Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
IEFA vs URTH: how they differ
IEFA and URTH hold 24% of their weight in the same names, and IEFA returned more over the year.
iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF and iShares MSCI World ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, IEFA and URTH hold 24% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | IEFA | URTH |
|---|---|---|
| ASML Holding N.V. | 2.23% | 0.69% |
| HSBC HOLDINGS PLC | 1.25% | 0.35% |
| ASTRAZENECA PLC | 1.17% | 0.32% |
| Novartis AG | 1.11% | 0.31% |
| Nestle S.A. | 1.03% | 0.29% |
| SHELL PLC | 1.03% | 0.26% |
| Siemens Aktiengesellschaft | 0.90% | 0.26% |
| BHP GROUP LIMITED | 0.80% | 0.25% |
| Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. | 0.80% | 0.23% |
| COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA | 0.84% | 0.22% |
| SAP SE | 0.69% | 0.21% |
| Banco Santander, S.A. | 0.71% | 0.20% |
| Only in IEFA | Only in URTH |
|---|---|
| Ferrovial SE 0.14% | NVIDIA CORPORATION 5.64% |
| Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. 0.07% | APPLE INC. 5.04% |
| Resonac Holdings Corporation 0.06% | MICROSOFT CORPORATION 3.50% |
| Mitsui Kinzoku Company, Limited 0.06% | AMAZON.COM, INC. 2.86% |
| PLS GROUP LIMITED 0.06% | ALPHABET INC. 2.43% |
| DIPLOMA PLC 0.05% | BROADCOM INC. 2.21% |
| ENLIGHT RENEWABLE ENERGY LTD 0.05% | ALPHABET INC. 2.01% |
| BEAZLEY PLC 0.04% | META PLATFORMS, INC. 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 and May 31, 2026.
| IEFA iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | URTH iShares MSCI World ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| What it is | Core MSCI EAFE | MSCI World |
| Total return, 1 year | +18.0% | +17.4% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +0.5 pts | −0.1 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.07% | 0.24% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.1% | 70.3% |
| Holdings | 2632 | 1322 |
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%.
URTH in plain words
URTH is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI World. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +17.4% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.24% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 70% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1322 positions, with the top ten at 27.8%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IEFA or URTH?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IEFA returned +18.0% and URTH returned +17.4%, so IEFA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, IEFA or URTH?
- IEFA charges 0.07% a year and URTH charges 0.24%, so IEFA is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do IEFA and URTH overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of IEFA and 70% of URTH by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 24% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Other comparisons
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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, IEFA against URTH, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/IEFA-URTH Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources