared amount, converted to dollars at the current exchange rate. The latest ADR dividend worked out to about $0.24 per ADR. Assuming an annual dividend of $0.48, the yield is about 2.8%.
RELX (RELX)
- Country: United Kingdom
- Industry: Business services
- Market capitalization: $56.3 billion
- Revenue: $12.8 billion
- EPS: $1.49
RELX is a global data and analytics company serving professional and business customers. The company is organized around four core segments: Risk, Legal, Exhibitions, and Scientific, Technical & Medical. LexisNexis and Elsevier are its two most recognized operating divisions.
RELX is an ADR on the NYSE. The company also trades on the London Stock Exchange as REL and the Euronext Amsterdam as REN.
RELX Dividend History
RELX pays dividends in June and September, and the June payout is typically higher. Last year’s dividends totaled about $0.89 per ADR, for a yield of 2.7%.
Yum China Holdings (YUMC)
- Country: China
- Industry: Restaurants
- Market capitalization: $14.7 billion
- Revenue: $12.1 billion
- EPS: $2.61
Yum China Holdings was created in 2016 when Yum! Brands spun off its China division. Yum China holds exclusive rights to operate KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell in mainland China. In the second half of 2026, Yum China will move from licensing the Pizza Hut brand to owning it in mainland China. The company also owns other restaurant brands, including Huang Ji Huang.
YUMC Dividend History
YUMC pays quarterly dividends. The current payout is $0.29 per ADR, up from $0.24 last year. An annual dividend total of $1.16 equates to a 2.7% yield at the current share price.
Bottom Line
The yield gap between some international stocks and the S&P 500 average could be a difference-maker for your income portfolio. Still, there are risks. While these companies are well-established and tracked by analysts, the dividend income will vary with earnings and exchange rates. Given that and other complexities, international dividend stocks may function best as diversifiers rather than core holdings.
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