Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
VEA vs VGK: how they differ
VEA and VGK hold 47% of their weight in the same names, and VEA returned more over the year.
Vanguard Developed Markets Index Fund and Vanguard European Stock Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, VEA and VGK hold 47% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | VEA | VGK |
|---|---|---|
| ASML Holding NV | 2.37% | 3.63% |
| HSBC Holdings PLC | 1.01% | 2.05% |
| Novartis AG | 0.91% | 1.84% |
| AstraZeneca PLC | 0.87% | 1.84% |
| Nestle SA | 0.82% | 1.69% |
| Siemens AG | 0.73% | 1.41% |
| Banco Santander SA | 0.62% | 1.16% |
| Allianz SE | 0.56% | 1.13% |
| Schneider Electric SE | 0.55% | 1.12% |
| ABB Ltd | 0.52% | 1.02% |
| Iberdrola SA | 0.52% | 1.00% |
| Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC | 0.50% | 0.88% |
| Only in VEA | Only in VGK |
|---|---|
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd 1.56% | Ferrovial SE 0.21% |
| SK hynix Inc 1.40% | Wise PLC 0.07% |
| Royal Bank of Canada 0.90% | EDP Renovaveis SA 0.03% |
| Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc 0.67% | Carnival PLC 0.02% |
| Tokyo Electron Ltd 0.66% | Billerud Aktiebolag 0.01% |
| BHP Group Ltd 0.66% | Galapagos NV 0.01% |
| Toronto-Dominion Bank/The 0.63% | Nyfosa AB 0.01% |
| Kioxia Holdings Corp 0.61% | u-blox Holding AG 0.00% |
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 Jun 30, 2026.
| VEA Vanguard Developed Markets Index Fund | VGK Vanguard European Stock Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | Vanguard | Vanguard |
| What it is | Developed markets ex US | European Stock |
| Total return, 1 year | +24.5% | +16.5% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +7.0 pts | −1.0 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.06% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Holdings | 3870 | 1228 |
VEA in plain words
VEA is an index equity fund tracking the Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +24.5% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3870 positions, with the top ten at 13.2%.
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, VEA or VGK?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VEA returned +24.5% and VGK returned +16.5%, so VEA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, VEA or VGK?
- VEA charges 0.03% a year and VGK charges 0.06%, so VEA is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do VEA and VGK overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of VEA and 0% of VGK by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 47% 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, VEA against VGK, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/VEA-VGK Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources