Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
EEM vs VEA: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EEM returned +16.3% to VEA's +17.1%; 9% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $29.1bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, and $231.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF.
Pair scorecard
VEA costs 0.69 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.8 points; VEA is 7.4 times larger.
| Measure | EEM | VEA |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +16.3% | +17.1% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 10.8%, high on Jun 22, 2026 | 4.4%, high on Aug 25, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI Emerging Markets Index | FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.72% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $31.1bn | $231.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 9% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 37.2% | 13.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Aug 3, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,003 weekly returnsVEA returned more: +160.9% to +117.4%. VEA swung less: 19.5% to 23.7%. VEA fell slightly less at its worst: −59.0% to −62.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | EEM | VEA | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +117.4% | +160.9% | VEA | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +4.1% | +5.1% | VEA | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +45.6% | +46.4% | Tie | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 23.7% | 19.5% | VEA | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 16.5% | 14.2% | VEA | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −62.6% | −59.0% | VEA (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.23 | 0.28 | VEA | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.32 | 0.38 | VEA | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.07 | 0.09 | VEA | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,003 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, EEM and VEA hold 9% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
9% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
EEM and VEA on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
EEM and VEA do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. EEM follows MSCI Emerging Markets Index and VEA follows FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index.
- Holdings in common. 9% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- Number of holdings. EEM holds 1,186 positions and VEA holds 3906.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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EEM
EEM tracks an index of Emerging markets. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +16.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.72% 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 1,186 positions, with the top ten at 37.2%. It sat 10.8% below its high of Jun 22, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VEA
VEA tracks an index of Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.1% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% 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 3,906 positions, with the top ten at 13.6%. It sat 4.4% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EEM or VEA?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EEM returned +16.3% and VEA +17.1%.
- Which is cheaper, EEM or VEA?
- VEA is cheaper, by 0.69 percentage points a year. That is about $69 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, EEM against VEA, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/eem-vs-vea
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). EEM against VEA. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/eem-vs-vea
[EEM against VEA (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/eem-vs-vea)
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