Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
ACWX vs VGK: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, ACWX returned +14.3% to VGK's +10.4%; 36% of their weight is in the same names.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about ACWX and VGK
Net assets: $17.9bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. 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 3.9 points; VGK is 1.7 times larger.
| Measure | ACWX | VGK |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +14.3% | +10.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.9%, high on Sep 4, 2026 | 6.1%, high on Aug 25, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI ACWI ex USA Index | FTSE Developed Europe All Cap Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.06% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $17.3bn | $29.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 36% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 15.6% | 19.0% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Apr 11, 2008 to Oct 23, 2026 · 967 weekly returnsVGK returned more: +147.0% to +129.8%. ACWX swung slightly less: 19.8% to 21.6%. ACWX and VGK fell about the same at their worst: −59.4% and −60.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | ACWX | VGK | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +129.8% | +147.0% | VGK | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +4.6% | +5.0% | VGK (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +42.8% | +24.6% | ACWX | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.8% | 21.6% | ACWX (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 14.4% | 15.6% | ACWX (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −59.4% | −60.1% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.25 | 0.27 | VGK (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.35 | 0.37 | VGK (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.08 | 0.08 | VGK (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 967 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, ACWX and VGK hold 36% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
36% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
ACWX and VGK on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
ACWX and VGK do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. ACWX follows MSCI ACWI ex USA Index and VGK follows FTSE Developed Europe All Cap Index.
- Holdings in common. 36% 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 ACWX returned +14.3% and VGK +10.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 3.9 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
The two-page PDF for this pair is coming. Save the comparison to follow its changes. Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.
ACWX
ACWX tracks the MSCI ACWI ex U.S.. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.32% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,939 positions, with the top ten at 15.6%. It sat 4.9% below its high of Sep 4, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
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, ACWX or VGK?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ACWX returned +14.3% and VGK +10.4%.
- Which is cheaper, ACWX 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, ACWX against VGK, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwx-vs-vgk
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). ACWX against VGK. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwx-vs-vgk
[ACWX against VGK (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwx-vs-vgk)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.