Which returned more over the last year, EFA or GOVT?

In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +18.2% and GOVT returned −1.0%, so EFA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, EFA or GOVT?

EFA charges 0.32% a year and GOVT charges 0.05%, so GOVT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

EFA vs GOVT: how they differ

EFA and GOVT hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and EFA returned more over the year.

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF and iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, EFA and GOVT hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Largest positions each one holds and the other does not
Only in EFA	Only in GOVT
ASML Holding N.V. 2.60%	United States of America 5.31%
HSBC HOLDINGS PLC 1.47%	United States of America 2.96%
ASTRAZENECA PLC 1.36%	United States of America 2.63%
Novartis AG 1.30%	United States of America 2.09%
Nestle S.A. 1.21%	United States of America 1.61%
SHELL PLC 1.20%	United States of America 1.57%
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft 1.05%	United States of America 1.53%
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA 0.98%	United States of America 1.51%

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.

EFA and GOVT on the fields both publish, as of Sep 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	EFA iShares MSCI EAFE ETF	GOVT iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF
Where it sits	Core index fund	Core index fund
Issuer	iShares	iShares
What it is	Developed markets ex US	U.S. Treasury Bond
Total return, 1 year	+18.2%	−1.0%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	+0.7 pts	−18.5 pts
Expense ratio	0.32%	0.05%
Holdings	705	223

EFA in plain words

EFA is an index equity fund tracking the Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +18.2% 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, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 705 positions, with the top ten at 13.4%.

GOVT in plain words

GOVT is a bond fund tracking the U.S. Treasury Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −1.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. It sat 8.4% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Sep 11, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, EFA or GOVT?: In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +18.2% and GOVT returned −1.0%, so EFA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, EFA or GOVT?: EFA charges 0.32% a year and GOVT charges 0.05%, so GOVT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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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.

EFA against GOVT, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 12, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, EFA against GOVT, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EFA-GOVT Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources