Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
EWY vs IEFA: how they differ
EWY and IEFA hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and EWY returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI South Korea ETF and iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, EWY and IEFA hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in EWY | Only in IEFA |
|---|---|
| SK hynix Inc. 31.02% | ASML Holding N.V. 2.23% |
| SAMSUNG ELECTRO-MECHANICS CO.,LTD 3.44% | HSBC HOLDINGS PLC 1.25% |
| SK Square Co., Ltd. 3.10% | ASTRAZENECA PLC 1.17% |
| HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY 2.45% | Novartis AG 1.11% |
| KB Financial Group Inc. 1.40% | Nestle S.A. 1.03% |
| HYUNDAI MOBIS CO.,LTD 1.22% | SHELL PLC 1.03% |
| DOOSAN ENERBILITY CO., LTD. 1.22% | Siemens Aktiengesellschaft 0.90% |
| SAMSUNG SDI CO., LTD. 1.15% | COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA 0.84% |
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.
| EWY iShares MSCI South Korea ETF | IEFA iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| What it is | MSCI South Korea | Core MSCI EAFE |
| Total return, 1 year | +147.9% | +18.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +130.4 pts | +0.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.59% | 0.07% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Holdings | 82 | 2632 |
EWY in plain words
EWY is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI South Korea. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +147.9% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.59% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 82 positions, with the top ten at 70.0%. It sat 13.9% below its high of Jun 18, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
IEFA in plain words
IEFA is an index equity fund tracking the Core MSCI EAFE. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +18.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% 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 2632 positions, with the top ten at 11.5%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EWY or IEFA?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWY returned +147.9% and IEFA returned +18.0%, so EWY returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, EWY or IEFA?
- EWY charges 0.59% a year and IEFA charges 0.07%, so IEFA is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do EWY and IEFA overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of EWY and 0% of IEFA by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 0% 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, EWY against IEFA, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EWY-IEFA Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
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