Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
EEM vs VPL: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EEM returned +16.3% to VPL's +24.8%; 18% 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 $9.0bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF.
Pair scorecard
VPL costs 0.65 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 8.5 points; EEM is 3.5 times larger.
| Measure | EEM | VPL |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +16.3% | +24.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 10.8%, high on Jun 22, 2026 | 7.2%, high on Jun 22, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI Emerging Markets Index | FTSE Developed Asia Pacific All Cap Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.72% | 0.07% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $31.1bn | $9.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 18% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 37.2% | 24.8% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Mar 18, 2005 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,127 weekly returnsEEM returned slightly more: +307.4% to +284.0%. VPL swung less: 18.2% to 23.5%. VPL fell less at its worst: −54.0% to −62.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | EEM | VPL | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +307.4% | +284.0% | EEM (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +6.7% | +6.4% | EEM (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +166.2% | +114.2% | EEM | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 23.5% | 18.2% | VPL | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 16.4% | 13.2% | VPL | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −62.6% | −54.0% | VPL | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.32 | 0.33 | VPL (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.45 | 0.46 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.11 | 0.12 | VPL (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,127 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, EEM and VPL hold 18% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
18% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
EEM and VPL on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
EEM and VPL do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. EEM follows MSCI Emerging Markets Index and VPL follows FTSE Developed Asia Pacific All Cap Index.
- Holdings in common. 18% 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 EEM returned +16.3% and VPL +24.8% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 8.5 points.
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.
VPL
VPL tracks an index of Pacific Stock. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +24.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% 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 2,343 positions, with the top ten at 24.8%. It sat 7.2% below its high of Jun 22, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EEM or VPL?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EEM returned +16.3% and VPL +24.8%.
- Which is cheaper, EEM or VPL?
- VPL is cheaper, by 0.65 percentage points a year. That is about $65 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 VPL, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/eem-vs-vpl
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). EEM against VPL. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/eem-vs-vpl
[EEM against VPL (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/eem-vs-vpl)
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