Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
ACWI vs VGK: how they differ
ACWI and VGK hold 3% of their weight in the same names, and ACWI returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI ACWI ETF and Vanguard European Stock Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, ACWI and VGK hold 3% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | ACWI | VGK |
|---|---|---|
| Allianz SE | 0.17% | 1.13% |
| Siemens Energy AG | 0.17% | 1.02% |
| UBS Group AG | 0.14% | 0.90% |
| Deutsche Telekom AG | 0.12% | 0.71% |
| GSK PLC | 0.10% | 0.68% |
| Zurich Insurance Group AG | 0.10% | 0.67% |
| Infineon Technologies AG | 0.09% | 0.57% |
| AXA SA | 0.09% | 0.50% |
| Muenchener Rueckversicherungs-Gesellscha | 0.08% | 0.51% |
| Nokia Oyj | 0.07% | 0.43% |
| Nordea Bank Abp | 0.06% | 0.11% |
| Deutsche Post AG | 0.06% | 0.35% |
| Only in ACWI | Only in VGK |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA CORPORATION 4.89% | ASML Holding NV 3.63% |
| APPLE INC. 4.02% | HSBC Holdings PLC 2.05% |
| MICROSOFT CORPORATION 2.90% | AstraZeneca PLC 1.84% |
| AMAZON.COM, INC. 2.58% | Novartis AG 1.84% |
| ALPHABET INC. 2.26% | Nestle SA 1.69% |
| BROADCOM INC. 1.90% | Siemens AG 1.41% |
| ALPHABET INC. 1.87% | Banco Santander SA 1.16% |
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Compa 1.73% | SAP SE 1.12% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026.
| ACWI iShares MSCI ACWI ETF | VGK Vanguard European Stock Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | MSCI ACWI | European Stock |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.1% | +16.5% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +1.6 pts | −1.0 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.06% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 61.4% | 0.0% |
| Holdings | 2307 | 1228 |
ACWI in plain words
ACWI is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI ACWI. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +19.1% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.32% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 61% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 2307 positions, with the top ten at 24.6%.
VGK in plain words
VGK is an index equity fund tracking the European Stock. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +16.5% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1228 positions, with the top ten at 18.1%. It sat 3.4% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, ACWI or VGK?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ACWI returned +19.1% and VGK returned +16.5%, so ACWI returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, ACWI or VGK?
- ACWI charges 0.32% a year and VGK charges 0.06%, so VGK is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do ACWI and VGK overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 61% of ACWI and 0% of VGK by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 3% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
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Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, ACWI against VGK, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ACWI-VGK Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources