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

In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +18.2% and VGSH returned +1.8%, so EFA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, EFA or VGSH?

EFA charges 0.32% a year and VGSH charges 0.03%, so VGSH 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 VGSH: how they differ

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

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF and Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index Fund.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, EFA and VGSH 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 VGSH
ASML Holding N.V. 2.60%	United States Treasury Note/Bond 2.26%
HSBC HOLDINGS PLC 1.47%	United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.41%
ASTRAZENECA PLC 1.36%	United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.36%
Novartis AG 1.30%	United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.32%
Nestle S.A. 1.21%	United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.31%
SHELL PLC 1.20%	United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.30%
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft 1.05%	United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.27%
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA 0.98%	United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.27%

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 and May 31, 2026.

EFA and VGSH on the fields both publish, as of Sep 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	EFA iShares MSCI EAFE ETF	VGSH Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index Fund
Where it sits	Core index fund	Core index fund
Issuer	iShares	Vanguard
What it is	Developed markets ex US	Short-Term Treasury
Total return, 1 year	+18.2%	+1.8%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	+0.7 pts	−15.7 pts
Expense ratio	0.32%	0.03%
Holdings	705	91

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%.

VGSH in plain words

VGSH is a bond fund tracking the Short-Term Treasury. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +1.8% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, EFA or VGSH?: In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +18.2% and VGSH returned +1.8%, so EFA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, EFA or VGSH?: EFA charges 0.32% a year and VGSH charges 0.03%, so VGSH 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 VGSH, 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 VGSH, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EFA-VGSH Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources