Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
ACWI vs VGK: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, ACWI returned +13.4% to VGK's +10.4%; 13% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $33.0bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares MSCI ACWI ETF, and $29.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF.
Pair scorecard
VGK costs 0.26 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.0 points; ACWI is 1.1 times larger.
| Measure | ACWI | VGK |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.4% | +10.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 6.1%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI ACWI | FTSE Developed Europe All Cap Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.06% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $32.8bn | $29.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 13% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 24.9% | 19.0% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Apr 4, 2008 to Oct 23, 2026 · 968 weekly returnsACWI returned more: +333.1% to +140.0%. ACWI swung less: 18.5% to 21.6%. ACWI fell slightly less at its worst: −55.3% to −60.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | ACWI | VGK | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +333.1% | +140.0% | ACWI | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.2% | +4.8% | ACWI | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +204.7% | +21.1% | ACWI | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.5% | 21.6% | ACWI | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.2% | 15.7% | ACWI | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −55.3% | −60.1% | ACWI (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.44 | 0.26 | ACWI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.62 | 0.36 | ACWI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.15 | 0.08 | ACWI | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 968 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, ACWI and VGK hold 13% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
13% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
ACWI and VGK on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
ACWI and VGK do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. ACWI follows MSCI ACWI and VGK follows FTSE Developed Europe All Cap Index.
- Holdings in common. 13% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 ACWI returned +13.4% and VGK +10.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 3.0 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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ACWI
ACWI tracks the MSCI ACWI. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.32% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 61% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 2,197 positions, with the top ten at 24.9%.
VGK
VGK tracks an index of European Stock. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +10.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,245 positions, with the top ten at 19.0%. It sat 6.1% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, ACWI or VGK?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ACWI returned +13.4% and VGK +10.4%.
- Which is cheaper, ACWI or VGK?
- VGK is cheaper, by 0.26 percentage points a year. That is about $26 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, ACWI against VGK, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwi-vs-vgk
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). ACWI against VGK. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwi-vs-vgk
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